A diverse range of techniques are used to quantify patterns of fine sediment redistribution in river catchments. These include classic field monitoring techniques and various computer models for measuring and simulating sediment fluxes at hillslope to catchment scales. In addition, sediment tracing and fingerprinting techniques can provide unique information for quantifying contributions from catchment sediment sources, while sediment residence or travel times may be estimated using fallout radionuclide tracers. Data on sediment residence time can provide a critical temporal dimension to catchment sediment budgets developed from multiple datasets. Used in combination, these research methods offer a powerful approach to address both research and catchment management questions. Such combined approaches may span multiple spatial or temporal scales, offset limitations of individual techniques and provide multiple lines of evidence concerning a particular research problem.


We invite contributions to this session that focus on the use of combinations of monitoring, modelling and/or sediment tracing and fingerprinting techniques to investigate fine sediment transfer in river catchments. Key themes that may be addressed include

• Use of a combination of techniques to quantify fine sediment redistribution across a range of catchment scales, land covers and hydro-climatic conditions.

• Comparing and evaluating techniques, including testing of model outputs and assumptions against field datasets and the critical appraisal of method performance under different environmental conditions.

• Applications of sediment tracing and source fingerprinting techniques with reference to key assumptions and uncertainty

• Quantifying the effect of timescale on sediment flux or sediment fingerprinting datasets, including assessments of the temporal stability of catchment sediment budgets

• Applications of techniques for quantifying sediment travel times over timescales relevant to river basin management

• Integrated approaches to developing catchment sediment budgets: linking sediment source information with sediment travel times, soil erosion and sediment flux monitoring or modelling