The influence of catchment characteristics on suspended sediment properties

In order to investigate the influence of catchment characteristics on suspended sediment properties, suspended sediment samples were collected from the outlets of 60 small catchments located throughout Southwest England over a 14-month period. The catchments were selected to provide a representative range of topographic, land use, soil and geological characteristics. The suspended sediment samples were collected using time-integrating trap samplers, emptied at monthly intervals. Laboratory analysis focused on a selection of suspended sediment properties, including particle size composition, cation exchange capacity, and organic carbon, nitrogen, metal, radionuclide and phosphorus content. The results presented show that despite the substantial variability of catchment characteristics associated with the 60 sampling sites, the suspended sediment properties generally fell within a relatively limited range. However, statistical analysis identified significant spatial variability of suspended sediment within Southwest England, which in turn can be linked to catchment characteristics.     

The use of turbidimeters in suspended sediment research

Accurate characterisation of the trend in suspended sediment concentration in streams throughout runoff events requires a sampling interval much shorter than the one hour typically used. For logistical reasons this is not usually feasible, so continuously recording turbidimeters offer a potential alternative. The variety of correlations and relationships between sediment concentration and turbidity reported in the literature is not surprising in view of the many confounding effects present in natural stream systems. Data from five sites in a small forested catchment indicated variability in the turbidity-suspended sediment concentration relationship, but improvements were obtained by considering the effects of very fine sediment and background water colour. Throughout runoff events variations in sediment properties, organic acids concentration and turbulence can occur. It is concluded that a good linear relationship between turbidity and suspended sediment concentration should not necessarily be expected and any observed hysteresis could actually help explain erosion and transport processes. The detail and continuity of data generated by turbidimeters provides the opportunity for greater understanding of storm sediment dynamics, however, calibration requires careful consideration of site characteristics.     

Use of the electronic particle counter to investigate phosphorus on particles in streams

A simple and rapid method is described for the measurement by electronic particle counter of the relative proportions of sediment particles, of diameters 1 to 40 µm, which could enter the stream suspended load. The method is useful to further investigations into nutrients borne upon such material because the amounts of phosphate per unit weight of particles varies through orders of magnitude depending upon the particle size. An example is given to illustrate the application of the method.     

极端降水条件下延河水沙特征对比分析及其影响因素

为探究延河流域在开展水土保持工程前后极端降水条件下水沙特征变化情况,采用统计学方法对比分析了延河流域1977年和2013年7月两次极端降水条件下的水沙特征变化情况。结果表明:1977年7月极端暴雨具有降雨强度大和降雨量峰值大、降雨强度空间分布极不均匀的特征;2013年7月极端暴雨具有降雨总量和时段降雨量大、暴雨频率高、降雨强度空间分布较均匀的特征。2013年7月洪水洪峰流量、洪水总径流量、洪峰含沙量等特征值较1977年7月显著减小,输沙量随径流量的减小而显著减小。1977年7月洪水表现为陡涨陡落,洪水历时较短;2013年7月洪水表现为缓涨缓落,洪水历时明显延长。与1977年相比,2013年泥沙颗粒明显细化。该研究表明1990年代以来水土保持高水平的规模化治理改变了流域产、汇流的下垫面条件,是导致1977年和2013年7月极端降水条件下的水沙特征表现迥异的主要原因。该研究为应对极端降水引发的洪灾和防治水土流失提供可靠的科学理论依据。     

Geochemical composition,phosphorus speciation and mass transport of fine-grained sediment in two Lake Erie tributaries

The concentration of major elements (Si, Al, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Ti, Mn and P), particulate phosphorus forms (NH₄Cl-RP, BD-RP, NaOH-RP, HCl-RP and NaOH₍₈₅₎-RP) and carbon content were determined in six size fractions (<8, 8–12, 12–19, 19–31, 31–42 and 42–<60 µm) of sediment collected at gauging stations located in two Lake Erie tributaries (Big Creek and Big Otter Creek). Concentrations of major elements and phosphorus forms were remarkably similar in sediment size fractions from both rivers. Nonapatite inorganic P (NAIP) and organic P (OP) concentrations increased with decreasing grain size while apatite inorganic P (AIP) content decreased with decreasing grain size. Results of phosphorus fractionation studies were combined with historical (particle size) and hydrometric data to simulate the export of particle P on tributary sediment < 63 µm. AIP represents 67 and 70% of the calculated particulate P mass while NAIP accounts for 26 and 23% of sediment-bound P transported in Big Otter Creek and Big Creek, respectively. The < 8 µm size fraction of tributary sediment is the most significant for the potential release of bioavailable P into the water column.     

Sediment transport in an inland river in North Queensland

Rivers in northern Queensland are ephemeral and carry water mainly as a direct response to heavy rainfall. Sediment is transported downstream with the runoff and sediment deposition may be a major problem in many proposed reservoirs. Hence information about sediment transport, particularly under high flow conditions, is required for planning and design of water storage reservoirs. In this region, bed material samples can be obtained during low flow periods and suspended sediment sampling during floods is possible but only with difficulty. Little reliable data is available.This paper outlines a possible approach to predicting sediment loads in such rivers. Suspended sediment samples have been analysed to give both particulate concentrations and their grain size distributions. The latter have been compared with bed material size distributions, and the concentrations of suspended bed material and wash load components have been estimated.After investigations of a number of methods for predicting bed material transport, those which treat bed load and suspended load independently have been selected. Field data have been used to determine the wash load and the suspended bed material load. The bed load was then computed so that the total sediment load could be determined.This approach has been applied to the Flinders River at Glendower, based on field data obtained by the Queensland Water Resources Commission in 1982/83.     

Sediment–Water Surface Area Along Rivers: Water Column Versus Benthic

Aquatic ecosystems have two distinct zones: the water column and benthic zone. Although the benthic zone has received considerable attention, recent studies have found the water column capable of accounting for a majority of whole ecosystem processes in rivers. The relative role of these zones inevitably varies across a size continuum of rivers, from headwaters to large transcontinental systems. A fundamental question in aquatic science is where along this size continuum do ecosystem processes potentially shift from occurring largely in the benthic zone to largely in the water column? Sediment structures the physical template of the benthic and water column zones of rivers and the contact area between water and sediment mediates ecological, geochemical, and physical processes. High concentrations of suspended sediments are hypothesized to cause a shift from benthic to water column dominance in rivers. We developed an analytical model for the contact area between surface water and all sediment particles in benthic and water column volumes. The model was implemented with empirical data along the main stem of major US rivers. The ratio of water column to benthic sediment contact area scaled as a power function of watershed area. There was more sediment–water contact area in the water column than the benthic zone in rivers equal to or greater than 5th to 9th order depending on the river basin. This suggests material processing could be occurring largely in the water column in rivers greater than 5th order. However, dams and variation in discharge caused rivers to oscillate between water column and benthic dominance over time and space.     

A simulation of the process of sedimentation of suspended solids in the Yoshii River estuary

A vertical plane 2D model has been applied to the Yoshii River estuary, Japan, as a means of simulating the process of sedimentation. The current velocity and isohaline distributions were well reproduced in the estuary and the model simulated the concentration distribution of suspended solids for 8 particle size classes by using a transport equation based only on physical processes. The changes of the particle size distribution in surface water were well reproduced by the model. The vertical velocity component plays an important role in the behaviour of suspended solids.     

The role of fine sediment characteristics and body size on the vertical movement of a freshwater amphipod

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Dissolved oxygen concentration in river sediment of the Lake Biwa tributaries, Japan

The dissolved oxygen concentration in the sediment pore water downstream of rivers in the Lake Biwa basin was measured, and the factors affecting the dissolved oxygen concentration were analyzed. In August 2003, nine rivers (Sakai, Nakanoi, Hebisuna, Anziki, Yasu, Echi, Ane, Oh, and Ohura) were surveyed. The dissolved oxygen was depleted in the sediment pore water of the rivers with a high proportion of particles less than 250 μm in size. For these rivers, the difference between the dissolved oxygen concentrations of the river surface water and the pore water was large, ranging from −9.54 to −5.26 mg L⁻¹. It was found that the proportion of land turned to paddy fields has an effect on the percentage of the particles below 250 μm (standard partial regression coefficient = 0.807, p = 0.023). These results suggest that, in the Lake Biwa basin, the sedimentation of the fine particles released from paddy fields results in poor dissolved oxygen in the river sediment downstream. In addition, the water flow conditions in small- and medium-scale rivers without headwaters also affect the sedimentation of suspended particles.     

梯级水电站开发对香溪河悬浮颗粒物粒径及浓度的影响

通过对香溪河悬浮颗粒物粒度及浓度的实验分析,研究梯级水电站开发对河流悬浮颗粒物的影响,结果表明:(1)香溪河干流悬浮颗粒物粒径由上游到中游逐渐减小,并且在无水电站干扰时颗粒物粒径减小幅度较大;(2)从进水口至出水口河段,水电站悬浮颗粒物粒径总体变化不显著;(3)水电站从进水口河段至出水口河段,总悬浮颗粒物浓度(CTPM)在某些位置有所增加,有机颗粒物浓度(CPOM)无明显变化.悬浮颗粒物粒度及浓度的变化与水流流速及流量有着相当大关系.     

Variation in Phosphorus Sorption with Soil Particle Size

Phosphorus (P) is considered a primary cause for surface water eutrophication that leads to anoxia. Understanding the relationships between soil particle size and P sorption helps devise effective best management practices (BMPs) to control P transport by erosion, leaching, and overland flow from agricultural land. Consequently, this study examined the effect of surface soil particle size on the sorption of P in five soil series (four Ultisols and one Entisol) from the Mid-Atlantic region. The sorption of P in each soil was assessed by equilibrating (after shaking for 24?h) 5?g soil containing varied amounts of KH₂PO₄ in 20?mL of 0.01?M KCl solution. Phosphorus in solution was determined by the molybdate blue method of Murphy and Riley. The P adsorption characteristics of these soils were described using the Langmuir isotherm. Results indicated that variability in P sorption was related to particle size and soil type. Soil organic matter content contributed a great deal to P sorption in the Entisol. However, soil clay had influence on the P sorption characteristics of each soil. The maximum P retentive capacities of soils (as determined by Sm from Langmuir equation) and P sorbed at 500?mg P kg^?1 addition showed a linear relationship (r2 = 0.94). Therefore, based on the results obtained, the single point method of Bache and Williams may be appropriate to describe the maximum P sorption capacity of non-sandy soils, as observed in this study.     

The role of phytoplankton in the removal of arsenic by sedimentation from surface waters

The role of phytoplankton in the removal of arsenic (As) by particle adsorption and sedimentation was investigated in Moira Lake, Canada. Sampling water and suspended particles over one year illustrated significant variation in As partitioning between particulate and aqueous phases, but failed to establish a correlation between the partition coefficient, K _d, and indicators of phytoplankton biomass. A highly significant inverse logarithmic relationship was noted between K _d and the concentration of suspended particles (log K _d = 5.1 – 1.4 log SS; p = 0.0001) in an apparent demonstration of the particle concentration effect (O' Connor & Connolly, 1980).Particle deposition, measured by means of sediment traps, appeared to include a substantial component of resuspended surficial sediment making sediment trap results unreliable for quantifying the removal of substances from the water column. The As concentration of particles from deep traps deployed during late summer and early fall exceeded the As concentrations of suspended particles and surficial sediment, and may indicate that a highly contaminated nepheloid layer acts as a temporary sink for As.     

Grain size and depth constraints on microbial variability in coastal plain subsurface sediments

We have examined the effects of sediment grain size and depth on the abundance and activity of aerobic bacteria at two coastal plain sites in Virginia. Samples were collected at centimeter intervals as well as meter intervals because fine‐scale sampling can be essential to assess microbial variability. At the Oyster site, grain size varied from 0.12 to 0.25 mm below 1.5 m depth and did not correlate with either bacterial abundance or activity. Perhaps due to the fairly uniform grain size at this site, variations in bacterial numbers were less than fivefold between replicate samples of 0,1 to 100 g and generally less than 15‐fold among closely spaced intervals (～5 cm). At the Abbott Pit site, grain size was about threefold greater (0.50 ± 0.17mm) in an interval of 4.35 to 5.0m below land surface than grain size in the surrounding sediments. In the same interval, bacterial abundance increased by 11‐fold and activity increased by 217‐fold relative to the surrounding sediments. Overall, grain size correlated significantly with bacterial abundance and activity below the soil zone at the Abbott Pit site. This suggests that changes in grain size, even at the centimeter scale, could have a predominant effect on microbial variability in sandy aquifers of the coastal plain. Besides grain size, depth correlated significantly with total organic carbon and bacterial abundance and activity at both sites, suggesting that depth is also an important factor controlling microbial variability in the subsurface environments.     

Influence du substrat sur la répartition des Crustacés stygobies interstitiels du Haut-Atlas occidental

The interstitial stygobiont distributions of two rivers in the western High Atlas is analyzed in relation with sediment granulometry. Sixteen stations were sampled along the rivers N'Fis and Zat and their tributaries. Granulometry analyses were performed. Three grain size sediment types constitute the subterranean biotopes and reflect the local hydrodynamical conditions. The main rivers stations, which undergo frequent natural or human disturbances, are characterized by a high content of fine sediment; in contrast, tributaries stations show coarse and well-classified sediments due to more stable biotopes and more regular hydrological conditions. The 92 taxa group 28 stygobiontic species with 11 crustaceans species. PCA. based on 16 stations, three faunistic richness indexes and three granulometric factors display a high correlation between coarse grain-size content and the richness of stygobiontic taxa. A high silt content both limits the interstitial taxa and excludes crustaceans that occur only in coarse gravels. The granulometric preferenda in the species of the amphipod genus Metacrangonyx and isopods Microcerberus. Microcharon and Typhlocirolana are shown on Shepard triangular diagrams. Cohabitation of several species of the same genus could be explained by the occupancy of different ecological niches resulting from the grain-size proportion.     

Trace metals in sediments from the humber estuary: A statistical analysis of spatial uniformity

Concentrations of seven heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Nb, Pb, As) in sediments of the Humber estuary and its tributary rivers have been examined using a variety of statistical methods. Concentrations of metals are rather uniform once the effect of grain size is adjusted for. This uniformity extends for some distance beyond the turbidity maximum, and in fact well beyond the normal limit of salt penetration. Detailed statistical analysis of the data do however reveal some trend of concentrations with position in the estuary, with concentrations of Zn, Ni, and Pb being slightly lower towards the mouth of the estuary. Nb concentrations are higher near the mouth of the Humber, but this reflects the location of two large discharges of Nb here. Once these anomalous samples are removed, Nb concentrations are also shown to be spatially homogeneous. The spatial trends in Zn, Ni and Pb may be due to inputs of very contaminated particulate matter to the upper estuary, to inward transport of uncontaminated clay particles from the North Sea to the lower estuary or to the exchange of metals between particulate matter and water. There are however also spatial trends in sediment particle diameter, so some caution needs to be exercised in drawing conclusions.     

Particle size,percent organic carbon,phosphorus, mineralogy,and deposition of sediments in Ham's and Arbuckle lakes

Several sediment parameters were examined in a 40 ha lake with a maximum depth of 9 m and in a 950 ha lake, 26 m deep, from May through October, 1977. Particle size was finer at the deeper stations than at the shallower stations in both lakes. Sediments of the shallow stations generally had a more even grain size distribution. Variation in percent organic carbon and phosphorus among stations of different depths was not significant. However, temporal variation of phosphorus was significant as values increased during summer. Kaolinite was the dominant clay particle in both lakes, but the sediments also included quartz, mica, montmorillonite, and a montmorillonite-vermiculite interlayer. Sedimentation rate was inversely related to depth in the larger lake, while variation among stations in the smaller lake was slight.Research supported with funds from the Office of Water Research and Technology and the Bureau of Reclamation     

Relationship between sediment characteristics and size of the acoel turbellarian Convoluta roscoffensis graff

Samples of the acoel turbellarian Convoluta roscoffensis and of sediment were taken from several beaches on the Channel Islands. A positive relationship between the mean length of the animals and median particle size of the sediment is demonstrated by regression analysis. It is suggested that the size of C. roscoffensis is limited by the size of spaces between the particles.     

黄土高原小流域淤地坝泥沙粒度的剖面分布

2006年6月,按照泥沙旋回分层连续取样,分析了黄土高原丘陵沟壑区典型小流域1954年修建的淤地坝泥沙粒径的剖面分布特征.结果表明：该坝地泥沙旋回至少28个,旋回层的厚度范围在2～60 cm;沉积剖面土壤粒径以粉砂（0.05～0.002 mm）为主,占60%以上,其粒径集中分布于0.01～0.05 mm,粗泥沙（粒径>0.05 mm）含量约占23.09%;随淤积深度的增加,泥沙各粒径范围的变异程度增加,2 m土壤深处可作为研究区淤地坝粒径变异突变点的标识,粒径变异是河道比降和水沙动力条件共同作用的结果;研究区淤地坝泥沙沉积剖面存在72 cm厚的累积耕作层,累积耕作层的明确对于淤地坝泥沙侵蚀环境具有指示作用.     

Sediment‐phosphorus dynamics can shift aquatic ecology and cause downstream legacy effects after wildfire in large river systems

Global increases in the occurrence of large, severe wildfires in forested watersheds threaten drinking water supplies and aquatic ecology. Wildfire effects on water quality, particularly nutrient levels and forms, can be significant. The longevity and downstream propagation of these effects as well as the geochemical mechanisms regulating them remain largely undocumented at larger river basin scales. Here, phosphorus (P) speciation and sorption behavior of suspended sediment were examined in two river basins impacted by a severe wildfire in southern Alberta, Canada. Fine‐grained suspended sediments (<125 μm) were sampled continuously during ice‐free conditions over a two‐year period (2009–2010), 6 and 7 years after the wildfire. Suspended sediment samples were collected from upstream reference (unburned) river reaches, multiple tributaries within the burned areas, and from reaches downstream of the burned areas, in the Crowsnest and Castle River basins. Total particulate phosphorus (TPP) and particulate phosphorus forms (nonapatite inorganic P, apatite P, organic P), and the equilibrium phosphorus concentration (EPC₀) of suspended sediment were assessed. Concentrations of TPP and the EPC₀ were significantly higher downstream of wildfire‐impacted areas compared to reference (unburned) upstream river reaches. Sediments from the burned tributary inputs contained higher levels of bioavailable particulate P (NAIP) – these effects were also observed downstream at larger river basin scales. The release of bioavailable P from postfire, P‐enriched fine sediment is a key mechanism causing these effects in gravel‐bed rivers at larger basin scales. Wildfire‐associated increases in NAIP and the EPC₀ persisted 6 and 7 years after wildfire. Accordingly, this work demonstrated that fine sediment in gravel‐bed rivers is a significant, long‐term source of in‐stream bioavailable P that contributes to a legacy of wildfire impacts on downstream water quality, aquatic ecology, and drinking water treatability.