In situ measurements of fine sediment infiltration (FSI) in gravel-bed rivers with a hydropeaking flow regime

The overpresence of fine sediment and fine sediment infiltration (FSI) in the aquatic environment of rivers are of increasing importance due to their limiting effects on habitat quality and use. The habitats of both macroinvertebrates and fish, especially spawning sites, can be negatively affected. More recently, hydropeaking has been mentioned as a driving factor in fine sediment dynamics and FSI in gravel-bed rivers. The primary aim of the present study was to quantify FSI in the vertical stratigraphy of alpine rivers with hydropeaking flow regimes in order to identify possible differences in FSI between the permanently wetted area (during base and peak flows) and the so-called dewatering areas, which are only inundated during peak flows. Moreover, we assessed whether the discharge ratio between base and peak flow is able to explain the magnitude of FSI. To address these aims, freeze-core samples were taken in eight different alpine river catchments. The results showed significant differences in the vertical stratification of FSI between the permanently wetted area during base flow and the dewatering sites. Surface clogging occurred only in the dewatering areas, with decreasing percentages of fine sediments associated with increasing core depths. In contrast, permanently wetted areas contained little or no fine sediment concentrations on the surface of the river bed. Furthermore, no statistical relationship was observed between the magnitude of hydropeaking and the sampled FSI rate. A repeated survey of FSI in the gravel matrix revealed the importance of de-clogging caused by flooding and the importance of FSI in the aquatic environment, especially in the initial stages of riparian vegetation establishment. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

The influence of microform bed roughness elements on flow and sediment transport in gravel bed rivers

Pebble clusters are reported widely as characteristic of gravel river beds and are known to influence the initial entrainment of bedload. A field assessment suggests that their distribution is not ubiquitous, favouring channel bars, but also reveals a tendency towards a preferred stream wise spacing. A series of laboratory flume experiments shows that flow resistance rises to, and falls from, a peak value as the longitudinal spacing of pebble clusters decreases, in a manner similar to that shown by others for strip roughness, isolated blocks, and simulated ripples and dunes. The experiments also reveal a strong inverse relationship between bedload flux rates and the flow resistance induced by the concentration of pebble clusters. It is concluded that pebble cluster spacing tends towards an equilibrium that is regulated by a feedback process involving sediment transport rates and that the spatial concentration of these microforms will adjust to the point where they induce maximum flow resistance.     

Morphodynamics of alternate bars in the presence of riparian vegetation

Alpine gravel-bed rivers are dynamic systems that have been subjected to many anthropic alterations in the past centuries. Riparian vegetation development on previously bare sediment bedforms has been a common adjustment, raising important management issues in terms of flood risks and biodiversity. Many of these rivers are also channelized, and as a result present a pattern of alternate bars. Considering recent advances in numerical biomorphodynamic modeling, this study aims at exploring numerically the morphodynamics of alternate bars in the presence of riparian vegetation. To this end, a dynamic vegetation module has been implemented on top of an existing morphodynamic model, accounting for ecological processes of seed dispersal, seedling recruitment, growth, and mortality. Numerical simulations have been performed on a simplified reach of a gravel-bed river with free migrating alternate bars at initial state. In this work 96 scenarios have been simulated, each representing 50 years of channel evolution, with different flood regimes characterized by various peak discharges and flood durations. Yearly peak discharge variability is explicitly modeled in 48 scenarios. Model outcomes present two possible equilibrium biomorphodynamic behaviors: stationary vegetated bars, or free migrating bars in the case of frequent vegetation removal during floods. This binary behavior holds true when the stochasticity of annual peak discharges is represented, and for a wide range of parameter values included in vegetation dynamic modeling. Transient mobility of vegetated bars is observed in specific configurations where large sediment deposits deflect the flow field, eroding bar heads. Modeled bar wavelengths are in the range of values predicted for free bars by linear bar theory, and remain far from the theoretical values of hybrid, steady bars. The shift from unvegetated migrating bars to steady vegetated bars seems to show that in these simulations vegetation constitutes a hydraulic forcing, leading to a shift from free bars to forced bars, with a final configuration largely inherited from the initial state. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new sampler for extracting bed material sediment from sand and gravel beds in navigable rivers

Grain‐size distributions of bed material sediment in large alluvial rivers are required in various scientific and management applications, but characterizing gravel beds in navigable rivers is hampered by difficulties in sediment extraction. The newly developed and preliminarily tested sampler reported here can extract sediment from a range of riverbeds. The 36 × 23 × 28 cm stainless steel toothed sampler is deployed from and dragged downstream by the weight of a jet boat, and it improves upon previous samplers that are unable to penetrate gravel bed surfaces, have small apertures, and/or cannot retain fine sediment. The presented sampler was used to extract 167 bed material sediment samples of up to 16 kg (dry weight) with an average sample size of ～6 kg from 67 cross‐sections spanning 160 river kilometres along the Sacramento River. It was also tested at three sites on a subaerial bar to compare surface, subsurface, and sampler distributions. Sampler penetration is ～5 cm. The device collects individual samples that satisfy the criterion for bed material sediment whereby the largest particle comprises no more than 5% of the total sample mass in gravel and sand beds, except where the degree of surface armouring is large (e.g. armor ratios >> 2) and where more than 10% of bed material sediment is composed of grains larger than 64 mm. When aggregated samples exceed 15 kg, all satisfy the criterion whereby the largest particle comprises no more than 1% of the total sample mass. Samples closely resemble surface size distributions, except where armouring is strong. The sampler should be subject to more rigorous field testing, but many of its current limitations are expected to become negligible with the advent a larger, heavier version of the sampling device. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of erosion and settling properties of fine sediments stored in cobble bed rivers: the Arc and Isère alpine rivers before and after reservoir flushing

Cohesive sediment dynamics in mountainous rivers is poorly understood even though these rivers are the main providers of fine particles to the oceans. Complex interactions exist between the coarse matrix of cobble bed rivers and fine sediments. Given that fine sediment load in such environments can be very high due to intense natural rainfall or snowmelt events and to man‐induced reservoir or dam flushing, a better understanding of the deposition and sedimentation processes is needed in order to reduce ecohydrological downstream impacts. We tested a field‐based approach on the Arc and Isère alpine rivers combining measurements of erosion and settling properties of river bed deposits before and after a dam flushing, with the U‐GEMS (Gust Erosion Microcosm System) and SCAF (System Characterizing Aggregates and Flocs), respectively. These measurements highlight that critical shears, rates of erosion, settling velocities and propensity of particles to flocculate are highly variable in time and space. This is reflective of the heterogeneity of the hydrodynamic conditions during particle settling, local bed roughness, and nature and size of particles. Generally the deposits were found to be stable relative to what is measured in lowland rivers. It was, however, not possible to make a conclusive assessment of the extent to which the dynamics of deposits after reservoir flushing were different from those settled after natural events. The absence of any relationships between erosion and deposition variables, making it impossible to predict one from another, underlined the need to measure all of them to have a full assessment of the fine sediment dynamics and to obtain representative input variables for numerical models. While the SCAF was found to be effective, an alternative to the U‐GEMS device will have to be found for the erodibility assessment in cobble bed rivers, in order to make more rapid measurements at higher shears. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of vegetation patterns in structuring runoff and sediment fluxes in drylands

The dynamics of vegetation‐driven spatial heterogeneity (VDSH) and its function in structuring runoff and sediment fluxes have received increased attention from both geomorphological and ecological perspectives, particularly in arid regions with sparse vegetation cover. This paper reviews the recent findings in this area obtained from field evidence and numerical simulation experiments, and outlines their implications for soil erosion assessment. VDSH is often observed at two scales, individual plant clumps and stands of clumps. At the patch scale, the local outcomes of vegetated patches on soil erodibility and hydraulic soil properties are well established. They involve greater water storage capacity as well as increased organic carbon and nutrient inputs. These effects operate together with an enhanced capacity for the interception of water and windborne resources, and an increased biological activity that accelerates breakdown of plant litter and nutrient turnover rates. This suite of relationships, which often involve positive feedback mechanisms, creates vegetated patches that are increasingly different from nearby bare ground areas. By this way a mosaic builds up with bare ground and vegetated patches coupled together, respectively, as sources and sinks of water, sediments and nutrients. At the stand scale within‐storm temporal variability of rainfall intensity controls reinfiltration of overland flow and its decay with slope length. At moderate rainfall intensity, this factor interacts with the spatial structure of VDSH and the mechanism of overland flow generation. Reinfiltration is greater in small‐grained VDSH and topsoil saturation excess overland flow. Available information shows that VDSH structures of sources and sinks of water and sediments evolve dynamically with hillslope fluxes and tune their spatial configurations to them. Rainfall simulation experiments in large plots show that coarsening VDSH leads to significantly greater erosion rates even under heavy rainfall intensity because of the flow concentration and its velocity increase. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of vegetation restoration on erosion-induced sediment yield in the middle Yellow River and management prospect

Serious soil erosion on the Loess Plateau has be-come the focus of world attention.As early as the1950s China has started soil and water conservation work on the Loess Plateau in order to improve the lo-cal eco-environment and mitigate the threat of the coarse sediment in the middle Yellow River to the river channel at downstream.Facts proved that the best alternative is the integrated management of hill slopes and gullies in combination with biological and engineering measures.Biological m…     

Invasive crayfish as drivers of fine sediment dynamics in rivers: field and laboratory evidence

Despite increasing recognition of the potential of aquatic biota to act as ‘geomorphic agents’, key knowledge gaps exist in relation to biotic drivers of fine sediment dynamics at microscales and particularly the role of invasive species. This study explores the impacts of invasive signal crayfish on suspended sediment dynamics at the patch scale through laboratory and field study. Three hypotheses are presented and tested: (1) that signal crayfish generate pulses of fine sediment mobilisation through burrowing and movement that are detectable in the flow field; (2) that such pulses may be more frequent during nocturnal periods when signal crayfish are known to be most active; and (3) that cumulatively the pulses would be sufficient to drive an overall increase in turbidity. Laboratory mesocosm experiments were used to explore crayfish impacts on suspended sediment concentrations for two treatments: clay banks and clay bed substrate. For the field study, high frequency near‐bed and mid‐flow turbidity time series from a lowland river with known high densities of signal crayfish were examined. Laboratory data demonstrate the direct influence of signal crayfish on mobilisation of pulses of fine sediment through burrowing into banks and fine bed material, with evidence of enhanced activity levels around the mid‐point of the nocturnal period. Similar patterns of pulsed fine sediment mobilisation identified under field conditions follow a clear nocturnal trend and appear capable of driving an increase in ambient turbidity levels. The findings indicate that signal crayfish have the potential to influence suspended sediment yields, with implications for morphological change, physical habitat quality and the transfer of nutrients and contaminants. This is particularly important given the spread of signal crayfish across Europe and their presence in extremely high densities in many catchments. Further process‐based studies are required to develop a full understanding of impacts across a range of river styles. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Remnant riparian vegetation,sediment and nutrient loads,and river rehabilitation in subtropical Australia

A decline in the ecosystem health of Australia's Moreton Bay, a Ramsar wetland of international significance, has been attributed to sediments and nutrients derived from catchment sources. To address this decline the regional management plan has set the target of reducing the loads by 50%. Reforestation of the channel network has been proposed as the means to achieve this reduction, but the extent of revegetation required is uncertain. Here we test the hypothesis that sediment and nutrient loads from catchments decrease proportionally with the increasing proportion of the stream length draining remnant vegetation. As part of a routine regional water quality monitoring program sediment and nutrient loads were measured in 186 flow events across 22 sub‐catchments with different proportions of remnant woodland. Using multiple linear regression analysis we develop a predictive model for pollutant loads. Of the attributes examined a combination of runoff and the proportion of the stream length draining remnant vegetation was the best predictor. The sediment yield per unit area from a catchment containing no remnant vegetation is predicted to be between 50 and 200 times that of a fully vegetated channel network; total phosphorus between 25 and 60 times; total nitrogen between 1.6 and 4.1 times. There are ~48 000 km of streams in the region of which 32% drain areas of remnant vegetation. Of these 17 095 km are above the region's water storage dams. We estimate that decreasing the sediment and phosphorus loads to Moreton Bay by 50% would involve rehabilitating ~6350 km of the channel network below the dams; halving the total nitrogen load would require almost complete restoration of the channel network. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水位变化对河流、湖泊湿地植被的影响

水位是湿地生态水文过程的关键因素之一,其改变将影响湿地植被覆盖度和物种组成,最终产生群落演替.从水位梯度,水位波动和人工控湖、控河工程3方面论述水位变化对湿地植被的影响:由于对水位选择的不同及彼此竞争力的差异,湿地植物种沿水位具有梯度分布现象,同时形态可塑性能对其分布范围产生一定影响;水位波动的频率和淹没持续时间对于植被演替具有基础性的作用,水位波动幅度的影响则相对较小,周期性波动能维持以草本植物为主的湿地植被的物种多样性和稳定性,非周期性波动以洪水、干旱为主,易促进湿地植被向固定的水生或陆生方向演替;人工控湖、控河的影响在机理上并无特殊之处,但保证物种多样性和生态系统稳定性的各种缓解措施具有较高的参考价值.基于机理的量化模型,自然、人为因素驱动下水位变化对湿地植被影响的差别研究,模拟水位波动实验以及人工控湖、控河工程的跟踪观测将是今后该领域研究的热点.     

Hydraulic modelling of fish habitat in urban rivers during high flows

In urban rivers, flow regime and channel morphology are the drivers of physical habitat quality for aquatic species. Peak discharges are increased at high flows as a result of impermeable catchments and channel engineering for flood protection schemes. Hazardous conditions and flashy hydrographs mean that measurement of velocities at high flows is a difficult task. This research uses a three‐dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D‐CFD) model to simulate hydraulic patterns in two urban river channels. A 3D‐CFD code, called SSIIM, was used to simulate hydraulic conditions in two engineered river reaches of the River Tame, Birmingham, UK. These two sites represent channels with different levels of engineering. Models were calibrated and tested using field measurements. Results show that modelled water surface levels and velocity profiles are well simulated. Calibrated roughness heights are compared with those derived from field measurement of sediment size. Numerical experiments are used to assess the relationship between grid resolution in the vertical dimension and the form of the modelled velocity profiles. Biologists have used laboratory experiments to determine maximum sustainable swimming speeds (MSSS) of fish, often in order to assess what level of a particular pollutant may be tolerable. In this work, simulations of high‐flow hydraulic patterns are used to compare velocity patterns with fish MSSS. Results show that when the water levels rise to fill the first channel of the two‐stage channels at the sites, which occurred 16 times in 2000, MSSS are surpassed in the majority of available habitat, suggesting that excessive velocities at high flows are one factor that limits fish habitat. A comparison between the two reaches shows that there is less available habitat in the more modified reach. Conclusions suggest that an approach that integrates water quality issues and physical channel characteristics must be taken in river rehabilitation schemes, as improvements to water quality alone may not be sufficient to improve habitat quality to the desired level. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Downstream variation in bed sediment size along the East Carpathian rivers: evidence of the role of sediment sources

Taking as an example six main rivers that drain the western flank of the Eastern Carpathians, a conceptual model has been developed, according to which fluvial bed sediment bimodality can be explained by the overlapping of two grain size distribution curves of different origins. Thus, for Carpathian tributaries of the Siret, coarse gravel joins an unimodal distribution presenting a right skewness with enhanced downstream fining. The source of the coarse material distributions is autohtonous (by abrasion and hydraulic sorting mechanisms). A second distribution with a sandy mode is, in general, skewed to the left. The source of the second distribution is allohtonous (the quantity of sand that reaches the river‐bed through the erosion of the hillslope basin terrains). The intersection of the two distributions occurs in the area of the 0·5–8 mm fractions, where, in fact, the right skewness (for gravel) and left skewness (for sand) histogram tails meet. This also explains the lack of particles in the 0·5–8 mm interval. For rivers where fine sediment sources are low, the 0·5–8 mm fractions have a higher proportion than the fractions under 1 mm. For the Siret River itself, bed sediment bimodality is greatly enhanced due to the fact that the second mode is more than 25% of the full sample. As opposed to its tributaries, the source of the first mode, of gravel, is allohtonous to the Siret river, generated by the massive input of coarse sediment through the Carpathian tributaries, while the second mode, of the sands, is local. In this case we can also observe that the two distributions of particles of different origins overlap in the 0·5–8 mm fraction domain, creating the illusion of ‘particle lack’ in the fluvial bed sediments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of climate change on suspended sediment transport in Danish rivers

The HIRHAM regional climate model suggests an increase in temperature in Denmark of about 3 °C and an increase in mean annual precipitation of 6–7%, with a larger increase during winter and a decrease during summer between a control period 1961–1990 and scenario period 2071–2100. This change of climate will affect the suspended sediment transport in rivers, directly through erosion processes and increased river discharges and indirectly through changes in land use and land cover. Climate‐change‐induced changes in suspended sediment transport are modelled for five scenarios on the basis of modelled changes in land use/land cover for two Danish river catchments: the alluvial River Ansager and the non‐alluvial River Odense. Mean annual suspended sediment transport is modelled to increase by 17% in the alluvial river and by 27% in the non‐alluvial for steady‐state scenarios. Increases by about 9% in the alluvial river and 24% in the non‐alluvial river were determined for scenarios incorporating a prolonged growing season for catchment vegetation. Shortening of the growing season is found to have little influence on mean annual sediment transport. Mean monthly changes in suspended sediment transport between ? 26% and + 68% are found for comparable suspended sediment transport scenarios between the control and the scenario periods. The suspended sediment transport increases during winter months as a result of the increase in river discharge caused by the increase in precipitation, and decreases during summer and early autumn months. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adjustments in channel form,sediment calibre and vegetation around check‐dams in the headwater reaches of mountain torrents,Calabria, Italy

The structure and dynamics of vegetation in valley bottoms are both strongly associated with fluvial processes and landform dynamics. All of these associations are disrupted by the installation of engineering control works. We use survey and analysis methods developed previously to investigate the impact of the installation of check‐dams within the confined headwaters of steep seasonally‐flowing streams (fiumaras) in Calabria, southern Italy, on active channel form, sediment calibre, and the richness, cover and development of riparian vegetation. Based on detailed field measurements along transects across the active channel, estimates of indices of vegetation extent (GCC), development (WCH) and their cross‐sectional variability (coefficients of variation of both indices at each survey site CV_GCC, CV_WCH), the number of species present (Ns), channel shape (w/d – the width/depth ratio), cross‐sectional area (CSA), downstream gradient (slope), surface bed sediment calibre (D₅₀) and subsurface fine sediment content (percentage less than 250 µm by weight) were obtained for 60 transects located immediately upstream (U), downstream (D) and at intermediate sites (I) around 20 check‐dams located in four different headwater catchments. Analysis of this data set suggests that statistically significant changes in channel form and sediment calibre upstream of check‐dams are associated with more consistent vegetation development across the active channel, including an increase in species richness relative to other transects, but notable increases in vegetation cover and development only arise where the physical characteristics of the channel are notably different from intermediate and downstream channels. Because of the naturally steep profile of the study torrents, intermediate sections between check‐dams tend to be more similar in form to channels located immediately downstream of check‐dams than those located upstream, leading to similar structural properties in the riparian vegetation. The intermediate transects support considerably more species than downstream reaches, but the conditions upstream of the check‐dams appear to be so favourable for riparian vegetation development that species richness exceeds that found in intermediate reaches. Despite the confined headwater locations, these contrasts in form, sediment and vegetation development around check‐dams are strong and consistent across the study catchments, over‐riding more subtle contrasts in species richness and sediment calibre between catchments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interactions between aquatic vegetation,hydraulics and fine sediment: A case study in the Halswell River,New Zealand

This paper contributes a field study of suspended sediment transport through aquatic vegetation. The study was run over a 3 month period which was selected to coincide with scheduled weed cutting activities. This provided the opportunity to obtain data points with no vegetation cover, as well as to investigate the effects of weed cutting on Suspended Sediment Concentrations (SSC), particle size distributions and river hydraulics. Aquatic vegetation cover was quantified through remote sensing with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and biomass estimated from ground truth sampling. SSC was highly dependent on aquatic vegetation abundance, and the distance upstream that had been cleared of aquatic vegetation. The data indicates that fine sediment was being trapped and stored by aquatic vegetation, then likely remobilised after vegetation removal. Investigation of suspended sediment spatial dynamics illustrated changes in particle size distribution due to preferential settling of coarse particles within aquatic vegetation, for example D50 decreased from 36.08 μm to 15.64 μm after suspended sediment travelled 304.2 m downstream and passed ~3700 kg of aquatic vegetation biomass. Hydraulic resistance in the study reach (parameterized by Manning's n) dropped by over 70% following vegetation cutting. Prior to cutting hydraulic resistance was discharge dependent (likely due to vegetation pronating at higher flows), while post cutting hydraulic resistance was approximately invariant of discharge. Aerial surveying captured interesting changes in aquatic vegetation cover prior to vegetation cutting, where some very dense regions of aquatic vegetation were naturally removed (without any high flow events) leaving behind unvegetated riverbed and fine sediment. The weed cutting boat had a lower impact on SSC than was originally expected, which indicates that it may offer a less damaging solution to aquatic vegetation removal in rivers than some other approaches such as mechanical excavation. This paper contributes valuable field data (which are generally scarce) on the research topic of flow-vegetation-sediment interactions, to supplement laboratory and numerical studies.     

Storage of sediment‐associated heavy metals along the channelized Odra River,Poland

The importance of long‐term storage of heavy metals in groyne fields, functioning over 150 years, is investigated for the River Odra (Oder), western Poland. Construction of groynes along the Odra preceded rapid development of heavy industrialization in the largest coal mine districts in Poland and the Czech Republic that resulted in persistent riverine pollution. The 187 km long Middle Odra reach was repeatedly channelized from the first half of the eighteenth century to the turn of the twentieth century, during which time partially filled groyne fields were dissected by new bank lines and groyne systems, with older groyne fields partially keyed into the floodplain. Consequently, concentrations of zinc, lead, cadmium, and copper within historically deposited groyne field sediments exceed local geochemical background levels by more than 60, 40, 15 and 10 times, respectively. Sediments contaminated with heavy metals occur within three distinctive geomorphic zones: zone I is up to 250 m wide and furthest from the present channel, comprising decimeter‐thick polluted sediments, overlying eighteenth century sand and gravel bars; zone II represents the former nineteenth century groyne fields, with widths between 10 and 100 m, filled with as much as 3 m of polluted sediments; zone III represents the twentieth century groyne fields, which are several to a dozen metres wide and filled with polluted sediments averaging depths of more than 2 m. This investigation indicates that large and extensive sediment quantities of moderately polluted sediments are stored immediately along the banks of the River Odra. These sediments could be a significant secondary pollution source and therefore careful maintenance of contemporary bank protection structures is required. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of the dispersion coefficient in rivers with riparian vegetation

The study of the transport processes in the riparian environment is currently a subject of great interest. In this context, the evaluation of longitudinal dispersion is a fundamental issue. Although it plays an important role in the transport of chemicals, nutrients, and wood debris, few works have studied the effects of riparian vegetation on the dispersion coefficient in transversally non-uniform streams. Here, a quasi two-dimensional model is proposed to evaluate the transverse profile of the depth-averaged velocity in the presence of any vegetation distribution along the riparian transect. Once velocity profile is obtained, the dispersion coefficient is evaluated and the remarkable role of vegetation is shown. Both the velocity profile and the dispersion coefficient have been validated using our new experimental results and literature data. The work highlights the importance of taking into account the presence of vegetation along river banks. The estimation of the longitudinal dispersion in vegetated rivers can be affected by as much as 70–100% compared to the case without vegetation.     

Significance of particle interaction to the modelling of cohesive sediment transport in rivers

Aggregation processes of fine sediments have rarely been integrated in numerical simulations of cohesive sediment transport in riverine systems. These processes, however, can significantly alter the hydrodynamic characteristics of suspended particulate matter (SPM), modifying the particle settling velocity, which is one of the most important parameters in modelling suspended sediment dynamics. The present paper presents data from field measurements and an approach to integrate particle aggregation in a hydrodynamic sediment transport model. The aggregation term used represents the interaction of multiple sediment classes (fractions) with corresponding multiple deposition behaviour. The k–ε–turbulence model was used to calculate the coefficient of vertical turbulent mixing needed for the two‐dimensional vertical‐plane simulations. The model has been applied to transport and deposition of tracer particles and natural SPM in a lake‐outlet lowland river (Spree River, Germany). The results of simulations were evaluated by comparison with field data obtained for two levels of river discharge. Experimental data for both discharge levels showed that under the prevailing uniform hydraulic conditions along the river reach, the settling velocity distribution did not change significantly downstream, whereas the amount of SPM declined. It was also shown that higher flow velocities (higher fluid shear) resulted in higher proportions of fast settling SPM fractions. We conclude that in accordance with the respective prevailing turbulence structures, typical aggregation mechanisms occur that continuously generate similar distribution patterns, including particles that settle toward the river bed and thus mainly contribute to the observed decline in the total SPM concentration. In order to determine time‐scales of aggregation and related mass fluxes between the settling velocity fractions, results of model simulations were fitted to experimental data for total SPM concentration and of settling velocity frequency distributions. The comparison with simulations for the case of non‐interacting fractions clearly demonstrated the practical significance of particle interaction for a more realistic modelling of cohesive sediment and contaminant transport. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

坦噶尼喀湖东北部入湖河流表层沉积物中磷的形态和分布特征

磷是坦噶尼喀湖生态系统中必不可少的营养元素,直接决定湖体初级生产力的高低,进而影响到周边居民对于动物蛋白的获取来源.为了解坦噶尼喀湖磷的外源输入,选择湖泊东北部的入湖河流,对表层沉积物(16个样点)中总磷(TP)和各形态磷含量及其分布特征进行分析,并探讨磷的形态分布特征与土地利用方式之间的相关关系.结果表明,入湖河流沉积物TP含量为73.05~239.94 mg/kg,平均含量为152.64±55.37 mg/kg,其中最高值出现在马拉加拉西河口.采用Psenner法对磷进行连续浸提并比较不同形态磷含量,由高及低依次为铁铝结合态磷(Fe/Al-P)钙结合态磷(CaP)有机磷(Org-P)残渣态磷(Res-P)弱吸附态磷(Labile-P).土地利用类型对TP及各形态磷含量影响较大,其中TP含量表现为河口湿地城镇附近林草地区,表明地表径流和人类活动会对TP含量产生影响,而对于不同形态磷含量,Laible-P、Fe/Al-P、Org-P含量均表现为河口湿地林草地城镇附近,Ca-P、Res-P含量均表现为城镇附近河口湿地林草地.分析沉积物理化性质与各磷形态之间的相关性,发现沉积物总氮(TN)、有机质和总有机碳与Fe/Al-P、LabileP和TP相关性较好,与Org-P、Ca-P和Res-P相关性较差,表明TN和有机质的输入,会伴随沉积物中磷含量的升高,其增量的赋存形态主要为氧化还原敏感态磷和Labile-P.沉积物粒径组成与各磷形态含量存在相关性,细粒径沉积物与各形态磷含量呈显著正相关,粗粒径沉积物与各形态磷呈显著负相关,表明细小颗粒更易吸附磷.