Using caesium-134 and cobalt-60 as tracers to assess the remobilization of recently-deposited overbank-derived sediment on river floodplains during subsequent inundation events

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
This paper presents a novel tracing-technique for documenting the remobilization of recent overbank sediment on river floodplains during subsequent inundation events, using the artificial radionuclides, caesium-134 (134Cs) and cobalt-60 (60Co). The investigation was conducted within floodplains of the Rivers Taw and Culm in Devon, UK. Surface inventories, measured before and after 3 consecutive flood events, were used to estimate sediment loss. Significant reductions provided evidence of the remobilization of the labelled sediment by inundating floodwaters. Spatial variations in remobilization were related to localized topography. The results provide evidence of the storage of the remaining sediment. The findings highlight the importance of remobilization of recently-deposited sediment on river floodplains during subsequent overbank events and demonstrate the potential of the tracing-technique.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2014, vol. 39, n°. 2, p. 228-244, nombre de pages : 17, Références bibliographiques : 2 p.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley