Abstract
Suspended sediment (SS) is a common cause of impairment of freshwaters. However, there is little evidence as to what should be regarded as an appropriate SS regime for different environments. We compare the SS regimes of ten systematically-selected contrasting reference-condition temperateriver ecosystems that were observed through high-resolution monitoring between 2011 and 2013. The results indicate that mean SS concentrations vary spatially, between 3 and 29 mg L-1. The observed mean concentrations were compared to predicted mean concentrations (probability of membership to one of five concentrationranges) based on a model developed by Bilotta et al. (2012). Predictions are a function of the natural environmental characteristics associated with each river's catchment. This model predicted the correct or next closest SS range for all of the sites. Mean annual SS concentrations varied temporally in each river, by up to three-fold between a wet and a dry year. This variability could be predicted well for all but one site, by modifying the input data to take into account the mean temperature and total precipitation in the year for which the prediction is to be made. The findings demonstrate that water quality guidelines for SS should recognise natural spatial and temporal variations.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 141-141 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 5 Jul 2015 |
Event | 9th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences - University of Geneva, 5-10 July 2015 Duration: 5 Jul 2015 → … |
Conference
Conference | 9th Symposium for European Freshwater Sciences |
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Period | 5/07/15 → … |