Basin Management Research Articles

Integrated management of lakes, reservoirs, and their basins is critical for a climate-resilient planet: an urgent wake-up call from collective amnesia

ABSTRACT Integrated management of lakes and reservoirs and their basins is vital for preserving their significant socioeconomic and ecological benefits, which are essential for climate resilience. Lakes and reservoirs store 88% of the Earth's fresh surface water, providing water, food, energy security, flood protection, drought mitigation, and ecosystem services. This article highlights the rapid depletion and deterioration of these Lentic (standing) waters and the consequent loss of valuable benefits, threatening the global water supply and exacerbating environmental and climate crises. It discusses the evolution of lake management practices and contrasts these with strategies for managing lotic (flowing) waters. It summarizes collaborative best practices for Lake Basin Governance developed through a multiagency partnership. It reviews recent global initiatives to sustainably manage lakes, integrate storage, address aging dams, and foster partnerships and cooperation. It highlights the widespread failures across international water and environmental policies and institutions. The article calls on the global water and environmental community to awaken from collective amnesia, act, and implement best practices for governing lakes, reservoirs, and basins. Our companion article examines the institutional inertia hindering integrated action and offers collaborative opportunities for integrating land and water management in lake and reservoir basins to enhance climate resilience.

Comparative Evaluation of Multi‐Criteria Decision Making Methods for River Hydromorphology Assessment: Case Study of the Saz‐Çayırova Basin, Türkiye

ABSTRACTHydromorphology plays a crucial role in the sustainable management of water resources. It relies on numerous measures based on both qualitative and quantitative observations. The density of data complicates the decision‐making and evaluation processes concerning hydromorphological alterations. This study aims to develop a hydromorphological monitoring methodology for the sustainable management of a river basin subjected to industrial and urban density by analytically evaluating decision‐making approaches. Multi‐criteria decision‐making approaches have been designed to gather and consistently evaluate expert opinions, facilitating the examination of various external factors that impact hydromorphology and integrating these into the decision‐making processes. In this study, three important multi‐criteria decision‐making approaches were compared: the analytical hierarchy process, the best–worst method, and the Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. Minimum violation, total deviation, and nonparametric tests were used to determine statistically significant differences among the three approaches and to identify the most effective method. Their impacts on hydromorphology were tested on a river network experiencing industrial and urban pressures. Although the results were similar in representing hydromorphology, the best–worst method proved to be statistically more consistent than the other two approaches.

Bridging the gap: an interpretable coupled model (SWAT-ELM-SHAP) for blue-green water simulation in data-scarce basins

Blue water (BW) and green water (GW) are crucial components of the hydrological cycle, but their accurate simulation and interpretation remain challenging in data-scarce basins. We propose the SWAT-ELM-SHAP model, coupling the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), Ensemble Learning Model (ELM), and Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) method. This novel approach bridges the gap between a physically-based hydrological model, a data-driven machine learning (ML) model, and a holistically-interpreted SHAP method, offering accurate blue-green water simulation and holistic result interpretation for improved water resources management in data-scarce basins. We took the transfer simulation of blue-green water from the Xiangjiang River Basin (source basin, 82,900km²) to the Zishui River Basin (target basin, 28,142km²) as a case study to test and evaluate the feasibility of the coupled model during 1991-2022. The model performance results indicate that the simulation accuracy of our new coupled model is improved in data-scarce basins. In combination with hydrological response features generated by SWAT and meteorological features as the ELM input, our model enhances the daily blue-green water simulation. The Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency coefficient (NSE) for BW, Green water flow (GWF), and Green water storage (GWS) consistently exceeds 0.77 during the calibration period (1991-2010) and exceeds 0.8 during the testing period (2011-2022). The interpretation results of coupled model demonstrate that SHAP holistic interpretation provides good interpretability for blue-green water simulation results in data-scarce basins. In general, the SWAT-ELM-SHAP offers a referenced approach that can reliably and efficiently simulate blue-green water in data-scarce basins, but more importantly, can further our understanding of the potential causal relationships, influence mechanisms, and variation mechanisms of blue-green water under changing environmental conditions.

Improving the method of calculating the water balance of the Khan canal

Abstract In this article, the Morgunenkov (Khan) canal in the Chirchik-Ohangaron Basin Management for Irrigation Systems area was selected. This canal is one of the more important canal in Tashkent region because it supplies water to irrigation fields in the Urta Chirchik, Buka and Akkurgan districts of the region. In this paper the technical condition of the canal and its hydrotechnical facilities was studied. The received data was entered into the database of the processed program and the efficiency of the canal was determined. The program helps to quickly and easily identify defects that cause water wastage. This is the reason for increasing the hydraulic efficiency of the canal. In addition, the developed computer program allows for the correct distribution of water resources of the Morgunenkov (Khan) canal, taking into account the demand for water in the entire system, to prevent water shortages in the downstream areas of the canal. The benefit from the practical application of the program will be at the expense of improving the efficiency of water resources management.

Sedimentary, geochemical and reservoir characteristics of the Quaternary submarine fan in the Qiongdongnan basin

The South China Sea holds significant marine oil and gas resources, with the Qiongdongnan Basin being a key area. Submarine fans, as major marine reservoir systems, are crucial for storing natural gas and gas hydrates. However, research on the large Quaternary submarine fan in this basin is limited. Our study examines the importance of Quaternary submarine fans in the Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea, with a focus on their development. By utilizing 3D seismic data and core samples, our research aims to analyze submarine fan features and their developmental processes. The submarine fans are divided into four units, with Unit 1–2 submarine fans and internal waterways gradually increasing in size, and Unit 2 to Unit 4 submarine fans and waterway development decreasing in size. Through major and trace element analysis of core samples, we discovered that each major and trace element has different characteristics in different units, such as higher relative contents of Zr and Ti in Units 3 and 4, and higher relative contents of K in Unit 2. Simultaneously microscopic observations and reservoir characteristic parameters are utilized to evaluate the quality of submarine fan reservoirs. We reveal that Unit 2 has the best reservoir quality, followed by Unit 1, and that Units 3 and 4 have poor reservoirs quality This research enhances understanding of the sedimentary evolution of submarine fans in the Qiongdongnan Basin, offers insights into regional geological processes and contributes to global deep-water basin exploration and management.

Navigating Transboundary Waters: Geomorphological Insights for Collaborative Watershed Management in the Upper Indus Basin

Navigating Transboundary Waters: Geomorphological Insights for Collaborative Watershed Management in the Upper Indus Basin

Optimizing nitrogen management for pollution control in Lake Baiyangdian following water replenishment

Eutrophication is an ecological process showing the state shift of a lake. This shift could be triggered when the external nitrogen (N) loads exceed N thresholds. Meanwhile, external water inputs and the resulting changes in lake water depth could affect N thresholds. Thus, the shift towards eutrophication may occur more quickly when the N thresholds decrease. Lake Baiyangdian is located in the North China Plain and plays an essential role in ecosystem service provision. However, this lake may have seen a decrease in the N threshold decrease due to frequent water replenishment since 2015. In this study, we compared the external N loads to Lake Baiyangdian with the N thresholds from 2012 to 2017. For this, we considered the effects of water replenishment by linking the MARINA-Lakes and the PCLake + models. Then, we assessed how N thresholds could be met by external N loads from sub-basins of Lake Baiyangdian under 2017 and different N management cases, including improved crop yield and efficiency (S1), improved sewage treatment (S2), improved manure management (S3), and combined options (S4). Results indicate that a 45% reduction in river export of N to Lake Baiyangdian was found from 2012 to 2017. Agricultural sources (fertilizer and manure) accounted for 59% of river exports of N in 2017. River N exports to the lake are projected to be reduced by 13–67% under the four cases. In 2017, the N-load response curve exhibited hysteresis with a 56–87% decrease in N thresholds compared to 2012. Measures in S4 can help to reduce external N exports to Lake Baiyangdian below the N thresholds. Our study emphasizes the importance of combined N management strategies to mitigate the eutrophication risk of the lake. These results offer valuable insights for N management in lake basins experiencing increasing water depth resulting from water replenishment.

Conceptual and terminological features and legal content of environmental quality standards for water bodies in Ukraine and EU

The article investigates the compliance of Ukrainian and European water legislation in the part of legal instruments, which are the standards for determining, for assessing the ecological status and for regulating the quality of surface waters. Such instruments are included in the main environmental and legal institutions of these legislations. The relevance of the study is determined by the transition of Ukrainian water legislation to the phase of practical support for the implementation of European river basin management. The use of these legal instruments should be envisaged in the first Ukrainian river basin management plans. The purpose of the article is to determine the terminological correctness and conceptual conformity for standards of environmental regulating to ensure that Ukrainian river basin management plans are provided with European equivalents (or analogues) of legislative means to combat environmental status degradation and for surface water pollution, in particular, as a result of the impacts of point sources. The study is based on a comparative analysis of the legal requirements of Ukrainian and European water legislation. Numerous inconsistencies have been identified that impede the harmonization of the both legislations. The most significant of these inconsistencies concerns the recently created Ukrainian ecosystem-based framework of environmental and chemical standards (and corresponding classifications) for surface water bodies. These standards have significant terminological inconsistencies and inconsistencies with the water legislation of Ukraine in terms of the concept of environmental water quality standards. It is determined that the European term and concept of environmental quality standards does not correspond to the Ukrainian concept of the environmental water quality standard and does not allow implement of European regulation of pollutant discharges without changes in legislation. In addition, find inconsistencies create significant obstacles to compliance with the requirements of Ukrainian legislation in the field of drinking water and drinking water supply. It is noted that the principle of building a Ukrainian analog of the European system of environmental quality regulations complicates the policy of nationwide unification of activities in the areas of environmental safety and economical use of aquatic ecosystems.

Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Relationship Between Ecosystem Services and Human Footprints Under Different Human Activity Gradients: A Case Study of Xiangjiang River Basin

Clarifying the relationship between human activities and the provision of ecosystem services has received significant interest in recent years because of a growing need for sustainable socio-ecological system development. Using multi-source remote sensing data, we assessed the spatial and temporal distribution of the human footprint index and five ecosystem services under four human activity gradients from 2010 to 2020 in the Xiangjiang River Basin. The five ecosystem services include water supply, soil conservation, food production, habitat quality, and carbon sequestration. The relationship between human footprint and ecosystem services was analyzed from quantitative and spatial perspectives. The results showed that over the past 10 years, water supply and habitat quality decreased by 4.59% and 16.49%, respectively. The other three services increased, and the upstream area of the basin had a higher level of ecosystem services provision. The human footprint index increased by 28.83% over the 10 years and was characterized by point and patchy clustering in the middle and lower reaches. In terms of quantitative characteristics, the relationship between human footprint and ecosystem services was primarily negative. The ecosystem services were sensitive to the human footprint index within the 0−0.4 range. In terms of spatial characteristics, the relationship was dominated by trade-offs. The risky “high–low” trade-offs were mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches. As the gradients of human activity increased, the maximum fluctuation in ESs was 43%, and the maximum fluctuation in human footprint was 28%, making their relationship more complex. Our results identified response thresholds of ecosystem services to human activities, providing a guide for ecological management and sustainable development of basins.

How to manage regime shifts: insights from a dryland social–ecological system

ABSTRACT Effective water resource management in the Zayandeh-Rud River Basin, a critical region in the Middle East, requires understanding system dynamics and anticipating regime shifts. This study uses system dynamics to model water consumption changes in the basin, analysing various scenarios (10% to 30% increase/decrease) in agricultural, urban, and industrial sectors. Results show that increased consumption harms water systems, while reductions, especially a 30% decrease, stabilize systems and improve water quality. Upstream reductions benefit downstream resources, highlighting the importance of integrated management. Proactive strategies can mitigate adverse impacts, ensuring a sustainable water future for the region’s inhabitants.

Study on the Evolution of Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Carbon Emissions from Land Use in a River Basin

Land-use change significantly contributes to carbon emission. Analyzing this relationship fosters exploration of low-carbon, efficient land-use patterns at regional levels. Using ArcGIS 10.5 and the PLUS model, this study investigated land transfer trends across six counties and one district in the Malian River Basin between 2000 and 2020. It quantified carbon emissions from land use and performed spatial distribution analysis using land-use and socio-economic data. The study demonstrates the following: (1) Between 2010 and 2020, significant land-use changes occurred in the Malian River Basin with 72,919.49 km2 of land undergoing transformation. Notably, the farmland-to-forest and grassland conversion project in Qingyang City was a major factor contributing to the shift from arable land to forest and grassland. (2) Natural factors influencing land conversion in the Loess Plateau region primarily include precipitation and elevation. Conversely, social factors such as population density, road networks, and local government establishments in districts and counties are pivotal in driving land-use changes within the Malian River Basin. (3) Carbon emissions vary significantly among different land-use types, with building land, cropland, unutilized land, watershed, grassland, and forest land showing descending emissions. The rapid expansion of building land notably increases carbon emissions in the study region, while forest land, a significant carbon sink, absorbs approximately 88% of total carbon emissions. (4) Districts and counties in the study area exhibit varying levels of carbon emissions, with Ning County, Xifeng District, Huan County, Qingcheng County, Zhengning County, Heshui County, and Huachi County listed in descending order. Regions with higher carbon emissions typically host abundant energy resources and significant energy production and consumption activities. Variations in carbon emission levels are largely influenced by resource availability and development priorities. Variations in resource levels and developmental focus are pivotal in explaining differences in carbon emission levels. Thus, it is crucial to explore the dynamic interplay between land-use carbon emission efficiency and land evolution in the Malian River Basin. This research will support ecological management and sustainable economic development in the Yellow River Basin, while also contributing to the achievement of the “double carbon” goals.

Hydroeconomic insights for transboundary water challenges and potential collaboration in the Tigris-Euphrates river basin

Abstract For countries sharing transboundary water resources, measuring changes in water availability and ensuing economic outcomes is challenging due to downstream impacts and interconnected agricultural markets. Using a coupled modeling approach that combines a detailed multi-sector model of international trade with a gridded hydrological model, this paper quantifies the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on water scarcity and its economy-wide consequences for the riparian countries in the Tigris-Euprates (TE) river basin and evaluates scenarios of collaboration in basin water management as an adaptation strategy. By mid-century climate change will significantly increase water scarcity in the basin: up to 30% in Iran, 27% in Türkiye, 17% in Iraq, and 14% in Syria. Depending on the climate change scenario, average annual GDP losses from water scarcity and changes in crop yields range from 12 to 84 billion USD for these economies. However, collaboration among the TE river basin riparian countries in water allocation and use could mitigate the adverse economic effects and, relative to the status quo, generate direct GDP gain in the 42–58 billion USD range for these countries and indirect gains for other countries in the Middle East region. The results suggest that collaboration in water management in the TE river basin is an effective option to tackle emerging challenges such as the impact of climate change on water availability.

Water quality and pollution source apportionment responses to rainfall in steppe lake estuaries: A case study of Hulun Lake in northern China

Hulun Lake, the largest inland steppe lake in China, is encountering severe water quality degradation. Estuaries play important roles in material and energetic exchange between rivers and lakes. The water quality at the estuaries of Hulun Lake directly reflects the impact of both human activities and natural factors on the lake’s overall water quality, especially during rainfall events. From July 28, 2021, to August 4, 2021, water samples from 62 sites were collected in the three estuaries of Hulun Lake before and after a moderate rainfall event. 13 water parameters, including dissolved oxygen (DO), Turbidity (Tur), Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Organic Nitrogen (TON), and Total Organic Phosphorus (TOP) were measured. The spatio-temporal distribution of water quality in the estuaries was assessed based on water quality index (WQI). Besides, an improved approach integrating stepwise linear regression (SLR) and principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized to construct a WQImin model for an effective assessment of water quality in these estuaries. Furthermore, the absolute principal component scores-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model was employed to identify and quantify the environmental drivers underlying the water quality in the estuaries. The results of WQI indicated that the water quality of the sites in the estuaries of Hulun Lake was “medium” or “poor”, both before and after the rainfall, with a general deterioration in water quality in response to the rainfall. The simplified WQImin model consisted of 5 crucial parameters (i.e., TN, TP, ammonium (NH4+-N), Tur, and permanganate index (CODMn)), and it performed well without parameter weights. Spatial differences in some water parameters among the estuaries were detected, which were attributed to the natural factors and human activities upstream. The principal environmental factors affecting the water quality in the estuaries consisted of hydrodynamic processes, internal phosphorus release, external phosphorus input, external nitrogen input, nitrification in the estuaries, and external organic input and internal organic release. Therefore, we propose basin management strategies such as limiting grazing pressure, adopting enclosed pasture, wetland restoration, optimizing water renewal cycle in Hulun Lake, and transboundary water quality management to tackle water contamination in Hulun Lake.

An Innovative GIS-Based Policy Approach to Stream Water Quality and Ecological Risk Assessment in Mediterranean Regions: The Case of Crete, Greece

Due to the multiple pressures from human activities, many freshwater ecosystems are facing degradation. To address this issue, a new approach for assessing stream water quality and ecological (WQE) risk using a multi-criteria analysis through a GIS-based policy tool has been developed. The suggested methodology integrates eight different factors along the contaminant pathway from source to streams, including: (a) rainfall variability, (b) soil texture, (c) soil erodibility, (d) slope, (e) river buffer zone, (f) point source contamination buffer zone, (g) non-point source contamination of NO3, and (h) non-point source contamination of PO4. Utilizing fuzzy GIS tools, the above factors and their related maps were spatially overlaid (raster-based suitability for raster reclassification) to obtain the final stream WQE risk map. The final map depicts the spatial distribution of streams concerning their water quality risk and is represented by two classes of WQE risk. The first class is characterized as “appropriate”, in which there is no need for any further actions, while the other one is characterized as “non-appropriate”, indicating that actions should be taken to ensure the sustainability of streams’ water quality. The proposed approach was implemented for the island of Crete, which is located in the Southeast Mediterranean region. The developed methodology was validated using the Hellenic evaluation system (HESY2), an especially established and adapted to the Mediterranean river systems ecological quality metric method, obtained by in situ measurements that were conducted during different monitoring programs (1989–2015). Moreover, this study summarizes appropriate measures and practices that ensure the sustainable management of Mediterranean river basins. These practices can be adopted by local authorities, owners of polluting units, and farmers/breeders to improve the resiliency of streams’ water quality issues in the Mediterranean region.

Selective Sentinel Node Dissection in Melanoma with Trends and Future Directions.

Starting with its earliest descriptions, melanoma has been recognized as a tumor with a predilection for metastasis to regional lymph nodes. This tendency led to initial recommendations for very aggressive early surgical management of the regional nodal basin. However, those recommendations were the source of much controversy over nearly a century, until the minimally invasive surgical technique of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy was developed by Morton, Cochran and colleagues. This technique has been evaluated in a series of prospective clinical trials, which have clarified its role and the management of lymph nodes in this disease. Current controversies relating to SLN biopsy include optimal selection of patients for the procedure, the role of gene expression profiling in initial melanoma management, and the potential therapeutic effects of SLN biopsy-based management. In addition, the SLN appears to be a rich source of data relating to the host-tumor interface and the immune microenvironment, which may advance our understanding of the biology of melanoma. Finally, although the surgical technique is well developed at this point, there may be additional technical improvements that are possible as well.

Bystanders or active participants? Mobilising meaningful participation in River Basin management: lessons from the Gauteng Province, South Africa

ABSTRACT This paper explores the concept of meaningful participation in river basin management, using the case study of the Hennops River in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Experiences of different stakeholders and communities regarding their involvement in the management of the Hennops River basin are analysed following engagement through interviews, workshops and clean-up initiatives. Several barriers and enablers for meaningful participation, such as lack of awareness, capacity, coordination, trust and incentives, are identified. Some recommendations are proposed for improving stakeholder and community participation, based on the lessons learned from the case study. This includes the formulation of a social fund to support small community-based projects such as clean-up campaigns. Projects should be reflective, keeping the community engaged and active. The paper argues that meaningful participation requires not only formal mechanisms of engagement and decision-making but also informal and practical actions that empower stakeholders and communities to take ownership and responsibility for their water resources and environment. For meaningful participation to take place, more needs to be done to shift communities away from a ‘bystander’ position to a more active role. A new approach to community engagement is therefore necessary to support stakeholder-driven initiatives and the raising of awareness in poorer communities.

Anthropogenic activities mitigate the impacts of climate extremes on high flow regimes on the Loess Plateau

The hydrological cycle is anticipated to become increasingly variable due to intensified global climate extremes and frequent floods. Understanding the evolution and driving mechanisms of floods in the context of climatic extremes is essential, particularly on the Loess Plateau (LP) where anthropogenic activities are significant. Here, we examined the spatiotemporal variability of climate extremes and their impacts on flood processes on the LP during 1956–2015. We employed a paired year approach to quantitatively assess the driving role of anthropogenic activities on flood changes in 11 major basins. Our findings indicated a general decline in extreme precipitation indices, while temperature has increased across most of the LP. Both annual runoff (Q) and high flow (Q5) magnitude significantly decreased in all basins. We identified that the major climatic indices driving Q5 included erosive precipitation amount, flood season precipitation, heavy precipitation amount, and maximum 7-day precipitation amount. Importantly, anthropogenic activities have mitigated the impact of climate extremes on Q5 regimes. Compared the post-2000 with reference period (1956–1979), under similar climatic conditions, we observed a reduction in the average Q5 magnitude by 30.19–78.14% and a decrease in the average Q5 duration by 46.48–100.00% across the basins. The contributions of climate variability and anthropogenic activities to Q5 magnitude changes among 11 basins ranged from –37.58% to 22.02% and –56.84% to –15.08%, respectively, highlighting the crucial role of ecological restoration in reducing Q5 magnitude. These results underscore the importance of ecological restoration in flood regulation and offer valuable insights for basin management in the Yellow River Basin.

Hybrid hydrological modeling for large alpine basins: a semi-distributed approach

Abstract. Alpine basins are important water sources for human life, and reliable hydrological modeling can enhance the water resource management in alpine basins. Recently, hybrid hydrological models, coupling process-based models and deep learning (DL), have exhibited considerable promise in hydrological simulations. However, a notable limitation of existing hybrid models lies in their failure to incorporate spatial information within the basin and describe alpine hydrological processes, which restricts their applicability in hydrological modeling in large alpine basins. To address this issue, we develop a set of hybrid semi-distributed hydrological models by employing a process-based model as the backbone and utilizing embedded neural networks (ENNs) to parameterize and replace different internal modules. The proposed models are tested on three large alpine basins on the Tibetan Plateau. A climate perturbation method is further used to test the applicability of the hybrid models to analyze the hydrological sensitivities to climate change in large alpine basins. Results indicate that proposed hybrid hydrological models can perform well in predicting runoff processes and simulating runoff component contributions in large alpine basins. The optimal hybrid model with Nash–Sutcliffe efficiencies (NSEs) higher than 0.87 shows comparable performance to state-of-the-art DL models. The hybrid model also exhibits remarkable capability in simulating hydrological processes at ungauged sites within the basin, markedly surpassing traditional distributed models. In addition, the results also show reasonable patterns in the analysis of the hydrological sensitivities to climate change. Overall, this study provides a high-performance tool enriched with explicit hydrological knowledge for hydrological prediction and improves our understanding about the hydrological sensitivities to climate change in large alpine basins.

Extended Intuitionistic Fuzzy PROMETHEE II Group Decision Making for Mediterranean Basin Management

Extended Intuitionistic Fuzzy PROMETHEE II Group Decision Making for Mediterranean Basin Management

Assessing the effect of torrent control structures on sediment continuity and connectivity

The study investigated the effect of torrent control structures on the sediment cascade in the Vegliato mountain basin (Italy) related to an intense rainfall event of 50 years return interval. The Index of Connectivity (IC) was exploited to analyze the interaction of structures with longitudinal sediment (dis)connectivity. Moreover, the Sediment Continuity Ratio (SCR) was used to assess the effect on sediment (dis)continuity. The SCR is a novel parameter considering for each torrent control structure, the net balance of sediment deposition and erosion, and the cumulative proportion of the sediment cascade arriving from upstream. The SCR emphasises which structure was more prone to continuity or discontinuity during an event and to what extent compared toother structures. Moreover, a multi-perspective framework was carried out to help the interpretation of the SCR results within the context of the study area. The results of the (dis)connectivity assessment showed that the torrent control structures impacted sediment dynamics by influencing the slope and flow confinement, which in turn affected the IC. The (dis)continuity assessment showed structures prone to continuity mainly located in the upstream part of the catchment, where most of the over 60000 m3of sediment was generated. In contrast, structures prone to discontinuity were located in the downstream part, where deposition processes were favoured during the analyzed period. A total of 65 % of the structures similarly affected both (dis)continuity and(dis)connectivity. Data on individual structure functions and maintenance conditions were also included, emphasizing the importance of these factors in planning mountain basins management interventions.The study proposed a new metric that, despite being based on a single large event and a single basin, still provides a useful approach to investigate the interaction between sediments and individual structures, the entire sediment cascade and the channel control system.