Effective discharge computation in the lower Drava River

Abstract

ABSTRACT Magnitude frequency analysis of suspended sediment transport provides important information on the sediment transport characteristics of a river. Understanding the sediment transport characteristics of rivers plays a vital role in the management of water resource projects. The lower Drava River basin is one of the most extensively hydroelectrically exploited river basins in the world. In this regard, analysis of the sediment transport characteristics in the region is critical. In the present study, magnitude frequency analysis was performed for the Botovo and Donji Miholjac gauging stations on the lower Drava River. It was observed that discharges close to the average daily discharge are responsible for transporting a major fraction of suspended sediment at both stations. The effective discharge was found to be less than half of Q1.5 and Q2. It was also observed that data aggregation affects the effective discharge. Estimation of factor load discharge reveals that discharge with a return interval of around 1 year in the annual maximum discharge time series transports 90% of the total sediment load in the lower Drava River.