Contemporary Squamish River sediment flux to Howe Sound, British Columbia

1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1953-1963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward J. Hickin
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
River Sediment ◽  
Sediment Load ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Large Magnitude ◽  
Delta Front ◽  
Coast Mountains

Squamish River drains 3600 km2 in the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia to Howe Sound at Squamish, some 50 km north of Vancouver. This study uses differencing of digitized bathymetric surfaces based on the Canadian Hydrographic Services surveys of 1930, 1973, and 1984 at the head of Howe Sound to yield a long-term sedimentation rate for Squamish River delta. The sediment flux from Squamish River to Howe Sound is determined to be 1.29 × 106 m3 a−1 or 1.81 × 109 kg a−1, rates consistent with loads calculated from flow and sediment-concentration regimes measured in the estuary in 1973 – 1975 and 1987 – 1988. The latter data indicate that the modal discharge-effectiveness class is 600 – 700 m3 s−1, moving 13% of the annual suspended-sediment load. Discharges up to 1400 m3 s−1 constitute 99.8% of all flows and are responsible for transporting 81.5% of the annual load. A very significant 18.5% of the load is moved by large-magnitude floods (> 1400 m3 s−1), which occur less than 0.2% of the time.Squamish Delta is prograding downfjord at an average rate of 3.86 m a−1 although local extensions of the delta front in a given year may approach 20 m. Some of the geomorphic implications of extrapolating these contemporary rates of fjord infilling over the Holocene are discussed briefly.

scholarly journals Impact of sediment–seawater cation exchange on Himalayan chemical weathering fluxes

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 675-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten Lupker ◽  
Christian France-Lanord ◽  
Bruno Lartiges
Keyword(s):  
Cation Exchange ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Sediment Load ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
River System ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Continental-scale chemical weathering budgets are commonly assessed based on the flux of dissolved elements carried by large rivers to the oceans. However, the interaction between sediments and seawater in estuaries can lead to additional cation exchange fluxes that have been very poorly constrained so far. We constrained the magnitude of cation exchange fluxes from the Ganga–Brahmaputra river system based on cation exchange capacity (CEC) measurements of riverine sediments. CEC values of sediments are variable throughout the river water column as a result of hydrological sorting of minerals with depth that control grain sizes and surface area. The average CEC of the integrated sediment load of the Ganga–Brahmaputra is estimated ca. 6.5 meq 100 g−1. The cationic charge of sediments in the river is dominated by bivalent ions Ca2+ (76 %) and Mg2+ (16 %) followed by monovalent K+ (6 %) and Na+ (2 %), and the relative proportion of these ions is constant among all samples and both rivers. Assuming a total exchange of exchangeable Ca2+ for marine Na+ yields a maximal additional Ca2+ flux of 28  ×  109 mol yr−1 of calcium to the ocean, which represents an increase of ca. 6 % of the actual river dissolved Ca2+ flux. In the more likely event that only a fraction of the adsorbed riverine Ca2+ is exchanged, not only for marine Na+ but also Mg2+ and K+, estuarine cation exchange for the Ganga–Brahmaputra is responsible for an additional Ca2+ flux of 23  ×  109 mol yr−1, while ca. 27  ×  109 mol yr−1 of Na+, 8  ×  109 mol yr−1 of Mg2+ and 4  ×  109 mol yr−1 of K+ are re-absorbed in the estuaries. This represents an additional riverine Ca2+ flux to the ocean of 5 % compared to the measured dissolved flux. About 15 % of the dissolved Na+ flux, 8 % of the dissolved K+ flux and 4 % of the Mg2+ are reabsorbed by the sediments in the estuaries. The impact of estuarine sediment–seawater cation exchange appears to be limited when evaluated in the context of the long-term carbon cycle and its main effect is the sequestration of a significant fraction of the riverine Na flux to the oceans. The limited exchange fluxes of the Ganga–Brahmaputra relate to the lower than average CEC of its sediment load that do not counterbalance the high sediment flux to the oceans. This can be attributed to the nature of Himalayan river sediment such as low proportion of clays and organic matter.

scholarly journals Annual suspended sediment load of the Yenisei river

2019 ◽  
pp. 68-82
Author(s):  
N. I. Tananaev ◽  
R. Teisserenc ◽  
T. Le Dantec
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Sediment Load ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Hysteresis Loops ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Suspended Sediment Load ◽  
Yenisei River ◽  
The Yenisei River

Field studies, including high-frequency sampling for suspended sediment flux estimation, were conducted in 20142016 in the city of Igarka, at the outlet of the Yenisei River. During spring freshet of each year, multiple suspended sediment concentration (SSC) peaks were observed, irrelated to water discharge fluctuations. The form of hysteresis loops evidences the importance of input from local in-channel sediment sources, i.e. banks and bedforms, and scouring of bed material, deposited during winter, in observed sharp SSC peaks. On the falling stage of the freshet, longer peaks are related to sediment waves from major tributaries, notably the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River. Annual sediment load was calculated based on the daily water discharge and observed SSC data, using sediment rating curves and LOADEST models as two reference methods. Mean annual suspended sediment load of the Yenisei River in Igarka is estimated at 8.1 0.5 mln t., which significantly exceeds previously published values for the 19702001 period, from 4.6 to 5.9 mln t. Cumulative sediment load for 20142016 totals 24.2 2.1 mln t.

scholarly journals Recent changes in climate, hydrology and sediment load in the Wadi Abd, Algeria (1970–2010)

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1355-1372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Achite ◽  
Sylvain Ouillon
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Suspended Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Load ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Rating Curve ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Suspended Particulate ◽  
Hysteresis Phenomena ◽  
Hydrological Regimes

Abstract. Here we investigate the changes of temperature, precipitation, river runoff and sediment transport in the Wadi Abd in northwest Algeria over a time series of 40 hydrological years (1970–2010). Temperature increased and precipitation decreased with the reduction in rainfall being relatively higher during the rainy season. A shift towards an earlier onset of first rains during summer was also found with cascading effects on hydrology (hydrological regimes, vegetation, etc.) and thus on erosion and sediment yield. During the 1980s, the flow regime shifted from perennial to intermittent with an amplification of the variations of discharge and a modification of the sediment regime with higher and more irregular suspended particulate flux. Sediment flux was shown to almost double every decade from the 1970s to the 2000s. The sediment regime shifted from two equivalent seasons of sediment yield (spring and fall) to a single major season regime. In the 2000s, autumn produced over 4 times more sediment than spring. The enhanced scatter of the C–Q pairs denotes an increase of hysteresis phenomena in the Wadi Abd that is probably related to the change in the hydrologic regime. At the end of the period, due to irregularity of the discharge, the ability of a rating curve to derive suspended sediment concentration from river discharge was poor.

scholarly journals Spatial and temporal variability of suspended sediment yield in the Kamchatka Krai, Russian Federation

2015 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 304-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Kuksina ◽  
N. Alexeevsky
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Sediment ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Sediment Yield ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Far East ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Suspended Sediment Yield

Abstract. Research into the spatial and temporal variability of suspended sediment flux (SSF, t year−1) has been conducted for rivers in the Kamchatka Krai (in the far east of the Russian Federation). The study of long-term fluctuations in SSF was based on difference-integral curve analysis. Most of the rivers in the region are characterized by two relatively long-term trends in SSF; increases from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, followed by a subsequent decline. Kamchatka was divided into regions based on similar conditions of specific suspended sediment yield (SSSY, t km−2 year−1) followed by a determination of the various factors controlling it. New maps of suspended sediment concentration (SSC, mg L−1) and SSSY for Kamchatka also were constructed and, based on this study, there currently appear to be 18 SSC and 13 SSSY regions, as opposed to 4 and 2 regions, respectively, as had been determined in the 1970s. The influence of volcanoes on SSF can be substantial, and can increase up to 5-fold after eruptions; SSC can reach 6∙105 mg L−1 in rivers draining the flanks of volcanoes.

scholarly journals Changing trends of rainfall and sediment fluxes in the Kinta River catchment, Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 367 ◽  
pp. 340-345
Author(s):  
W. R. Ismail ◽  
M. Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Sediment Discharge ◽  
Change Analysis ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
Sediment Fluxes ◽  
Annual Sediment

Abstract. The Kinta River, draining an area of 2566 km2, originates in the Korbu Mountain in Perak, Malaysia, and flows through heterogeneous, mixed land uses ranging from extensive forests to mining, rubber and oil palm plantations, and urban development. A land use change analysis of the Kinta River catchment was carried out together with assessment of the long-term trend in rainfall and sediment fluxes. The Mann-Kendall test was used to examine and assess the long-term trends in rainfall and its relationship with the sediment discharge trend. The land use analysis shows that forests, water bodies and mining land declined whilst built and agricultural land use increased significantly. This has influenced the sediment flux of the catchment. However, most of the rainfall stations and river gauging stations are experiencing an increasing trends, except at Kinta river at Tg. Rambutan. Sediment flux shows a net erosion for the period from 1961 to 1969. The total annual sediment discharge in the Kinta River catchment was low with an average rate of 1,757 t/km2/year. From 1970 to 1985, the annual sediment yield rose to an average rate of 4062 t/km2/year. Afterwards, from 1986 to 1993, the total annual sediment discharge decreased to an average rate of 1,306 t/km2/year and increased back during the period 1994 to 2000 to 2109 t/km2/year. From 2001 to 2006 the average sediment flux rate declined to 865 t/km2/year. The decline was almost 80% from the 1970s. High sediment flux in the early 1970s is partly associated with reduced tin mining activities in the area. This decreasing trend in sediment delivery leaving the Kinta River catchment is expected to continue dropping in the future.

scholarly journals Recent changes in climate, hydrology and sediment load in the Wadi Abd, Algeria (1970–2010)

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 10457-10513
Author(s):  
M. Achite ◽  
S. Ouillon
Keyword(s):  
Suspended Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Load ◽  
Sediment Concentration ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Rating Curve ◽  
Sediment Delivery ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Suspended Particulate ◽  
Rating Curves ◽  
Hysteresis Phenomena

Abstract. Here we investigate the changes of temperature, precipitation, river runoff and sediment transport in the Wadi Abd in NW Algeria over a time series of 40 hydrological years (1970–2010). Temperature increased and precipitation decreased with the reduction in rainfall being relatively higher during the rainy season. A shift towards an earlier onset of first rains during summer was also found with cascading effects on hydrology (hydrological regimes, vegetation etc) and thus on erosion and sediment yield. During the 1980s, the flow regime shifted from perennial to intermittent with an amplification of the variations of discharge and a modification of the sediment regime with higher and more irregular suspended particulate flux. Sediment flux was shown to almost double every decade from 1970s to 2000s. The sediment regime shifted from two equivalent seasons of sediment delivery (spring and autumn) to a single major season regime. In 2000s, autumn produced over 4 times more sediment than spring. The enhanced scatter denotes an increase of hysteresis phenomena in the Wadi Abd that is probably related to the change in the hydrologic regime. The increased erosion of the watershed is accompanied by a decrease in the coefficient b of its rating curves and a decrease in the erosive power of the river. At the end of the period, due to the irregularity of the discharge, the ability of a rating curve to derive suspended sediment concentration from river discharge was poor.

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