Bedload tracing in a high‐sediment‐load mountain stream

This paper reports a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tracing experiment implemented in a high‐sediment‐load mountain stream typical of alpine gravel‐bed torrents. The study site is the Bouinenc Torrent, a tributary to the Bléone River in southeast France that drains a 38·9‐km² degraded catchment. In spring 2008, we deployed 451 tracers with b‐axis ranging from 23 to 520 mm. Tracers were seeded along eight cross‐sections located in the upstream part of the lowest 2·3 km of the stream. Three tracer inventories were implemented in July 2008, 2009 and 2010. Recovery rates calculated for mobile tracers declined from 78% in 2008 to 45% in 2009 and 25% in 2010. Observations of tracer displacement revealed very high sediment dispersion, with frontrunners having travelled more than 2 km only three months after their deployment. The declining recovery rate over time was interpreted as resulting from rapid dispersion rather than deep burial. We evaluated that 64% of the tracers deployed in the active channel were exported from the 2·3‐km study reach three years after the onset of the tracing experiment. Travel distances were characterized by right‐skewed and heavy‐tailed distributions, correctly fitted by a power‐law function. This supports the idea that in gravel‐bed rivers with abundant sediment supply relative to transport capacity, bedload transport can be viewed as a superdiffusive sediment dispersion process. It is also shown that tracers initially deployed in the low‐flow channel were characterized by a 15‐ to 30‐fold increase of mobility compared to tracers deployed in gravel bars. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating spatial variation of suspended sediment rating curves in the middle Yellow River basin,China

Abstract The suspended sediment load in the middle Yellow River basin (YRB) cannot be well predicted by capacity‐based transport formulas because a large fraction of suspended sediment load is composed of wash load. This study evaluated the spatial variations of sediment rating curves (SRCs) in the middle YRB. Both power and linear SRCs were used to fit daily flow and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) historical data at 49 gauging stations throughout the middle YRB. The spatial variation in regression coefficients was investigated, and the relationship between regression coefficients and the physical characteristics of watersheds was discussed. The results indicate that SRC regression coefficients vary with drainage area and basin slope, but their responses to these parameters are remarkably different in watersheds with different underlying surfaces, which indicates the significance of sediment availability, erodibility, and grain size distribution. For power SRCs representing sediment transport in unsaturated flows, the regression coefficients are more closely correlated with the drainage area in loess regions and with the basin slope in rock mountain regions. For linear SRCs representing sediment transport in saturated flows, saturated SSCs vary with coarse (particle size > 0.05 mm) and fine (particle size < 0.01 mm) fractions in suspended sediment. The maximum saturated SSC among the different gauging stations is associated with the optimal grain size composition of suspended sediment, which has been proposed for loess regions in previous studies. This study provides theoretical support for estimating the regression parameters for sediment transport modelling, especially in ungauged basins.     

Sedimentologically significant tributaries: catchment‐scale controls on sediment (dis)connectivity in the Lockyer Valley,SEQ, Australia

The nature of catchment‐scale sediment (dis)connectivity is the primary influence on sediment delivery to trunk streams and controls the particle size distribution of channel bed sediments. Here, we examine the distribution of major sediment buffers (floodplains, terraces, alluvial fans, trapped tributary fills), barriers (weirs), and effective catchment area (i.e. sediment contributing area) to characterize the potential for coarse sediment (dis)connectivity in 20 tributaries of Lockyer Creek, in the Lockyer Valley, SEQ. We then analyse the distribution of trunk stream sedimentary links to determine how certain tributaries or disconnecting features (buffers and barriers) influence downstream patterns of bed sediment fining along Lockyer Creek. We find that buffering increases downstream in the Lockyer Valley, and that tributary position and shape influence the space available for sediment buffering. Correspondingly, the spatial extent of sediment buffers impacts the distribution of effective catchment area, which influences the sedimentological significance of individual tributaries. Tributary sediment connectivity, the extent of overbank flows (floodwater zones), and weir locations all exert an additional influence on the distribution of sediment links along the trunk stream. These controls are related to the physiographic and climatic setting of the Lockyer Valley, and anthropogenic influences in this system. We conclude that controls on sediment connectivity and bed load sediment characteristics are highly variable between catchments, and that sediment (dis)connectivity merits equal consideration with tributary basin/channel size when determining controls on tributary–trunk stream relationships and channel sediment regime. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling sediment (dis)connectivity across a river network to understand locational-transmission-filter sensitivity for identifying hotspots of potential geomorphic adjustment

Rivers act as ‘jerky conveyor belts’ that transmit fluxes of flow and sediment downstream. This transmission of fluxes can be highly variable within a drainage basin resulting in either abrupt or gradational sediment (dis)connectivity patterns and processes. This study assesses sediment (dis)connectivity across a basin as a means to understand the locational, transmission and filter sensitivity properties of a fluvial system. Drawing upon the case study of Richmond River Catchment, New South Wales, Australia we use the concepts of effective catchment area and buffers, along with graph theory and an empirical sediment transport model CASCADE (Catchment Sediment Connectivity and Delivery), to assess (1) the degree to which modelled sediment cascades along the river network are connected or disconnected (2) how the position, pattern and configuration of (dis)connection facilitates or restricts geomorphic adjustment in different parts of a catchment, and (3) use the findings as a basis to explain the locational-transmission-filter sensitivity of the catchment. We use this analysis to segregate supply limited and transport limited reaches and identify various controls on sediment dynamics: in-stream sediment storage units, junctions between different geomorphic river types, tributary confluences and sediment storage units within partly confined floodplain units. Such analysis lays the foundation for network scale identification of potential hotspots of geomorphic adjustment.     

Sediment jamming of a trunk stream by hyperconcentrated floods from small tributaries: case of the Upper Yellow River,China

ABSTRACT

The tributary–trunk stream relationship is investigated with respect to hyperconcentrated flows and coupled wind–water processes in the Yellow River, China. Ten small tributaries that drain only 3% of the total drainage area of the trunk stream transport large amounts of relatively coarse sediment from the desert to the trunk stream during hyperconcentrated floods. The resultant strong sedimentation often jams the trunk stream, leading to serious disasters. This study reveals the cause of this interesting phenomenon and proposes countermeasures for disaster reduction. A typical sediment-jamming event (SJE) in July 1989 was thoroughly analysed based on the observational data, including the beginning, development and final stages of the event. An index of the geomorphologic effectiveness of the tributary on the trunk stream and a number of indices describing SJEs and the influencing factors are adopted, based on which a discrimination relationship for the occurrence of SJEs is established and some statistical relationships are also established. The SJE’s hydrological and geomorphologic impacts are discussed at short timescales (from several days to one month) and at long time scales (up to 46 years). The results may help to gain a new insight into the study of the tributary–trunk stream relationship, and provide useful information for sediment management and disaster-reduction planning in the drainage basin. Countermeasures are suggested to reduce the channel sedimentation and the risk of sediment-jamming disaters.

Editor M.C. Acreman Associate editor Q. Zhang     

Sediment storage and transport in Pancho Rico Valley during and after the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition,Coast Ranges of central California (Monterey County)

Factors influencing sediment transport and storage within the 156·6 km² drainage basin of Pancho Rico Creek (PRC), and sediment transport from the PRC drainage basin to its c. 11 000 km² mainstem drainage (Salinas River) are investigated. Numeric age estimates are determined by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on quartz grains from three sediment samples collected from a ‘quaternary terrace a (Qta)’ PRC terrace/PRC‐tributary fan sequence, which consists dominantly of debris flow deposits overlying fluvial sediments. OSL dating results, morphometric analyses of topography, and field results indicate that the stormy climate of the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition caused intense debris‐flow erosion of PRC‐tributary valleys. However, during that time, the PRC channel was backfilled by Qta sediment, which indicates that there was insufficient discharge in PRC to transport the sediment load produced by tributary‐valley denudation. Locally, Salinas Valley alluvial stratigraphy lacks any record of hillslope erosion occurring during the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition, in that the alluvial fan formed where PRC enters the Salinas Valley lacks lobes correlative to Qta. This indicates that sediment stripped from PRC tributaries was mostly trapped in Pancho Rico Valley despite the relatively moist climate of the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition. Incision into Qta did not occur until PRC enlarged its drainage basin by c. 50% through capture of the upper part of San Lorenzo Creek, which occurred some time after the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition. During the relatively dry Holocene, PRC incision through Qta and into bedrock, as well as delivery of sediment to the San Ardo Fan, were facilitated by the discharge increase associated with stream‐capture. The influence of multiple mechanisms on sediment storage and transport in the Pancho Rico Valley‐Salinas Valley system exemplifies the complexity that (in some instances) must be recognized in order to correctly interpret terrestrial sedimentary sequences in tectonically active areas. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bed sediment sources and mixing in the glacierized upper Fraser River watershed,east‐central British Columbia

The geochemical, mineralogical and lithological composition of modern stream bed material is examined in order to characterize sources and evaluate downstream mixing of sediments in the upper Fraser River drainage basin, British Columbia. The <63 µm fraction is emphasized for its relative mobility and ease of analysis using instrumental neutron activation. Overall, the composition of the stream sediments closely re?ects bedrock distribution. Samples dominated by limestone and dolostone, calcite and dolomite, and related elements (Ca, Mg, Sr etc.) correspond to Lower and Middle Cambrian carbonate bedrock largely con?ned to the Moose River sub‐basin. Clastic and non‐quartzite metamorphic lithologies, primary and secondary aluminosilicate minerals and related elements (Al, Cs, Rb etc.) are largely derived from Miette Group bedrock and associated with the uppermost Fraser River sub‐basin. Except in the case of the Moose River/Fraser River junction, the determination of proportional tributary contributions is complicated by variable or delayed mixing, localized ?oodplain or valley side sources, and limited contrast between source areas. At present the Moose River sub‐basin contributes a greater proportion of the total and ?ne‐grained sediment loads of the combined Fraser River than would be expected from drainage basin area alone. The imbalance is related to greater relief, precipitation and runoff in the Moose River sub‐basin; however, the spatial association of carbonate‐rich stream sediments, ice cover and carbonate bedrock exposure indicates that glaciers play a particularly important roll in generating ?ne‐grained ?uvial sediment. Since differences in glacier cover and glacier potential in the two major sub‐basins are likely to be persistent, and since relative sediment yields from the sub‐basins can be determined from sediment composition, a potential indicator of glacier variation and climate change during the Holocene is therein available. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distribution of glaciofluvial sediment within and on the surface of a high arctic valley glacier: Marthabreen,Svalbard

Marthabreen is a 7·8 km long valley glacier in SW Spitsbergen. The glacier is partially covered by a layer of angular debris derived from rockfall in its accumulation area, pierced in places by pinnacles and ridges of glaciofluvial sediment. These concentrations of glaciofluvial sediment fall into three categories: (1) debris pinnacles; (2) longitudinal sediment dykes; (3) longitudinal ridge accumulations. Debris pinnacles are slabs of sediment (predominantly sands, gravels and cobbles) elevated to the glacier surface along thrusts. Longitudinal sediment dykes are low (<0·5 m high) ridges of debris melting out of vertical sediment dykes within the body of the glacier. They are composed of a range of facies including sands, granule gravels, pebble gravels and diamiction. These dykes are sub-parallel to the longitudinal foliation on the glacier and form during folding of the stratification. Longitudinal ridge accumulations are higher (>1 m high) ridges of sorted sand and gravels which are not associated with penetrative ice structures. Their occurrence downglacier of sediment dykes and debris pinnacles suggests that they originate as supraglacial or englacial channels or tunnels filled by sediment derived from the dykes or thrusts. The presence of large quantities of glaciofluvial sediment on the surface of Marthabreen does not imply englacial water flow at high levels within the glacier, but is related to ice deformational processes such as thrusting and folding of debris-rich stratification. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tributary confluences and discontinuities in channel form and sediment texture: Rio Chama,NM

Numerous morphological changes can occur where two channels of distinct sediment and flow regimes meet, including abrupt shifts in channel slope, cross‐sectional area, planform style, and bed sediment size along the receiving channel. Along the Rio Chama between El Vado and Abiquiu Dams, northern New Mexico, arroyo tributaries intermittently deliver sediment from erodible sandstone and shale canyon walls to the mainstem channel. Much of the tributary activity occurs in flash floods and debris flows during summer thunderstorms, which often load the channel with sand and deposit coarser material at the mainstem confluence. In contrast, mainstem channel flow is dominated by snowmelt runoff. To examine tributary controls, we systematically collected cross‐section elevation and bed sediment data upstream and downstream of 26 tributary confluences along a 17 km reach. Data from 203 cross‐sections were used to build a one‐dimensional hydraulic model for comparing estimated channel parameters at bankfull and low‐flow conditions at these sites As compared to intermediate reaches, confluences primarily impact gradient and bed sediment size, reducing both parameters upstream of confluences and increasing them downstream. Cross‐section area is also slightly elevated above tributary confluences and reduced below. Major shifts in slope and bed sediment size at confluences appear to drive variations in sediment entrainment and transport capacity and the relative storage of sand along the channel bed. The data were analyzed and compared to models of channel organization based on lateral inputs, such as the Network Variance Model and the Sediment Link Concept. At a larger scale, hillslope ? channel coupling increases in the downstream third of the study reach, where the canyon narrows, resulting in steeper slopes and more continuous coarse bed material along the mainstem, and thus, limiting the contrast with tributary confluences. However, channel form and sediment characteristics are highly variable along the study reach, reflecting variations in the size and volume of sediment inputs related to the surface geology in tributary watersheds, morphology of the Rio Chama at the junction (i.e. bends, confinement), and the relative magnitude and location of past depositional events. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Network‐scale dynamics of grain‐size sorting: implications for downstream fining,stream‐profile concavity,and drainage basin morphology

We explore the link between channel‐bed texture and river basin concavity in equilibrium catchments using a numerical landscape evolution model. Theory from homogeneous sediment transport predicts that river basin concavity directly increases with bed sediment size. If the effective grain size on a river bed governs its concavity, then natural phenomena such as grain‐size sorting and channel armouring should be linked to concavity. We examine this hypothesis by allowing the bed sediment texture to evolve in a transport‐limited regime using a two grain‐size mixture of sand and gravel. Downstream ?ning through selective particle erosion is produced in equilibrium. As the channel‐bed texture adjusts downstream so does the local slope. Our model predicts that it is not the texture of the original sediment mixture that governs basin concavity. Rather, concavity is linked to the texture of the sorted surface layer. Two different textural regimes are produced in the experiments: a transitional regime where the mobility of sand and gravel changes with channel‐bed texture, and a sand‐dominated region where the mobility of sand and gravel is constant. The concavity of these regions varies depending on the median gravel‐ or sand‐grain size, erosion rate, and precipitation rate. The results highlight the importance of adjustments in both surface texture and slope in natural rivers in response to changes in ?uvial and sediment inputs throughout a drainage network. This adjustment can only be captured numerically using multiple grain sizes or empirical downstream ?ning rules. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lithology‐controlled evolution of stream bed sediment and basin‐scale sediment yields in adjacent mountain watersheds,Idaho, USA

The composition, grain‐size, and flux of stream sediment evolve downstream in response to variations in basin‐scale sediment delivery, channel network structure, and diminution during transport. Here, we document downstream changes in lithology and grain size within two adjacent ~300 km² catchments in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA, which drain differing mixtures of soft and resistant rock types, and where measured sediment yields differ two‐fold. We use a simple erosion–abrasion mass balance model to predict the downstream evolution of sediment flux and composition using a Monte Carlo approach constrained by measured sediment flux. Results show that the downstream evolution of the bed sediment composition is predictably related to changes in underlying geology, influencing the proportion of sediment carried as bedload or suspended load. In the Big Wood basin, particle abrasion reduces the proportion of fine‐grained sedimentary and volcanic rocks, depressing bedload in favor of suspended load. Reduced bedload transport leads to stronger bed armoring, and coarse granitic rocks are concentrated in the stream bed. By contrast, in the North Fork Big Lost basin, bedload yields are three times higher, the stream bed is less armored, and bed sediment becomes dominated by durable quartzitic sandstones. For both basins, the geology‐based mass balance model can reproduce within ~5% root‐mean‐square error the composition of the bed substrate using realistic erosion and abrasion parameters. As bed sediment evolves downstream, bedload fluxes increase and decrease as a function of the abrasion parameter and the frequency and size of tributary junctions, while suspended load increases steadily. Variable erosion and abrasion rates produce conditions of variable bed‐material transport rates that are sensitive to the distribution of lithologies and channel network structure, and, provided sufficient diversity in bedrock geology, measurements of bed sediment composition allow for an assessment of sediment source areas and yield using a simple modeling approach. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Scale variation of post‐glacial sediment yield in Chilliwack Valley,British Columbia

The Holocene volumetric sediment budget is estimated for coarse textured sediments (sand and gravel) in a large, formerly glaciated valley in southwest British Columbia. Erosion is estimated by compiling volumetric loss estimated in digital elevation models (DEMs) of gullied topography and by applying a non‐linear diffusion model on planar, undissected hillslopes. Estimates of steepland yield are based on estimates of post‐glacial deposition volumes in fans, cones and deltas at the outlets of low‐order tributary catchments. Erosion of post‐glacial fans and tributary valley fills is estimated by reconstructing formerly continuous surfaces. Results are classed by catchment order and compared across scales of contributing area, revealing declining specific sediment yield (in m³ km^?2 a^?1) with catchment area for the smaller tributaries (<10 km²) and increasing specific sediment yield for larger tributaries and Chilliwack Valley itself. Approximately 60% of mobilized sediment is redeposited in first‐ to third‐order catchments, with lesser proportions stored at the outlets of higher order catchments. A simple network routing model emphasizes the significant sediment flux contributions from colluvium, drift blankets and gullies in steeper terrain. As this material is deposited at junctions within the lower drainage network, an increasing proportion of material is derived from remnant valley fills and para‐glacial fans in the major valleys. Yield from lower‐order, steepland catchments tends to remain in storage, indefinitely sequestered on footslopes. These observations have implications for modelling the post‐glacial sediment balance amongst catchments of varying size. After 10⁴ years, the system remains in disequilibrium. The critical linkage lies between low‐order, hillslope catchments (相似文献   

Sediment flux into the sea as influenced by different source areas in the drainage basin: example of the Yellow River,China

Abstract

The runoff and sediment of large rivers usually come from different source areas, which make different contributions to the sediment flux into the sea. This has been studied with the example of the Yellow River in China, whose suspended sediment flux into the Bohai Sea accounts for 19.4% of the world total. The drainage basin of this river can be divided into four major water and sediment source areas. The sediment flux into the sea is found to be closely related to the water and sediment from the different source areas in the drainage basin and, accordingly, an empirical regression model has been established to express this relationship. According to this model, in each tonne (t) of sediment from the fine sediment producing area (FSA), 0.85 t (for yearly series) and 0.72 t (for event series) can be transported into the sea; in each tonne of sediment from the coarse sediment producing area (CSA), only 0.21 t (for yearly series) and 0.34 t (for event series) can be transported into the sea. Since the 1970s, the Yellow River's sediment flux into the sea has declined markedly and this reduction can be attributed to a great degree to the soil control measures in the fine sediment producing area. Coupling the models of this study to the previously established models for estimating the impacts of soil control measures on water and sediment balance in the Yellow River basin, a quantitative prediction may be made for the change of sediment flux into the sea that might result from climate change and human activities in the future.     

Influence of storm-related sediment storage on the sediment delivery from tributary catchments in the upper Waipaoa River,New Zealand

Although much is known about overall sediment delivery ratios for catchments as components of sediment production and sediment yield, little is known about the component of temporary sediment storage. Sediment delivery ratios focused on the influence of storm-related sediment storage are measured at Matakonekone and Oil Springs tributaries of the Waipaoa River basin, east coast of New Zealand. The terrace deposits of both tributaries show abundant evidence of storm-related sedimentation, especially sediment delivered from Cyclone Bola, a 50 year return rainfall event which occurred in 1988. The sediment delivery ratio is calculated by dividing the volume of sediment transported from a tributary to the main stream by the volume of sediment generated at erosion sites in the tributary catchment. Because the sediment delivery volume is unknown, it can be calculated as the difference between sediment generation volume and sediment storage volume in the channel reach of the tributary. The volume of sediment generated from erosion sites in each tributary catchment was calculated from measurements made on aerial photographs dating from 1960 (1:44 000) and 1988 (1:27 000). The volume of sediment stored in the tributary can be calculated from measurements of cross-sections located along the tributary channel, which are accompanied by terrace deposits dated by counting annual growth rings of trees on terrace surfaces. Sediment delivery ratios are 0·93 for both Matakonekone catchment and Oil Springs catchment. Results indicate that Oil Springs catchment has contributed more than twice the volume of sediment to the Waipaoa River than the Matakonekone catchment (2·75 × 10⁶ m³ vs 1·22 × 10⁶ m³). Although large volumes of sediment are initially deposited during floods, subsequent smaller flows scour away much of these deposits. The sediment scouring rate from storage is 1·25 × 10⁴ m³ a⁻¹ for Matakonekone stream and 0·83 × 10⁴ m³ a⁻¹ for Oil Springs stream. Matakonekone and Oil Springs channels respond to extreme storms by instantaneously aggrading, then gradually excavating the temporarily stored sediment. Results from Matakonekone and Oil Springs streams suggest a mechanism by which event recurrence interval can strongly influence the magnitude of a geomorphic change. Matakonekone stream with its higher stream power is expected to excavate sediment deposits more rapidly and allow more rapid re-establishment of storage capacity. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reworking of basin fill deposits along a tributary of the upper Yellow River: Implications for changes to landscape connectivity

Recent emphasis on sediment connectivity in the literature highlights the need for quantitative baseline studies on the patterns and distribution of sediment stores to facilitate understanding of how sediment moves through the landscape at various temporal and spatial scales. This study evaluates the distribution and make‐up of sediment stores within the dramatically incised landscapes of the upper Yellow River, where basin fill deposits up to 1200 m in depth have been extensively reworked following incision by the Yellow River. Field and GIS analyses highlight the discontinuous distribution of sediment stores in Garang catchment, a 236 km² tributary of the upper Yellow River. Volumetric estimates of sediment storage were obtained through a combination of field mapping, GPR transects, and GIS analyses. Sediment stores cover 20% of the Garang catchment, with an estimated volume of 474.0 × 10⁶ m³, and inferred residence times from OSL and ¹⁴C dating of 10³–10⁴ years. Fans and terraces reworked from basin fill deposits, and associated cut and fill terrace features, are the dominant forms of sediment storage (~90% of total). A space‐for‐time argument is used to assess stages of basin infilling and subsequent landscape responses to incision, outlining a dramatic example of changes to sediment dynamics and connectivity relationships within the upper Yellow River. Sediments within the upper catchment lie above the regional basin fill level, offering a glimpse of pre‐incisional conditions. This contrasts markedly with the enduring influence of basin incisional history seen within the middle catchment, and the contemporary landscapes of the lower catchment where nearly all available sediment has been excavated from the basin and the landscape effectively operates under post‐incisional conditions. The need to contextualise catchment‐scale studies in terms of landscape history is emphasised. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sediment routing analyses based on chronological changes in hillslope and riverbed morphologies

Recent studies of sediment delivery and budgets in the United States indicate that upland erosion rates at a given time may not explain contemporaneous sediment yields from a drainage basin. This suggests temporal discontinuities in sediment delivery associated with hillslope and channel storage processes. Integration of sediment production, storage and transport is essential to understand sediment routing in basins. We analysed each process chronologically using aerial photographs, monitoring data of sediment movement and annual tree-rings, and then compared estimated temporal changes in sediment production from hillslopes, floodplain disturbance areas and sediment transport in river channels. Toeslopes, floodplains and alluvial fans together contained 59 per cent of sediment eroded from uplands over the last 30 years. Monitoring results of riverbed changes showed that the volume of stored sediment on floodplains decreased exponentially with succeeding floods. The age distribution of floodplain deposits reflected the disturbance history of a river channel, and followed an exponential decrease with age. The results of this study may have important implications for sediment control plans for watersheds in steep regions.     

Surface particle sizes on armoured gravel streambeds: effects of supply and hydraulics

Most gravel‐bed streams exhibit a surface armour in which the median grain size of the surface particles is coarser than that of the subsurface particles. This armour has been interpreted to result when the supply of sediment is less than the ability of the stream to move sediment. While there may be certain sizes in the bed for which the supply is less than the ability of the stream to transport these sizes, for other sizes of particles the supply may match or even exceed the ability of the channel to transport these particles. These sizes of particles are called ‘supply‐limited’ and ‘hydraulically limited’ in their transport, respectively, and can be differentiated in dimensionless sediment transport rating curves by size fractions. The supply‐ and hydraulically limited sizes can be distinguished also by comparing the size of particles of the surface and subsurface. Those sizes that are supply‐limited are winnowed from the bed and are under‐represented in the surface layer. Progressive truncation of the surface and subsurface size distributions from the ?ne end and recalculation until the size distributions are similar (collapse), establishes the break between supply‐ and hydraulically limited sizes. At sites along 12 streams in Idaho ranging in drainage area from about 100 to 4900 km², sediment transport rating curves by size class and surface and subsurface size distributions were examined. The break between sizes that were supply‐ and hydraulically limited as determined by examination of the transport rate and surface and subsurface size distributions was similar. The collapse size as described by its percentile in the cumulative size distribution averaged D₃₆ of the surface and D₇₃ of the subsurface. The discharge at which the collapse size began to move averaged 88 per cent of bankfull discharge. The collapse size decreased as bed load yield increased and increased with the degree of selective transport. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical modelling of alternate bar formation,development and sediment sorting in straight channels

A two‐dimensional shallow water hydro‐sediment‐morphodynamic model is applied to investigate alternate bar formation, development and sediment sorting in straight channels. The model is coupled, explicitly incorporating the flow–sediment–bed interactions by using the full mass and momentum conservation equations, which are numerically solved by a well‐balanced version of the finite volume Slope Limiter Centred (SLIC) scheme. The model is first tested against a flume experiment on alternate bars formed over a uniform sediment bed, which clearly exhibits processes of bar formation, migrating and finally approaching an equilibrium state. Then it is applied to another flume experiment on alternate bars due to non‐uniform sediment transport. The computational results are evaluated, with a focus on the longitudinal and vertical sediment sorting. It is argued for the first time that the inconsistent sediment sorting patterns observed in previous studies are determined by different sediment transport conditions, i.e. full versus partial transport. When a condition of full transport is achieved, under which all size fractions are fully mobilized and transported, the longitudinal surface sediment shows a sorting pattern of coarse‐on‐head and fine‐in‐pool, and the vertical substrate sediment exhibits an immobile‐fine‐coarse structure upwards. In contrast, for a partial transport condition, under which only finer fraction participates in the transport process, an opposite longitudinal pattern (i.e. fine‐on‐head and coarse‐in‐pool) and a different vertical structure (i.e. immobile‐coarse‐fine) are observed. Concurrently, numerical experiments with specified conditions show that the critical aspect ratio for the formation of migrating alternate bars is approximately equal to 12. With the increase of the aspect ratio, the bar length grows gradually, while the bar height increases rapidly for moderate values of the aspect ratio and then keeps nearly stable. The bar celerity, however, is weakly sensitive to the variation of this ratio. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial scale effects on sediment concentration in runoff during flood events for hilly areas of the Loess Plateau,China

The spatial scale effect on sediment concentration in runoff has received little attention despite numerous studies on sediment yield or sediment delivery ratio in the context of multiple spatial scales. We have addressed this issue for hilly areas of the Loess Plateau, north China where fluvial processes are mainly dominated by hyperconcentrated flows. The data on 717 flow events observed at 17 gauging stations and two runoff experimental plots, all located in the 3906 km² Dalihe watershed, are presented. The combination of the downstream scour of hyperconcentrated flows and the downstream dilution, which is mainly caused by the base flow and is strengthened as a result of the strong patchy storms, determines the spatial change of sediment concentration in runoff during flood events. At the watershed scale, the scouring effect takes predominance first but is subordinate to the downstream dilution with a further increase in spatial scale. As a result, the event mean sediment concentration first increases following a power function with drainage basin area and then declines at the drainage basin area of about 700 km². The power function in combination with the proportional model of the runoff‐sediment yield relationship we proposed before was used to establish the sediment‐yield model, which is neither the physical‐based model nor the regression model. This model, with only two variables (runoff depth and drainage basin area) and two parameters, can provide fairly accurate prediction of event sediment yield with model efficiency over 0·95 if small events with runoff depth lower than 1 mm are excluded. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of pro‐glacial lakes on downstream sediment delivery in Norway

Glacier recessions caused by climate change may uncover pro‐glacial lakes that form important sedimentation basins regulating the downstream sediment delivery. The impact of modern pro‐glacial lakes on fluvial sediment transport from three different Norwegian glaciers: Nigardsbreen, Engabreen and Tunsbergdalsbreen, and their long‐term development has been studied. All of these lakes developed in modern times in overdeepened bedrock basins. The recession of Nigardsbreen uncovered a 1.8 km long and on average 15 m deep pro‐glacial lake basin during 1937 to 1968. Since then the glacier front has been situated entirely on land, and the sediment input and output of the lake has been measured. The suspended sediment transport into and out of the lake averaged 11 730 t yr^?1 and 2340 t yr^?1 respectively. Thus, 20% remained in suspension at the outlet. The measured mean annual bedload supplied to the lake was 11 800 t yr^?1, giving a total transport of 23 530 t yr^?1 which corresponds to a specific sediment yield of 561 t km^?2 yr^?1. A 1.9 km long and up to 90 m deep pro‐glacial lake basin downstream from Engabreen glacier was uncovered during 1890 to 1944. The average suspended sediment load delivered from the glacier during the years 1970–1981 amounted to 12 375 t yr^?1and the transport out of the lake was 2021 t yr^?1, giving an average of 16% remaining in suspension. The mean annual bedload was 8000 t yr^?1, thus the total transport was 20 375 t yr^?1, giving a specific sediment yield of 566 t km^?2 yr^?1. For Tunsbergdalsbreen glacier, measurements in the early 1970s indicated that the suspended sediment transport was on average 44 000 t yr^?1. From 1987 to 1993 the recession of the glacier uncovered a small pro‐glacial lake, 0.3 km long and around 9 m deep. Downstream from this, the suspended sediment load measured in 2009 was 28 000 t yr^?1, indicating that as much as 64% remained in suspension. Flow velocity, grain size of sediment, and morphology of the lake are important factors controlling the sedimentation rate in the pro‐glacial lakes. A survey of the sub‐glacial morphology of Tunsbergdalsbreen revealed that there are several overdeepened basins beneath the glacier. The largest is 4 km long and 100 m deep. When the glacier melts back they will become lakes and act as sedimentation basins. Despite an expected increase in sediment yield from the glacier, little sediment will pass these lakes and downstream sediment delivery will be reduced markedly. Beneath Nigardsbreen there was only a small depression that may form a lake and the sediment delivery will not be significantly affected. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.