How useful are catchment sediment budgets?

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

PARSONS, A.J.

Univ. of Sheffield, Sheffield, Royaume-Uni

Description :
Catchment sediment budgeting is an attempt to identify the sources, sinks and pathways of eroded material within catchments. This paper examines the empirical base on which sediment budgeting rests and its conceptual framework, considers issues of budget closure and temporal scaling, assesses the validity of sediment fingerprinting and evaluates the role of sediment budgets in catchment management. It is suggested that an adequate consideration of the time taken for sediment to travel via the various pathways to the catchment outlet has been lacking. The storage term in such budgets has been used as a poor substitute for a thorough understanding of sediment velocity through catchments.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Progress in physical geography, issn : 0309-1333, 2012, vol. 36, n°. 1, p. 60-71, nombre de pages : 12, Références bibliographiques : 3 p.

Date :
2012

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, London, Sage Publications

Langue :
Anglais