Monitoring of sediment yield and sediment and water discharge are important for a better understanding of sediment transport processes, for river engineering projects and for environmental management issues related to water quality. Typically only a limited number of continuous measurements are available, and measurement of bedload transport under intense flow conditions is challenging. Recent technological developments offer interesting possibilities for new measuring techniques. For ecological and water quality studies, the assessment of contaminant sediment transport is important. Observations and measurements of sediment transport during all flow conditions are essential for developing and testing sediment transport models. Field measurements obtained from several European experimental catchments are providing useful insight into these phenomena.
Significant erosion, transport and deposition of sediment typically occur during medium and large flows in rivers and headwater streams. The large variety of available sediment transport equations reflects the uncertainty under which conditions these transport equations should be best applied. In high-gradient streams, limited sediment availability and coarse-grained bed form structures complicate sediment transport predictions. To improve modelling of sediment transport, we need reliable measurements of sediment transport over large ranges of discharges and environmental conditions, and we need suitable modelling approaches taking into account the various influencing factors. We invite contributions addressing one or several of the above mentioned issues.