The Rhine is one of the most important waterways in the world. To secure navigability and to generate energy, 10 dams were built along the upper Rhine between Basel and Iffezheim. Since their construction in the 20th century, the dams disconnect the sediment transport along the Rhine and retain large amounts of sediment in the reservoirs upstream of these dams. Due to historic emissions of particle-bound micropollutants, the fine sediments that are deposited in the reservoirs are highly contaminated increasing the costs of maintenance dredging. Effective sediment management in the Upper Rhine therefore requires a detailed understanding of the sediment dynamics in the Upper Rhine.
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