SUSPENDED SEDIMENT FLUX IN PERENNIAL RIVER SYSTEMS: DETERMINANTS OF YIELD LEVELS

摘要

The level of suspended sediment flux or sediment yield inrivers has significant implications for river channeldevelopment, the growth or decline of estuaries, floodmitigation and fluvial management. This study usesmultiple regression analysis to analyze the determinantsof sediment flux in a representative set of 57 of theworld’s major rivers. The study has three main findings.First, suspended sediment flux yields are strongly drivenby precipitation runoff, and an increase in runoff of 1 percent increases sediment flux by 1.02 per cent. Second,suspended sediment flux yields are strongly driven bysediment concentration, and an increase of sedimentconcentration of 1 per cent increases sediment flux by1.00 per cent. Third, suspended sediment levels areweakly driven by the basin size or area, and an increase inarea of one per cent increase sediment flux by 0.00016per cent.