The transfers of sediments and particle bound substances play an important role in catchment ecosystems as they directly influence water quality, habitat conditions and biogeochemical cycles. The impact on river ecosystems is largely determined by the sources and rate at which sediments are delivered to surface water bodies, the residence time in the river systems and their physico-chemical composition. However, the dynamics of sediments and particle bound substances are highly variable in space and time due to the complex non-linear processes involved. This session thus focuses on sources, transport pathways, storage and re-mobilization, and travel times of sediments and associated substances across temporal and spatial scales as well as their impact on catchment ecosystems.

We particularly invite contributions that address the following issues:
• delivery rates of sediments and particle bound substances from various sources (i.e. agriculture, urban areas, natural areas)
• transport, retention and re-mobilization of sediments and particle bound substances (i.e. nutrients, heavy metals, pesticides, organic contaminants etc.) in catchments and river reaches
• modeling of sediment transport and associated substances on various temporal and spatial scales
• studies on sedimentary processes and morpho-dynamics, particularly sediment budgets, channel metamorphosis, process dynamics of near-bed sediment transport
• impacts of sediments and particle bound substances on floodplain, riparian, hyporheic and other in-stream ecosystems
• response of sediment dynamics in catchments and river reaches to changing boundary conditions and human actions