Abstract
Abstract. The Selenga River is the largest tributary of Baikal Lake and it's delta covers around 600 km2. Suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) in the Selenga river delta were modelled based on LandSat images data. The seasonal variability in suspended sediment retention during the period 1989 to 2015 was calculated. The results suggest that sediment storage in the Selenga delta is observed during high discharges (> 1500 m3 s−1), whereas sediment export increases under lower flow conditions (< 1500 m3 s−1). The changes in seasonal SSC patterns are explained by wetland inundation during floods and channel erosion or Baikal wind surge during low flow periods.
Highlights
River mouths are important areas of sediment and chemical transport at the continental scale. They are recognized as an important lateral geochemical barrier where, over 90 % of suspended and 40 % of dissolved carbon associated with global geochemical fluxes is trapped (Lisitzyn, 1994)
The Selenga River delta consists of three main distributary sectors: Lobanovskiy channel system, the Sredneustievskiy channel system, and the Selenginskiy channel system, named after the largest channels of the dispersal system (Iliycheva et al, 2015) (Fig. 1)
The Selenga River Delta comprises more than 30 distributaries
Summary
River mouths are important areas of sediment and chemical transport at the continental scale. They are recognized as an important lateral geochemical barrier where, over 90 % of suspended and 40 % of dissolved carbon associated with global geochemical fluxes is trapped (Lisitzyn, 1994). Sediment retention is most significant within deltas where, due to bifurcation and the existence of abundant wetlands, large volumes of sediment are stored. As a result, assessing the impacts of observed changes in the levels of Lake Baikal, the Selenga River water regime and sediment loads (Chalov et al, 2013, 2015) on the distribution of SSC in the Selenga River delta requires implementation of a modelling approach to provide a long-term insight into sediment and associated contaminant delivery to Lake Baikal
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