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Integrating Suspended Sediment Flux in Large Alluvial River Channels: Application of a Synoptic Rouse-Based Model to the Irrawaddy and Salween Rivers

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Change log

Abstract

jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pA large portion of freshwater and sediment is exported to the ocean by a small number of major rivers. Many of these megarivers are subject to substantial anthropogenic pressures, which are having a major impact on water and sediment delivery to deltaic ecosystems. Due to hydrodynamic sorting, sediment grain size and composition vary strongly with depth and across the channel in large rivers, complicating flux quantification. To account for this, we modified a semi‐empirical Rouse model, synoptically predicting sediment concentration, grain‐size distribution, and organic carbon (%OC) concentration with depth and across the river channel. Using suspended sediment depth samples and flow velocity data, we applied this model to calculate sediment fluxes of the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) and the Salween (Thanlwin), the last two free‐flowing megarivers in Southeast Asia. Deriving sediment‐discharge rating curves, we calculated an annual sediment flux of <jats:inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="graphic/jgrf21236-math-0001.png" xlink:title="urn:x-wiley:jgrf:media:jgrf21236:jgrf21236-math-0001" /> Mt/year for the Irrawaddy and <jats:inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="graphic/jgrf21236-math-0002.png" xlink:title="urn:x-wiley:jgrf:media:jgrf21236:jgrf21236-math-0002" /> Mt/year for the Salween, together exporting 46% as much sediment as the Ganges‐Brahmaputra system. The mean flux‐weighted sediment exported by the Irrawaddy is significantly coarser (jats:styled-contentjats:italicD</jats:italic>jats:sub84</jats:sub> = 193 ± 13</jats:styled-content> jats:styled-contentμ</jats:styled-content>m) and OC‐poorer (jats:styled-content0.29 ± 0.08</jats:styled-content> wt%) compared to the Salween (jats:styled-content112 ± 27</jats:styled-content> jats:styled-contentμ</jats:styled-content>m and jats:styled-content0.59 ± 0.16</jats:styled-content> wt%, respectively). Both rivers export similar amounts of particulate organic carbon, with a total of <jats:inline-graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="graphic/jgrf21236-math-0003.png" xlink:title="urn:x-wiley:jgrf:media:jgrf21236:jgrf21236-math-0003" /> Mt C/year, 53% as much as the Ganges‐Brahmaputra. These results underline the global significance of the Irrawaddy and Salween rivers and warrant continued monitoring of their sediment flux, given the increasing anthropogenic pressures on these river basins.</jats:p>

Description

Keywords

3707 Hydrology, 3709 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience, 37 Earth Sciences

Journal Title

Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2169-9003
2169-9011

Volume Title

125

Publisher

American Geophysical Union (AGU)