Exploring suspended sediment delivery dynamics of two Mediterranean nested catchments
| Autor: | José Andrés López-Tarazón, Joan Estrany |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Mediterranean climate
Hydrology geography geography.geographical_feature_category 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences 0208 environmental biotechnology Drainage basin Sediment 02 engineering and technology 01 natural sciences 020801 environmental engineering 13. Climate action Environmental science Sedimentary rock Catchment area Drainage Surface runoff Sediment transport 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Water Science and Technology |
| Zdroj: | Hydrological Processes. 31:698-715 |
| ISSN: | 0885-6087 |
| Popis: | This paper investigates suspended sediment transport and dynamics of two nested agricultural lowland Mediterranean catchments with a difference of two orders of magnitude in surface area (i.e., 1 and 264 km2). The effects of the drainage catchment area over the specific suspended sediment yield are assessed by using the nested approach over various timeframes. A detailed analysis of the rainfall-runoff-sediment transport relationships during the 2-yr study period shows that the hydrological and sedimentological responses were extremely variable for both catchments. Very low or no correlations were observed between the rainfall intensity and the selected hydrological variables and sediment loads. However, remarkable or high correlations were obtained between the rainfall intensity and the maximum and average suspended sediment concentrations, indicating that rainfall per unit time has little control on the hydrological response, but that, simultaneously, its high erosive power triggers sediment production, increasing the sedimentary response of the catchments. This study also illustrates how sediment is mainly transported during floods, producing predominantly clockwise hysteretic loops. Moreover, the small headwater catchment exerts a reduced (or even negligible) effect over the hydro-sedimentary response of the larger downstream catchment, caused by the reduced sediment availability in a landscape with an inherent disconnection of the sediment pathways. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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