Magnitude and variation in the contribution of bank erosion to the suspended sediment load of the River Severn,UK

The wide range of studies describing the role of bank erosion in fluvial sediment supply have mostly lumped amounts of bank erosion into coarse temporal units, such as years. This paper investigates sediment yields from individual bank erosion events within the upper River Severn, UK (basin area 380 km²). Manual erosion pins and photo-electronic erosion pins were used to estimate bank erosion, and turbidity meters were used to determine suspended sediment transport. At the annual time-scale, the silt-clay fraction of bank-derived sediment accounted for an equivalent of 17 per cent of the suspended load, increasing to an average of 38 per cent at the monthly timescale, and then to an average of 64 per cent at the event timescale. This research highlighted that for an upland catchment, bank erosion was an important supply of suspended sediment, and that for some flood events bank erosion can supply more sediment than is transported. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Microscopic coal-burning residues in the Severn Estuary,southwestern UK

Recently accumulated muddy sediments throughout the Severn Estuary contain substantial numbers of microscopic particles (white alumino-silicate and also opaque spheroids) attributable to coal-burning. The residues are most numerous in the finest textured sediments. In present-day (1985) muds their amount is of the order of 10⁸ grains kg⁻¹. The residues occur to a similar degree in the muddy sediments accumulated from about 1945 to the present, but decline rapidly in abundance in older deposits. A total of the order of 8 × 10³ tonnes of these residues may now be present in the muds of the estuary, including the suspended load held in the water column. The spheroids come from a variety of sources and may reach the estuary by several pathways.     

Abrupt changes in the discharge and sediment load of the Pearl River,China

The abrupt changes in the streamflow and sediment load at nine hydrological stations of the Pearl River basin were systematically analysed by using the simple two‐phase linear regression scheme and the coherency analysis technique. Possible underlying causes were also discussed. Our study results indicated that abrupt changes in the streamflow occurred mainly in the early 1990s. The change points were followed by significant decreasing streamflow. Multiscale abrupt behaviour of the sediment load classified the hydrological stations into two groups: (1) Xiaolongtan, Nanning and Liuzhou; and (2) Qianjiang, Dahuangjiangkou, Wuzhou, Gaoyao, Shijiao and Boluo. The grouped categories implied obvious influences of water reservoirs on the hydrological processes of the Pearl River. On the basis of analysis of the locations and the construction time of the water reservoirs, and also the time when the change points occurred, we figured out different ways the water reservoirs impacted the hydrological processes within the Pearl River basin. As for the hydrological variation along the mainstream of the Pearl River, the water reservoirs have considerable influences on both the streamflow and sediment load variations; however, more influences seemed to be exerted on the sediment load transport. In the North River, the hydrological processes seemed to be influenced mainly by climate changes. In the East River, the hydrological variations tended to be impacted by the water reservoirs. The study results also indicated no fixed modes when we address the influences of water reservoirs on hydrological processes. Drainage area and regulation behaviour of the water reservoirs should be taken into account. The results of this study will be of considerable importance for the effective water resources management of the Pearl River basin under the changing environment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Apparent phase velocities and fundamental-mode phase velocities of Rayleigh waves

Rayleigh wave dispersion data usually appear in the form of multimodal spectra for a layered model structure. The number of dispersion modal curves depends on the number of layers in the model. The measured dispersion velocities from the frequency–wavenumber (F–K) space, however, may not represent the true phase velocities of the fundamental-mode dispersion curve, but apparent phase velocities. The present study discusses how multimode curves are generated in the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method and the cause of the apparent velocity produced by the F–K method. Results from a field trial demonstrate that apparent phase velocities fail to reveal thin layers with low velocities. A better agreement of the inverted model with the geotechnical record is obtained by using the data points extracted from the fundamental-mode curve of the MASW spectral image.     

Quantifying the suspended sediment discharge to the ocean from the Markham River,Papua New Guinea

The Markham River is a small river draining a tropical mountain range with altitudes between 1000 and 3000 m and discharges directly into a submarine canyon, the head of which is at 30 m depth and reaches depths of 500 m only 4 km from the shore. As such, the Markham discharge system serves as a possible analogue for rivers discharging onto margins during low stands of sea-level. Located in a tectonically active area and with high rainfall, sediment supply is high and episodic and is sometimes related to catastrophic mountain landslides. The river has an estimated sediment load of 12 Mt yr⁻¹. Occasionally, high energy flows are generated at the river mouth which is evident from the channel morphology and sediment distribution. Profiles of salinity and suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) show that sediment is dispersed via a plume with components at both the surface, intermediate depth along isopycnal surfaces and near the sea bed. The dispersal pattern of the surface freshwater plume is largely determined by the buoyancy force. The surface plume is very thin with salinity gradients 15 ppt m⁻¹ while a Richardson number greater than unity suggested that the mixing zone is highly stratified. Estimates of the horizontal sediment flux gradient of the surface plume along the estuary axis suggest that about 80% of the sediment discharged is lost from the plume within a distance of 2 km from the river mouth. Particle fall velocities estimated from the vertical flux indicate values less than those of flocculated material. Layers of sediment with SSCs between 500 and 1000 mg l⁻¹ were observed at intermediate depths and near the seabed during periods of both high and intermediate discharge. The mass of sediment in a SSC layer at intermediate depths between 150 and 250 m within the canyon channel was estimated to be equivalent to an average of 2 to 3 days of Markham sediment discharge. SSCs near the seabed of between 250 and 750 mg l⁻¹ suggest that layers of significantly elevated density exist near the seabed, moving under the influence of gravity down steep seabed slopes of the Markham canyon.     

Recent changes of water discharge and sediment load from Feiyun River in Zhejiang Province,China

In-depth studies of water and sediment fluxes from rivers into the sea are very important for understanding the interactions between land and sea. This paper is concerned with identifying the changes in the time series of water and sediment fluxes from Feiyun River in Zhejiang Province, China. Inter- and intraannual variability in the water discharge and sediment load of the Feiyun River into the sea are analyzed using the observed data of runoff (1956–2008) and sediment (1957–2008) at Xuekou Station, which is in the main channel. The results show that there is a good peak–valley correlation between the water discharge and sediment load, and there are obvious seasonal variations, with a 65.7% water discharge and 89.2% sediment load during the flooding periods. Water discharge is mainly controlled by natural rainfall, but the construction of the upstream reservoirs in 1997 increased the discharge amount in the dry season and decreased the amount in the flooding season. Sediment loads were reduced after a huge flood in 1990 and construction of upstream reservoirs, while the latter also decreased the sediment load during the typhoon flooding period. Furthermore, the correlation between water discharge and sediment load is also affected by the flood and reservoir construction. There are some differences in the regression equations of sediment load and water discharge for 1957–1989, 1991–1996, and 1997–2008.     

Magnitude‐frequency characteristics of effective discharge for suspended sediment transport,Fraser River,British Columbia,Canada

This study analyses archival discharge and sediment concentration data (1965–1988), monitored by Water Survey of Canada, to examine suspended sediment transport rates and their relationship to effective discharge (Q_eff) based on daily discharge duration curves. Effective discharge was determined as the mid‐point of the discharge class transporting the greatest portion of the suspended sediment load (hence class‐based Q_eff). Results showed that the concept of effective discharge was applicable to the Fraser River basin where the average class‐based Q_eff occurred during 8·4% of the study period with individual values ranging from 0·03% to 16·1%. The durations of effective discharge classes ranged from 0·02% to 19·6% while the transport of 50% of total sediment loads ranged from 3% to 22% with an average of 14% of the time. Equations for predicting the class‐based Q_eff in the Fraser River basin from bankfull discharge and drainage area are presented. The observed variations among stations in sediment‐discharge regimes based on subjectively selected 20 discharge classes, seem to reflect the influence of sediment controlling factors such as geology, physiography, catchment size and land use practice in the basin. Future directions of research on applications of the effective discharge concept are explored. As a solution to the problem of lack of an objective method for determining the effective discharge, the effective discharge should be determined from event based assessments of sediment transport (event‐based Q_eff), avoiding any subjectivity in the selection of number of discharge classes used for its determination. In conclusion, it is proposed that continued use of the conventional method of determining Q_eff should cease. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphology of riffle–pool sequences in the River Severn,England

Despite the occurrence of riffle–pool sequences in many rivers there are few data concerning riffle–pool unit morphology. Of many criteria proposed to identify riffle–pool units, only three methods can be regarded as objective and robust. These are the ‘zero‐crossing’, the ‘spectral analysis’ and the ‘control‐point’ methods. In this paper statistics are developed using the first two of these methods to describe the streamwise morphology of 275 riffles and 285 pools which form a continuous 32·1 km reach of the bed of the River Severn in Shropshire, England. Yalin's theoretical relationship between the average riffle:pool unit length ( λ _p) and channel width ( W ), λ _p = 3 W , applies to the River Severn. Reach‐average riffle height ( H ) is a constant proportion of bankfull depth ( h ); typically H ≅ 0·16 h . Riffle height is a positive function of riffle length. Pool depth is a positive function of pool length. However, both riffle length and pool length increase more rapidly than the bed‐level amplitude, such that long riffles or pools are relatively ‘flat’. As channel gradient reduces, bedforms flatten and become more asymmetric as riffle stoss sides and the proximal slope of pools lengthen at the expense of riffle lee sides and pool distal slopes. The statistical relationships between riffle steepness (H/L) and water depth are similar to those for equilibrium subaqueous dunes. The Severn data are consistent with Yalin's theoretical analysis relating riffle bedform length (L _r) to water depth, i.e. L _r = α2π h, wherein α ≅ 1 for steep near‐equilibrium bedforms but α ≅ 2 to 3 as the relative depth decreases and riffles become long, low features. Theoretical consideration and turbulence data indicate that the frequency of coherent turbulent‐flow structures associated with the riffle–pool mixing length in the Severn should be of the order of 50 to 100 s. The morphological similarity of the steepest River Severn riffles with dunes raises intriguing questions with respect to self‐similar, convergent organization of periodic alluvial bedforms and to bedform dynamic classification particularly. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Causes for the decline of suspended‐sediment discharge in the Mississippi River system, 1940–2007

Before 1900, the Missouri–Mississippi River system transported an estimated 400 million metric tons per year of sediment from the interior of the United States to coastal Louisiana. During the last two decades (1987–2006), this transport has averaged 145 million metric tons per year. The cause for this substantial decrease in sediment has been attributed to the trapping characteristics of dams constructed on the muddy part of the Missouri River during the 1950s. However, reexamination of more than 60 years of water‐ and sediment‐discharge data indicates that the dams alone are not the sole cause. These dams trap about 100–150 million metric tons per year, which represent about half the decrease in sediment discharge near the mouth of the Mississippi. Changes in relations between water discharge and suspended‐sediment concentration suggest that the Missouri–Mississippi has been transformed from a transport‐limited to a supply‐limited system. Thus, other engineering activities such as meander cutoffs, river‐training structures, and bank revetments as well as soil erosion controls have trapped sediment, eliminated sediment sources, or protected sediment that was once available for transport episodically throughout the year. Removing major engineering structures such as dams probably would not restore sediment discharges to pre‐1900 state, mainly because of the numerous smaller engineering structures and other soil‐retention works throughout the Missouri–Mississippi system. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison of gauge and radar precipitation data for simulating an extreme hydrological event in the Severn Uplands,UK

This paper provides a comparison of gauge and radar precipitation data sources during an extreme hydrological event. November–December 2006 was selected as a time period of intense rainfall and large river flows for the Severn Uplands, an upland catchment in the United Kingdom. A comparison between gauge and radar precipitation time‐series records for the event indicated discrepancies between data sources, particularly in areas of higher elevation. The HEC‐HMS rainfall‐runoff model was selected to assess the accuracy of the precipitation to simulate river flows for the extreme event. Gauge, radar and gauge‐corrected radar rainfall were used as model inputs. Universal cokriging was used to geostatistically interpolate gauge data with radar and elevation data as covariates. This interpolated layer was used to calculate the mean‐field bias and correct the radar composites. Results indicated that gauge‐ and gauge‐corrected radar‐driven models replicated flows adequately for the extreme event. Gauge‐corrected flow predictions produced an increase in flow prediction accuracy when compared with the raw radar, yet predictions were comparative in accuracy to those using the interpolated gauge network. Subsequent investigations suggested this was due to an adequate spatial and temporal resolution of the precipitation gauge network within the Severn Uplands. Results suggested that the six rain gauges could adequately represent precipitation variability of the Severn Uplands to predict flows at an approximately equal accuracy to that obtained by radar. Temporally, radar produced an increase in flow prediction accuracy in mountainous reaches once the gauge time step was in excessive of an hourly interval. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Areal distribution of selected pollutants in contemporary intertidal sediments of the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel, UK

A series of 150 samples from the contemporary intertidal zone of the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel have been analysed for levels of copper, lead, zinc, rubidium, and particulate coal debris to investigate the present pollution status of the system. The analysis reveals a systematic streamwise variation in pollution concentrations which is taken to reflect a combination of land-based pollutant inputs and the reworking of pollutant-rich sediments from the erosion of salt marshes along the margins of the estuary.

This streamwise variation demonstrates a down-stream decrease in concentration, superimposed on which are nine areas of contemporary pollutant input with regard to metals but non relating to coal. The occurrence of coal in modern intertidal sediments at levels significantly higher than the underlying pollution trend is only possible via the reworking of anthropogenically derived material stored in the intertidal sediments of the system and from a wreck located offshore.     

River behaviour and Holocene alluviation: The River Severn at Welshpool,mid-Wales,U.K.

A combination of archaeological evidence, ¹⁴C dates, terrace mapping, heavy metal analysis, grain size analysis and historical maps is used in a detailed analysis of the alluvial history of the River Severn floodplain around Welshpool in mid-Wales, U.K. ‘Welshpool Gravels’ underlie a higher terrace surface up to 6–7 m above the present channel. They form a sequence of gravels at least 30 m in thickness. The upper surface is characterized by a series of braided palaeochannel patterns. These sediments were probably deposited at the end of the last glaciation as outwash, and are contemporaneous with other high, gravelly terrace deposits found in the Severn and other mid-Wales basins. Overlying the Welshpool Gravels on the contemporary floodplain are a variable thickness of finer sediments, the ‘Leighton Silts’. Morphological mapping and dating of two cut-offs to 2850 ± 60 a BP and 1190 ± 70 a BP indicates that a channel pattern similar to the present planform had formed by the mid to late Holocene. From this period, floodplain development has been dominated by a single-thread meandering channel with fine vertical sedimentation and limited lateral gravel accretion. Abandonment of extended lengths of channel formed by an avulsion mechanism is apparent. A combination of historical map data, ¹⁴C dates and the analysis for heavy metals in fine sediments, which were washed into the river system during mining, indicates that there has been at least 4 m of sedimentation since the early 17th century, but only in a central belt of varying width. Metal-rich waste, identified in the fine sediments of this zone of ‘Trehelig Silts’, indicates those areas which were most heavily sedimented during the peak of metalliferous mining in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the near-channel margins appear to be superficially similar to the older floodplain, the spatial and vertical pattern of historic sedimentation is complex, and is not reflected in marked elevation differences. The division of sedimentation periods into these three broad time-spans (Late Quaternary Terraces, Late Holocene alluviation and avulsion, and the historical metal-mining period) shows that an apparently simple planar floodplain is in reality underlain by complex sedimentation units. Floodplain construction has involved the development of inset units, in cut-offs and adjacent to migrating channels, as well as the expected contrasts between in-channel and overbank environments. This has implications both for alluvial sedimentation modelling and for the identification of high-pollution zones on the floodplain. These cannot be predicted on the basis of simple ‘in-channel’ and ‘overbank’ environments given the historically complex evolution.     

Spatial and temporal variability in the concentration and speciation of metals in suspended sediment transported by the River Aire,Yorkshire, UK

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the important role of fine sediment in the transport and storage of metals in fluvial systems. However, there has been little research on the behaviour of contaminated sediment in industrial rivers in the UK. This paper examines spatial and temporal variations in the concentration and speciation of lead, copper and chromium associated with suspended sediment in the River Aire in Yorkshire, UK. An increase in the total concentration of all three metals in sediment was identified in the lower reaches, which reflected inputs of road dust, sewage and industrial effluents. Spatial variations in the chemical speciation of the metals were also identified. The iron–manganese oxides and organic fractions were the most significant for the adsorption of metals by sediment. Both the concentrations and speciation of sediment‐associated metals exhibited substantial temporal variation. Such variation reflected the accumulation of metals and organic matter on the river‐bed during low flows, the subsequent remobilization of the sediment at high flows and the additional supply of sediment from uncontaminated and contaminated sources, including pulse inputs of road dust, sewage and industrial effluent. The findings presented have important implications for the development of effective catchment management strategies for the control of point‐ and diffuse‐source pollution. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Speciation of heavy metals on suspended sediment under high flow conditions in the River Aire,West Yorkshire,UK

Concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) on suspended sediments during a flood event at Thwaite Mills, River Aire, were analysed using a five step sequential extraction technique to determine their major chemical associations (exchangeable, surface oxide and carbonate, Fe and Mn oxides, organic and residual metal ions). Total metal concentrations were lowest at higher discharges, resulting from dilution by clean sediment. The major transport fractions are the Fe and Mn oxides, which carry 29% of the total metals. Knowledge of the chemical forms of heavy metals on suspended sediment is essential for estimating their biological availability and physicochemical reactivity. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of climate change and hydraulic structures on runoff and sediment discharge in the middle Yellow River

Due to climate change and its aggravation by human activities (e.g. hydraulic structures) over the past several decades, the hydrological conditions in the middle Yellow River have markedly changed, leading to a sharp decrease in runoff and sediment discharge. This paper focused on the impacts of climate change and hydraulic structures on runoff and sediment discharge, and the study area was located in the 3246 km² Huangfuchuan (HFC) River basin. Changes in annual runoff and sediment discharge were initially analysed by using the Mann–Kendall trend test and Pettitt change point test methods. Subsequently, periods of natural and disturbed states were defined. The results showed that both the annual runoff and sediment discharge presented statistically significant decreasing trends. However, compared with the less remarkable decline in annual rainfall, it was inferred that hydraulic structures might be another important cause for the sharp decrease in runoff and sediment discharge in this region. Consequently, sediment‐trapping dams (STDs, a type of large‐sized check dam used to prevent sediment from entering the Yellow River main stem) were considered in this study. Through evaluating the impacts of the variation in rainfall patterns (i.e. amount and intensity) and the STD construction, a positive correlation between rainfall intensity and current STD construction was found. This paper revealed that future soil and water conservation measures should focus on areas with higher average annual rainfall and more rainstorm hours. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short‐term discharge and suspended sediment fluctuations in the proglacial Skeldal River,north‐east Greenland

The summer discharge pattern of the Skeldal River, which drains a 560 km² partly glacierized catchment in north‐east Greenland, is dominated by diurnal oscillations reflecting variations in the melt rate of snow and ice in the basin. Superimposed on this diurnal pattern are numerous short‐lived discharge fluctuations of irregular periodicity and magnitude. The larger fluctuations are described and attributed to both rainfall events and periodic collapse of the glacier margin damming flow from beneath the Skelbrae glacier. Other minor fluctuations are less readily explained but are associated with changes in the channelized and distributed reservoirs and possibly temporary blockage of subglacial conduits caused by ice melt with subsequent damming. Fluctuations in suspended sediment concentration (SSC) are normally associated with discharge fluctuations, although examples of ‘transient flushes’ were observed where marked increases in SSC occurred in the absence of corresponding discharge variations. A strong relationship between the event discharge increase and event SSC increase for rainfall‐induced events was established, but no such relationship existed for non‐rainfall‐induced events. There is some evidence for an exhaustion effect in the SSC patterns both at the event time‐scale and as the month proceeds. A mean suspended sediment load of 1765 ± 0·26 t day^?1 was estimated for the study period, which would be equivalent to a suspended sediment yield of 732 ± 4 t km^?2 year^?1. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Abrupt variation in channel width along part of the River Severn,near Shrewsbury,Shropshire, England

The River Severn, near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, is formed by the union of the uppermost Severn with the Vyrnwy; both of these major headstreams drain from the Welsh upland. That part of the trunk Severn here under consideration has been under investigation for some years as exemplifying Osage-type underfitness. In the course of the investigation, a census was made of width between banktops on two reaches, and of water surface width on one of these reaches: the difference between the two types of width gives the value of a third type, the width of batter. All three width types produce Poisson distributions of frequency. Width, particularly width between banktops, varies rapidly in the downstream direction. In view of the observed Poisson distributions, transform rather than arithmetic values have been used in difference-of-means tests applied to variation along the channel: cube root transforms are the type selected. Although there is little to choose, on the study reaches, between arithmetic means and Poisson modes, the results obtained do suggest a query about the selection of the most appropriate width values, for instance for the purposes of channel morphology. All types of width are found to vary along the channel far more rapidly than would be expected from mere randomness. Variation in bank strength appears to account for about half the variation in width between banktops. The results obtained for batter width could be applied in the design of a sampling programme designed to identify local difference in bank strength.     

Evolution of the Upper Rhone River discharge and suspended sediment load during the last 80 years and some implications for Lake Geneva

: During this century, the characteristics of the Upper Rhone River discharge, flowing into Lake Geneva, have been altered in response to the changes which have occurred in its watershed. Principally, numerous hydroelectric dams have been constructed on the course of the Rhone River tributaries. At present the major reservoirs can hold about 122010⁶m³ of water, which represents 1/5 of the total annual Rhone River flow. Flow regime characteristics of the river have been modified by the dam operations. Water is released from reservoirs during winter and stored in summer. Large floods have also been reduced in amplitude and frequency. From the available literature data, sediment rating curves have been calculated and used to estimate the evolution of the sediment load from the Rhone River to Lake Geneva. They show that sediment input has decreased by at least a factor 2. This reduction has impacted the occurrence of underflows along the lake bottom, due to the reduction of sediment-laden floods, which in turn may have considerable negative effects on the reoxygenation of Lake Geneva deep waters.     

Multiple temporal scale relationships of bankfull discharge with streamflow and sediment transport in the Yellow River in China

This paper presents a study on the characteristics of multiple time scales of bankfull discharge and its delayed response to changes of flow conditions using continuous wavelet analysis for data from selected hydrological stations in the Yellow River basin. Results showed that bankfull discharge series had one or two dominant time scales. For example, the Huayuankou station in the lower reach of the Yellow River had two dominant time scales of 19-20 years and 545 years. The dominant time scales of the bankfull discharge series were generally consistent with the dominant time scales of water discharge and sediment concentration series, indicating that the channel morphology inherits the characteristics of the hydrological system in terms of multiple time scales. In addition, the wavelet coefficients of the bankfull discharge series had a phase difference in relation to those of the sediment concentration series, with a delay time that varied from 3 to 16 years at different sites. This delay time or relaxation time is a result of the delayed response of bankfull discharge to flow conditions, which was significant for channel adjustments in response to changes of flow conditions. The findings of the multiple time scales and the delayed response are of importance for further study of channel morphology of fluvial systems.