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Siltation

About: Siltation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1420 publications have been published within this topic receiving 20983 citations.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The accumulation of fine sediments in rivers is a pernicious problem with wide-ranging consequences for the healthy functioning of rivers throughout the world as discussed by the authors and is linked to a range of landuse changes and human activities that have increased sediment inputs leading to elevated fine sediment loads that exceed the sediment transport capacities of rivers.
Abstract: The accumulation of fine sediments in rivers is a pernicious problem with wide-ranging consequences for the healthy functioning of rivers throughout the world. It is linked to a range of landuse changes and human activities that have increased sediment inputs leading to elevated fine sediment loads that exceed the sediment transport capacities of rivers. Surficial deposits of fine material can also create the conditions for fine sediment to move into and accumulate within the coarser bed substrate, a process known as colmation and the focus of this review. Colmation, also referred to as clogging, fine sediment infiltration, fine sediment deposition, ingress, infilling, intrusion of fines, siltation, and the surface–subsurface exchange of particles, is particularly damaging to river habitats and ecosystems. It causes degradation through the physical effects of reduced porosity and flow connectivity and the biogeochemical changes arising from the hydraulic and hydrological impacts and the effects of sediment-bound contaminants, all of which can impact on river ecology. Different aspects of the phenomenon of colmation have been studied across a number of disciplines and over several decades and this paper synthesizes this wide literature to provide a multidisciplinary perspective on the mechanisms, causes, and impacts of colmation and discusses some key management challenges. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

66 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An innovative remote sensing approach that combines land-use change and water quality information is proposed in order to investigate if Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) area extension is associated with water siltation in the Tapajos River Basin (Brazil), containing the largest small-scale gold mining district in the world.
Abstract: An innovative remote sensing approach that combines land-use change and water quality information is proposed in order to investigate if Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) area extension is associated with water siltation in the Tapajos River Basin (Brazil), containing the largest small-scale gold mining district in the world. Taking advantage of a 40-year period of the multi-satellite imagery archive, the objective of this paper is to build a normalized time-series in order to evaluate the influence of temporal mining expansion on the water siltation data (TSS, Total Suspended Solids concentration) derived from previous research. The methodological approach was set to deliver a full characterization of the ASGM expansion from its initial stages in the early 1970s to the present. First, based on IRS/LISSIII images acquired in 2012, the historical Landsat image database (1973–2001) was corrected for radiometric and atmospheric effects using dark vegetation as reference to create a normalized time-series. Next, a complete update of the mining areas distribution in 2012 derived from the TerraClass Project (an official land-use classification for the Brazilian Amazon) was conducted having IRS/LISSIII as the base map with the support of auxiliary data and vector editing. Once the ASGM in 2012 was quantified (261.7 km2) and validated with photos, a reverse classification of ASGM in 2001 (171.7 km2), 1993 (166.3 km2), 1984 (47.5 km2), and 1973 (15.4 km2) with the use of Landsat archives was applied. This procedure relies on the assumption that ASGM changes in the land cover are severe and remain detectable from satellite sensors for decades. The mining expansion area over time was then combined with the (TSS) data retrieved from the same atmospherically corrected satellite imagery based on the literature. In terms of gold mining expansion and water siltation effects, four main periods of ASGM activities were identified in the study area: (i) 1958–1977, first occurrence of mining activities and low water impacts; (ii) 1978–1993, introduction of low-budget mechanization associated with very high gold prices resulting in large mining area expansion and high water siltation levels; (iii) 1994–2003, general recession of ASGM activities and exhaustion of easy-access gold deposits, resulting in decreased TSS; (iv) 2004 to present, intensification of ASGM encouraged by high gold prices, resulting in an increase of TSS.

66 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the results of a 3-year investigation at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology, and Glaciology of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich are summarized.
Abstract: In alluvial rivers, suspended matter is deposited in the pore space of the riverbed during low and medium discharges, and at high flows the armor layer breaks up and the riverbed is flushed. During this cycle, the hydraulic conductivity decreases with time and then suddenly increases, so one can speak of a characteristic graph of siltation. In this paper, the results of a 3-year investigation at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology, and Glaciology of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich are summarized. A wealth of long-term tests allowed the derivation of several equations concerning the siltation of riverbeds, including the reduction of the hydraulic conductivity with time, the limit of siltation, the conditions for desiltation, and the consequent increase in hydraulic conductivity. Simultaneously, the influence of the significant variables is shown. This research makes it possible to quantify the siltation process as well as the effect of specific changes in the river regime and the catchment area.

66 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the Mvoti River has been classified as a river-dominated estuary, and a suite of universally applicable models not only for estuaries, but for transitional fluvio-marine environments in general.

64 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors estimate pre-and post-colonial sediment production, transport, and storage in the lower Neuse River basin on the North Carolina Coastal Plain, and show that sediment loads have risen dramatically following colonial-era land clearing.
Abstract: Several lines of evidence are used to estimate pre-and post-colonial sediment production, transport, and storage in the lower Neuse River basin on the North Carolina Coastal Plain. Soil profile truncation indicates upland erosion rates of >9.5t/ha/yr during the post-European period, while pre-colonial rates were negligible. Comparisons of sediment yields between streams in forested and agricultural basins suggest that stream sediment loads have risen dramatically following colonial-era land clearing. Pedological indicators of sediment sources in contemporary and pre-Holocene alluvial soils show a change in dominant sediment source from an important upper-basin Piedmont contribution to a situation where Piedmont sediment is overwhelmed by Coastal Plain sources. Finally, most of the increased sediment input to the lower Neuse River and its tributaries has apparently been stored as alluvium. This is indicated by limited siltation of the Neuse estuary and limited pedogenic development on floodplains and strea...

64 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023122
2022214
202159
202072
201964
201871