A retrospective analysis on changes in sediment flux in the Mississippi River system: trends, driving forces, and implications

<p>Sediment flux in cold environments is a crucial proxy to link glacial, periglacial, and fluvial systems and highly relevant to hydropower operation, water quality, and the riverine carbon cycle. However, the long-term impacts of climate change and multiple human activities on sediment flux changes in cold environments remain insufficiently investigated due to the lack of monitoring and the complexity of the sediment cascade. Here we examine the multi-decadal changes in the in-situ observed fluvial sediment fluxes from two types of basins, namely, pristine basins and disturbed basins, in the Tibetan Plateau and its margins. The results show that the fluvial sediment fluxes in the pristine Tuotuohe headwater have substantially increased over the past three decades (i.e., a net increase of 135% from 1985–1997 to 1998–2017) due to the warming and wetting climate. We also quantify the relative impacts of air temperature and precipitation on the increases in the sediment fluxes with a novel attribution approach and finds that climate warming and intensified glacier-snow-permafrost melting is the primary cause of the increased sediment fluxes in the pristine cold environment (Tuotuohe headwater), with precipitation increase and its associated pluvial processes being the secondary driver. By contrast, the sediment fluxes in the downstream disturbed Jinsha River (southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau) exhibit a net increase of 42% from 1966-1984 to 1985-2010 mainly due to human activities such as deforestation and mineral extraction (contribution of 82%) and secondly because of climate change (contribution of 18%). Then the sediment fluxes dropped by 76% during the period of 2011-2015 because of the operations of six cascade reservoirs since 2010. In an expected warming and wetting climate for the region, we predict that the sediment fluxes in the pristine headwaters of the Tibetan Plateau will continue to increase throughout the 21st century, but the rising sediment fluxes from the Tibetan Plateau would be mostly trapped in its marginal reservoirs.</p><p>Overall, this work has provided the sedimentary evidence of modern climate change through robust observational sediment flux data over multiple decades. It demonstrates that sediment fluxes in pristine cold environments are more sensitive to air temperature and thermal-driven geomorphic processes than to precipitation and pluvial-driven processes. It also provides a guide to assess the relative impacts of human activities and climate change on fluvial sediment flux changes and has significant implications for water resources stakeholders to better design and manage the hydropower dams in a changing climate. Such findings may also have implications for other cold environments such as the Arctic, Antarctic, and other high mountainous basins.</p><p>Furthermore, this research is under the project of "Water and Sediment Fluxes Response to Climate Change in the Headwater Rivers of Asian Highlands" (supported by the IPCC and the Cuomo Foundation) and the project of "Sediment Load Responses to Climate Change in High Mountain Asia" (supported by the Ministry of Education of Singapore). Part of the results are also published in Li et al., 2018 Geomorphology, Li et al., 2020 Geophysical Research Letters, and Li et al., 2021 Water Resources Research.</p>

Knowledge about historical changes in sediment fluxes in most coarse‐bedded rivers worldwide is extremely limited. In consideration of this deficiency, we developed a width‐based approach to estimating multi‐decade changes in coarse sediment fluxes occurring at reaches of the Po River and 21 of its tributaries in northern Italy. The estimation was based on temporal variations in the reach‐averaged width of the river's active channel, and such width was expressed through a dimensionless index of coarse bed material load (Iq). The index was determined in two periods: 1954–1998 and 1998–2020. Statistically significant relationships were found between temporal variations in Iq occurring in reaches of the Po River and at key locations of each specific reach (i.e., upstream reaches and tributaries). Such evidence of coherent changes in sediment transfer through space and time led us to conclude that Iq variations can be regarded as a reliable proxy for historical changes in sediment transport in a river reach. The application of the approach to the investigation of the Po River catchment provided new insights into the historical changes characterizing coarse sediment fluxes along the river and its major tributaries. From 1954 to 1998, an average decrease in coarse sediment fluxes of about −20% and −30% occurred along the river and the terminal sectors of its tributaries, respectively. The estimations showed that coarse sediment fluxes exhibited a slightly lower decrease in the last two decades, with sediment flux recovery occurring only in some tributaries. The results suggest that a profound change in sediment dynamics and fluxes has occurred, and is likely still ongoing, in the Po River system, despite the decrease in human disturbances (e.g., in‐channel sediment mining) in more recent times.

Spatial and temporal changes in suspended sediment fluxes in central Chile induced by the mega drought: The case of the Itata River Basin (36°-37°S)

Abstract. Climate change and agricultural intensification are expected to increase soil erosion and sediment production from arable land in many regions. However, to date, most studies have been based on short-term monitoring and/or modeling, making it difficult to assess their reliability in terms of estimating long-term changes. We present the results of a unique data set consisting of measurements of sediment loads from a 60 ha catchment – the Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) – in Petzenkirchen, Austria, which was observed periodically over a time period spanning 72 years. Specifically, we compare Period I (1946–1954) and Period II (2002–2017) by fitting sediment rating curves (SRCs) for the growth and dormant seasons for each of the periods. The results suggest a significant increase in sediment loads from Period I to Period II, with an average of 5.8 ± 3.8 to 60.0 ± 140.0 t yr−1. The sediment flux changed mainly due to a shift in the SRCs, given that the mean daily discharge significantly decreased from 5.0 ± 14.5 L s−1 for Period I to 3.8 ± 6.6 L s−1 for Period II. The slopes of the SRCs for the growing season and the dormant season of Period I were 0.3 and 0.8, respectively, whereas they were 1.6 and 1.7 for Period II, respectively. Climate change, considered in terms of rainfall erosivity, was not responsible for this shift, because erosivity decreased by 30.4 % from the dormant season of Period I to that of Period II, and no significant difference was found between the growing seasons of periods I and II. However, the change in sediment flux can be explained by land use and land cover change (LUCC) and the change in land structure (i.e., the organization of land parcels). Under low- and median-streamflow conditions, the land structure in Period II (i.e., the parcel effect) had no apparent influence on sediment yield. With increasing streamflow, it became more important in controlling sediment yield, as a result of an enhanced sediment connectivity in the landscape, leading to a dominant role under high-flow conditions. The increase in crops that make the landscape prone to erosion and the change in land uses between periods I and II led to an increase in sediment flux, although its relevance was surpassed by the effect of parcel structure change under high-flow conditions. We conclude that LUCC and land structure change should be accounted for when assessing sediment flux changes. Especially under high-flow conditions, land structure change substantially altered sediment fluxes, which is most relevant for long-term sediment loads and land degradation. Therefore, increased attention to improving land structure is needed in climate adaptation and agricultural catchment management.

Coupling temporal and spatial dimensions of global sediment flux through lake and marine sediment records

Modelling fire-induced perturbations in sediment flux based on stream widening and accelerated bank migration

Fluvial responses to environmental perturbations in the Northern Mediterranean since the Last Glacial Maximum

Intrabasinal thrust-tectonic versus climate control on rhythmicities in the Eocene South Pyrenean Tremp-Graus foreland basin: inferences from forward modelling

Trends in flood stages: Contrasting results from the Mississippi and Rhine River systems

Humans have played an important role in fluvial systems because of the impact of their land-use activities, frequently leading to degradation of environmental conditions. Rivers, which are the primary agents in sediment transport, have thus been subject to changes in sediment fluxes. The Suriname River has been affected by anthropogenic activities since colonial times, and has experienced strong discharge and sediment-load changes since the construction of the Afobaka Dam in 1964. The river's estuary sediments largely consist of fine-grained sediments, originating, ultimately, from the Amazon River and transported by the strong tidal current. The influence of this tidal current is diminished at the head of the estuary, allowing the river flow to become dominant. Also remarkable is the interaction of the Suriname River and the westward-migrating mudbanks which is evident in the changing magnitude and volume of Braamspunt, a mudcape located at the mouth of the estuary. The regulated discharge of the river results in a change of the river's morphology, resulting, among other things, in the growth of river bars.

Nitrogen (N) has been linked to increasing eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico and as a result there is increased interest in managing and improving water quality in the Mississippi River system. Water level reductions, or ‘drawdowns’, are being used more frequently in large river impoundments to improve vegetation growth and sediment compaction. We selected two areas of the Upper Mississippi River system (Navigation Pool 8 and Swan Lake) to examine the effects of water level drawdown on N dynamics. Navigation Pool 8 experienced summer drawdowns in 2001 and 2002. Certain areas of Swan Lake have been drawn down annually since the early 1970s where as other areas have remained inundated. In the 2002 Pool 8 study we determined the effects of sediment drying and rewetting resulting from water level drawdown on (1) patterns of sediment nitrification and denitrification and (2) concentrations of sediment and surface water total N (TN), nitrate, and ammonium (NH). In 2001, we only examined sediment NH and TN. In the Swan Lake study, we determined the long‐term effects of water level drawdowns on concentrations of sediment NH and TN in sediments that dried annually and those that remained inundated. Sediment NH decreased significantly in the Pool 8 studies during periods of desiccation, although there were no consistent trends in nitrification and denitrification or a reduction in total sediment N. Ammonium in sediments that have dried annually in Swan Lake appeared lower but was not significantly different from sediments that remain wet. The reduction in sediment NH in parts of Pool 8 was likely a result of increased plant growth and N assimilation, which is then redeposited back to the sediment surface upon plant senescence. Similarly, the Swan Lake study suggested that drawdowns do not result in long term reduction in sediment N. Water level drawdowns may actually reduce water retention time and river‐floodplain connectivity, while promoting significant accumulation of organic N. These results indicate that water level drawdowns are probably not an effective means of removing N from the Upper Mississippi River system. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The value of deep‐water sedimentary successions as reliable records of environmental change has been questioned due to their long response times and sediment pathways leading to complex responses to climatic change and tectonic signals over differing timescales. We studied the Gulf of Corinth, Greece, to test the value of deep‐water stratigraphic successions as records of external controls on sediment flux in a setting with short response times and transport distances. The confinement of the rift basin allows for a near‐complete accounting of clastic sediment volumes. The recent acquisition of high‐resolution seismic reflection data, utilisation of International Ocean Discovery Programme Expedition 381 cores and a robust chronological framework, enable evaluation of the stratigraphy at a high temporal resolution. Combining borehole and high‐resolution seismic reflection data, distinct seismic units can be correlated to multiple paleoenvironmental proxies, permitting quantification of sediment flux variation across successive glacial–interglacial cycles at ca. 10 kyr temporal resolution. Trends in average sediment flux since ca. 242 ka show ca. 2–9 times greater sediment flux in cooler glacials compared to warmer interglacial conditions. The Holocene is an exception to low sediment flux for the interglacials, with ca. 5 times higher rates than previous interglacials. The short and steep configuration of the Sythas canyon and its fan at the base of an active submarine normal fault results in deep‐sea deposition at all sea‐level stands. In contrast, adjacent canyon systems shut down during warm intervals. When combined with palynology, results show that periods of distinct vegetation re‐organisation correlate to sediment flux changes. The temporal correlation of sediment flux to palynology in the Gulf of Corinth over the last ca. 242 kyr is evidence that variability of sediment supply is largely governed by climate‐related changes in hinterland catchments, with sea‐level and tectonics being second‐order controls on sediment flux variability.

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> Climate change and agricultural intensification are expected to increase soil erosion and sediment production from arable land in many regions. However, to date, most studies have been based on short-term monitoring and/or modeling, making it difficult to assess their reliability in terms of estimating long-term changes. We present the results of a unique data set consisting of measurements of sediment loads from a 60 ha catchment – the Hydrological Open Air Laboratory (HOAL) – in Petzenkirchen, Austria, which was observed periodically over a time period spanning 72 years. Specifically, we compare Period I (1946–1954) and Period II (2002–2017) by fitting sediment rating curves (SRCs) for the growth and dormant seasons for each of the periods. The results suggest a significant increase in sediment loads from Period I to Period II, with an average of 5.8 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 3.8 to 60.0 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 140.0 t yr<span class="inline-formula">^−1</span>. The sediment flux changed mainly due to a shift in the SRCs, given that the mean daily discharge significantly decreased from 5.0 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 14.5 L s<span class="inline-formula">^−1</span> for Period I to 3.8 <span class="inline-formula">±</span> 6.6 L s<span class="inline-formula">^−1</span> for Period II. The slopes of the SRCs for the growing season and the dormant season of Period I were 0.3 and 0.8, respectively, whereas they were 1.6 and 1.7 for Period II, respectively. Climate change, considered in terms of rainfall erosivity, was not responsible for this shift, because erosivity decreased by 30.4 % from the dormant season of Period I to that of Period II, and no significant difference was found between the growing seasons of periods I and II. However, the change in sediment flux can be explained by land use and land cover change (LUCC) and the change in land structure (i.e., the organization of land parcels). Under low- and median-streamflow conditions, the land structure in Period II (i.e., the parcel effect) had no apparent influence on sediment yield. With increasing streamflow, it became more important in controlling sediment yield, as a result of an enhanced sediment connectivity in the landscape, leading to a dominant role under high-flow conditions. The increase in crops that make the landscape prone to erosion and the change in land uses between periods I and II led to an increase in sediment flux, although its relevance was surpassed by the effect of parcel structure change under high-flow conditions. We conclude that LUCC and land structure change should be accounted for when assessing sediment flux changes. Especially under high-flow conditions, land structure change substantially altered sediment fluxes, which is most relevant for long-term sediment loads and land degradation. Therefore, increased attention to improving land structure is needed in climate adaptation and agricultural catchment management.

Climate change and agricultural intensification are expected to increase soil erosion and sediment production from arable land in many regions. However, so far, most studies have been based on short-term monitoring and/or modeling, making it difficult to assess their reliability in terms of long-term changes. We present the results from a unique data set consisting of measurements of sediment loads from a 60ha catchment (the HOAL Petzenkirchen in Austria) over a time window spanning 72 years. Specifically, we compare Period I (1946–1954) and Period II (2002–2017) by fitting sediment rating curves for the growth and dormant seasons for each of the periods. The results suggest a significant increase in sediment yield from Period I to Period II with an average of 11.6 ± 10.8 ton·yr−1 to 63.6 ± 84.0 ton·yr−1. The sediment flux changed mainly due to a shift of the sediment rating curves (SRC), given that the annual streamflow varied little between the periods (5.6 l·s−1 and 7.6 l·s−1, respectively, on average). The slopes of the log regression lines of the SRC for the growing season and the dormant season of Period I were 16.72 and 4.9, respectively, whilst they were 5.38 and 1.17 for Period II, respectively. Climate change, considered in terms of rainfall erosivity, was not responsible for this shift, given that erosivity decreased by 30.4 % from the dormant season of Period I to that of Period II, and no significant difference was found between the growing seasons of Periods I and II. However, the sediment flux changes can be explained by changes in crop type and parcel structure. During low and median streamflow conditions (i.e. Q < Q20 %), land consolidation in Period II (i.e. theparcel effect) did not exert an apparent influence on sediment production. Whilst with increasing stream flow (Q > Q20 %), parcel structure played an increasingly role in sediment yield contribution, and leading to a dominant role due to enhanced sediment connectivity in the landscape at extremely high flow conditions (i.e. Q > Q2 %). The increase in cropland in Period II at the expense of grassland had an unfavourable effect on sediment flux, independent of streamflow, with declining relevance as flow increased. We conclude that both land cover change and land consolidation should be accounted for simultaneously when assessing sediment flux changes. Especially during extremely high flow conditions, land consolidation substantially alters sediment fluxes, which is most relevant for long-term sediment loads and land degradation. Increased attention to improving parcel structure is therefore needed in climate adaptation and agricultural catchment management.

With rising air temperature and precipitation, water and sediment fluxes in the Source Region of the Yangtze River (SRYR) have increased since 2000s. Nonetheless, the response of braided river morphology to climate‐driven water and sediment flux change is still unknown. Water bodies of 9 large braided rivers from 1990 to 2020 were extracted based on Google Earth Engine platform, and impacts of climate change on morphological indices and morphodynamic processes were quantified. A new segmentation method is presented to more precisely extract braided river water body when the branch width is less than an image pixel size. The warming and wetting trend led to vegetation cover increase. With the increase of water flux, the water area of each braided reach has increased in both flood and non‐flood season. The 3–5 years mean annual erosion and accretion intensity (newly proposed in this study) of the channel shows three different trends of increasing, weakening, and unchanged over time. These three trends can be classified into three patterns in response to climate‐change driven water and sediment flux change in the SRYR as follows: sediment increase constrained pattern (weakening or unchanged), sediment increase dominated pattern (increasing), and water increase dominated pattern (increasing or unchanged). In summary, the braided rivers in the SRYR showing consistent increasing of water area, general expansion of active channel, and increasing of erosion and accretion intensity for some of the rivers, with the climate‐driven increasing water and sediment flux.