Abstract
Abstract. Processes linked to climate change and intensified anthropogenic pressure influence the environment, the hydrology and by extent the denudation processes in the Caucasus mountain belt. Quantitative assessments of sediment fluxes and their temporal evolution in this mountain region are required for various environmental and engineering purposes, including the planning and maintenance of water reservoirs and other structures. In this paper, we present a first analysis of the hitherto largest suspended sediment yield (SSY) database for the Caucasus region, comprising data from 198 catchments (> 4000 catchment-years of observations). We present an overview of the existing contemporary SSY data from gauging stations observations. Based on these data and different models, we propose preliminary maps of the spatial patterns of SSY and denudation rates in the Caucasus region.
Highlights
Denudation rates in the mountains are controlled by both endogenic and exogenic factors
We considered k-nearest neighbors (KNN)-h as the optimal approach to assess the spatial variation of suspended sediment yield (SSY) in the Caucasus region
We presented the hitherto largest SSY database for the Caucasus region as well as some first explorative analyses of the spatial patterns of SSY
Summary
Denudation rates in the mountains are controlled by both endogenic and exogenic factors. These include climatic conditions and vegetation cover Syvitski and Milliman, 2007; Vanmaercke et al, 2015) This is of fundamental scientific importance and of great relevance from a catchment and water resources management perspective (e.g. for the construction and maintenance of water reservoirs). This challenge is especially pertinent in the light of ongoing climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressure (including land use/land cover changes)
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