Sediment Budget Model Research Articles

Spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of flood control storage sedimentation in the Three Gorges Reservoir, Changjiang River, China

Reservoir sedimentation is a pivotal concern in global reservoir management, exerting substantial influence on the long-term functionality, operational efficiency, and environmental sustainability of reservoirs. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors associated with sedimentation in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China, focusing on the flood control storage (FCS) by using measured data from 2003 to 2022. The Sediment Budget Model (SBM) and the Section Topography Method (STM) were used to quantify sedimentation, and Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to identify key factors affecting sedimentation. Results indicated that sedimentation in the FCS experienced two stages, it initially declined from 2011 to 2016, followed by a gradual increase since then. Sedimentation in the FCS resulted confined to the permanent backwater area, and it displayed a segmented distribution pattern. Although the sedimentation rate showed a decreasing trend since 2013, the heavy flood events in the tributary of the Jialing River could be the major sedimentation risk in the TGR in the future. Sedimentation in the FCS mainly occurred when the flood retention capacity was used during the wet season, and the increase in streamflow and flood retention amount could significantly stimulate sedimentation in the FCS. The current findings not only facilitate the understanding of sedimentation characteristics in the FCS of the TGR, but also benefit sustainable and effective sediment management strategies for other large reservoirs worldwide.

Cost-effectiveness of erosion mitigation to meet water clarity targets in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region of New Zealand

Soil erosion is a significant environmental issue worldwide. It affects water quality, biodiversity, and land productivity. New Zealand government agencies and regional councils work to mitigate soil erosion through policies, management programmes, and funding for soil conservation projects. Information about cost-effectiveness is crucial for planning, targeting, and implementing erosion mitigation to achieve improvements in sediment-related water quality. While there is a good understanding of the costs of erosion mitigation measures, there is a dearth of literature on their cost-effectiveness in reducing sediment loads and improving water quality at the catchment level. In this study, we estimate the cost-effectiveness of erosion mitigation measures in meeting visual water clarity targets. The analysis utilizes the spatially explicit SedNetNZ erosion process and sediment budget modelling in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region and region-specific mitigation costs. The erosion mitigation measures considered in the analysis include afforestation, bush retirement, riparian retirement, space-planted trees, and gully tree planting. We modelled two scenarios with on-farm erosion mitigation implemented across the region from 2021 to 2100, resulting in a 48% and 60% reduction of total sediment load. We estimate the marginal costs to achieve the visual national bottom line for water clarity, as assessed by the length of waterways that meet the clarity targets. We also estimate the marginal costs of improving average water clarity, which can be linked with non-market valuation studies when conducting a cost-benefit analysis. We find that gully tree planting and space-planted trees are the most cost-effective mitigation measures and that riparian retirement is the least cost-effective. Moreover, cost-effectiveness is highly dependent on current land use and the biophysical features of the landscape. Our estimates can be used in cost-benefit analysis to plan and prioritize soil erosion mitigation at the catchment and regional levels.

BENEFICIAL USE OF DREDGED MATERIAL AND FATE OF PLACED SAND USING A HYBRID COSMOS-XBEACH SEDIMENT BUDGET MODEL

The Corpus Christi Ship Channel in Texas connects the Port of Corpus Christi to the Gulf of Mexico. The Port is seeking to deepen the channel to allow fully loaded very large crude carriers to access proposed terminals within the port complex. Dredge material from the channel deepening is to be used as beach nourishment and to create offshore berms along Mustang Island and San Jose Island. The fate of the beach nourishment and offshore berms was assessed using the Hybrid C-X (COSMOSXBeach) Sediment Budget Model. Longshore and cross-shore transport processes were incorporated in the model using COSMOS (longshore) and XBeach (cross-shore) models. Multi-year simulation of the fate of placed material using process-based twodimensional horizontal (2DH) models requires long CPU times which are often impractical. A hybrid sediment budget model using process-based crossshore profile models was thus developed.

Refining fine sediment source identification through integration of spatial modelling, concentration monitoring and source tracing: A case study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments

Excess fine sediment delivery is a major contributor to the declining health of the Great Barrier Reef and identifying the dominant source areas of fine sediment has been critical to prioritising erosion remediation programs. The Bowen River catchment within the Burdekin Basin has been recognised as a major contributor and hence received considerable research investment over the last two decades. This study adopts a novel approach to integrate three independently derived sediment budgets produced from a catchment scale sediment budget model (Dynamic SedNet), targeted tributary water quality monitoring and geochemical sediment source tracing to refine and map the sediment source zones within the Bowen catchment. A four year study of water quality monitoring combined with modelled discharge estimates and geochemical source tracing both identified that the Little Bowen River and Rosella Creek were the largest sources of sediment in the Bowen River catchment. Both data sets contradicted initial synoptic sediment budget model predictions due to inadequate representation of hillslope and gully erosion. Recent improvements in model inputs have resulted in predictions that are consistent with the field data and are of finer resolution within the identified source areas. Priorities for further investigation of erosion processes are also revealed. Examining the benefits and limitations of each method indicates that these are complimentary methods which can effectively be used as multiple lines of evidence. An integrated dataset such as this provides a higher level of certainty in the prediction of fine sediment sources than a single line of evidence dataset or model. The use of high quality, integrated datasets to inform catchment management prioritisation will provide greater confidence for decision makers when investing in catchment management.

Beach-dune development prior to a shoal attachment: A case study on Texel Island (NL)

Shorelines bordering ebb deltas are often subject to deformation by the approach and attachment of ebb-tidal shoals. Although this is a common behaviour, little attention has been paid to the link between shoal migration and the multi-annual development of the adjacent beach-dune system. This study aims to understand beach-dune systems' behaviour during the approach phase of an ebb-tidal shoal attachment event. Topographic and bathymetric data of the barrier island of Texel (NL) was used to calculate shoreline position, beach and dune volume, dunefoot position, and shoal displacement rates. Two classical beach-dune interaction models were used to understand the observed behaviour: the surfzone-beach-dune model and the sediment budget model. The analysis revealed how a larger bank on the land-facing side of the ebb delta split into two smaller shoals with different morphological behaviours. One of the shoals (S1) moved consistently landwards, recently attaching the shore, whereas the second shoal (S2) is still evolving and presents a milder landward movement than S1. In parallel to the landward movement of S1, the adjacent coastline was subject to erosion, partially counterbalanced by nourishments. However, despite the erosion, dunes are growing in volume, suggesting a net positive transfer of sand from the beach to the dunes. In the surfzone-beach-dune model, regular nourishments positively affect beach state by maintaining sufficient beach size for aeolian sediment transport and reducing shoreline erosion. In the budget model, dune volume growth may occur despite a slightly negative beach budget. Framing Texel in the budget model implies that the beach budget before the start of the approach phase is crucial in defining the behaviour of the dune system during this phase. If the shoal approach significantly reduces the beach budget, the system may cross the budget threshold that dune building is possible. Thus, the dune system may evolve to an erosional state, including dune ridge dissection and blowout development. Hence, nourishments have been essential in keeping the current morphological state during the attachment of the shoal, as they restrict the system from crossing the negative morphological threshold. Thus, without the nourishments, beach erosion driven by the shoal might have led to morphological changes in the dune system that could lead to years of a weakened level of protection until foredune recovery after attachment.

Challenges in modelling the sediment retention ecosystem service to inform an ecosystem account – Examples from the Mitchell catchment in northern Australia

A systems analysis perspective related to soil science is necessary to achieve many of the sustainability targets articulated by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework is the international statistical standard for quantifying both the contributions that ecosystems make to the economy, and the impacts of economic activity on ecosystems. However, due to the difficulty of obtaining empirical data on ecosystem service flows, in many cases such quantification is informed by ecosystem service models. Previous research on the Mitchell catchment, Queensland Australia provided a novel opportunity to quantify the implications of using a model of hillslope erosion and sediment delivery in isolation (as represented in one of the most frequently used ecosystem service models - InVEST), by comparing such estimates against multiple lines of local empirical data, and a more comprehensive representation of locally important erosion and deposition processes through a sediment budget model. Estimates of the magnitude of hillslope erosion modelled using an approach similar to InVEST and the calibrated sediment budget differed by an order of magnitude. If an uncalibrated InVEST-type model was used to inform the relative distribution of erosion magnitude, findings suggest the incorrect erosion process would be identified as the dominant contributor to suspended sediment loads. However, the sediment budget model could only be calibrated using data on sediment sources and sinks that had been collected through sustained research effort in the catchment. A comparable level of research investment may not be available to inform ecosystem service assessments elsewhere. Findings for the Mitchell catchment demonstrate that practitioners should exercise caution when using model-derived estimates of the sediment retention ecosystem service, which have not been calibrated and validated against locally collected empirical data, to inform an ecosystem account and progress towards achieving the SDGs.

Sediment Transport and Associated Long-term Bathymetric Changes due to Tidal Currents in The Seto Inland Sea, Japan

The topography of the seafloor is essential for determining physical phenomena such as ocean currents, favorable habitats for marine organisms, optimal vessel navigation, and so on. Prevailing currents and waves, as well as associated shear stresses acting on the ocean floor, are responsible for the formation of typical topographic features including sea caldrons and sandbanks through erosion of bedrock and sediments and their deposition processes. In the Seto Inland Sea (SIS), the most extensive semi-enclosed estuary in Japan, tidal currents affect pronouncedly the formation of seafloor topographic features; however, they have not been fully studied, particularly from a hydrodynamic viewpoint. This study aims to understand bathymetric formation under the predominance of tidal currents in the SIS. A 3-D high-resolution SIS circulation model based on the JCOPE2-ROMS system in a triple-nested configuration was utilized to examine the detailed hydrodynamic processes for the topography formations. A high correlation between the bottom shear stress and the scour depth of the erosive areas was observed, demonstrating that local tidal forcing has continuously been exerted on the seafloor to erode. A diagnostic sediment budget analysis was then conducted for sediments typical of the SIS, that is, gravel, sand, and clay, using the modeled circulation field. The horizontal divergence of the residual flows indicates consistency between divergence (convergence) and erosion (deposition). The sediment budget model also shows that these sediments are generally transported from deep to shallow areas in eroded terrains to form deposited terrains fringing the eroded terrains, whereas sedimentation tendency differs largely from location to location.

Characteristics of sedimentation and sediment trapping efficiency in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Sedimentation in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) affects flood control, navigation, power generation and the ecological environment. We present a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of sedimentation in the TGR from 2003 to 2018. The data set includes field measurements (runoff and sediment) at hydrological stations and estimation for areas where measured data are not available. Based on the data set, the amount of sedimentation in the TGR was calculated with the Sediment Budget Model (SBM) and Section Topography Method (STM). Finally, the variation in sediment Trapping Efficiency (TE) in the TGR was assessed. The results indicate that sediment from smaller tributaries in the TGR region, which has been ignored in most previous studies, constituted approximately 10.8% of the total incoming sediment. The total sedimentation in the TGR was 205478 × 104 t in 2003–2018, and the contribution rates of sediment load flowing into the TGR, the water depth in front of the dam, and runoff discharge flowing into the TGR were 94.4%, 24.5% and −18.9% respectively. The average annual TE was 78.5% in 2003–2018, and it was closely related to the ratio of reservoir storage capacity to flow discharge in the flood season and to sediment concentration in the non-flood season. The results in this paper not only play an important role in the optimal operation of the TGR but also have important reference value for other large reservoirs worldwide.

Reply to comment on, “Sediment budget and morphological change in the Red River Delta under increasing human interferences” by N.D. Ve, D. Fan, B.V. Vuong and T.D. Lan [Marine Geology 431 (2021), 106,379

Anh (2021) asserts that the sediment budget model by Ve et al. (2021) of the subaqueous Red River Delta (RRD) is inaccurate because of some fundamental flaws in the DEM analysis and budget estimation. In fact, bathymetric data from the two earliest charts have been validated with data from a survey carried out over a short time span (1927–1930) and a linear semi-variogram model used to do the kriging interpolation. Different grid cell sizes have a negligible effect on the DEM analysis, and the effect of relative sea-level rise has been ruled out by normalization of bathymetrical data from sequential charts to a common tidal datum. Furthermore, the estimation of the amount of deposited sediment on tidal flats is correct, although a typo of sediment volume unfortunately yielded a wrong value. We can thus confirm that the data in the sediment budget model of Ve et al. (2021) are reliable.The sediment budget model can be improved by full consideration of sediment from source to sink processes as suggested by Anh (2021). We therefore refine the model by considering river bedload and sand mining in the RRD in the sediment input item, and separate the subtidal RRD into three subzones to calculate their average depositional/erosional sediment volume and mass. In the revisited model, a total of 54.7 Mt./yr is inferred to be deposited in the subaqueous RRD from the intertidal flats to the delta-front slope, of which 75.3% and 24.7% are conceivably sourced by the Red River and eroded from the prodelta and offshore shelf, respectively. However, the controlling mechanism of secular erosion at the prodelta and offshore shelf is so far not well known, and this will need to be investigated in the future.

CE-DYNAM (v1): a spatially explicit process-based carbon erosion scheme for use in Earth system models

Abstract. Soil erosion by rainfall and runoff is an important process behind the redistribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) over land, thereby impacting the exchange of carbon (C) between land, atmosphere, and rivers. However, the net role of soil erosion in the global C cycle is still unclear as it involves small-scale SOC removal, transport, and redeposition processes that can only be addressed over selected small regions with complex models and measurements. This leads to uncertainties in future projections of SOC stocks and complicates the evaluation of strategies to mitigate climate change through increased SOC sequestration. In this study we present the parsimonious process-based Carbon Erosion DYNAMics model (CE-DYNAM) that links sediment dynamics resulting from water erosion with the C cycle along a cascade of hillslopes, floodplains, and rivers. The model simulates horizontal soil and C transfers triggered by erosion across landscapes and the resulting changes in land–atmosphere CO2 fluxes at a resolution of about 8 km at the catchment scale. CE-DYNAM is the result of the coupling of a previously developed coarse-resolution sediment budget model and the ecosystem C cycle and erosion removal model derived from the Organising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic Ecosystems (ORCHIDEE) land surface model. CE-DYNAM is driven by spatially explicit historical land use change, climate forcing, and global atmospheric CO2 concentrations, affecting ecosystem productivity, erosion rates, and residence times of sediment and C in deposition sites. The main features of CE-DYNAM are (1) the spatially explicit simulation of sediment and C fluxes linking hillslopes and floodplains, (2) the relatively low number of parameters that allow for running the model at large spatial scales and over long timescales, and (3) its compatibility with global land surface models, thereby providing opportunities to study the effect of soil erosion under global changes. We present the model structure, concepts, limitations, and evaluation at the scale of the Rhine catchment for the period 1850–2005 CE (Common Era). Model results are validated against independent estimates of gross and net soil and C erosion rates and the spatial variability of SOC stocks from high-resolution modeling studies and observational datasets. We show that despite local differences, the resulting soil and C erosion rates, as well as SOC stocks from CE-DYNAM, are comparable to high-resolution estimates and observations at subbasin level. We find that soil erosion mobilized around 66±28 Tg (1012 g) of C under changing climate and land use over the non-Alpine region of the Rhine catchment over the entire period, assuming that the erosion loop of the C cycle was nearly steady state by 1850. This caused a net C sink equal to 2.1 %–2.7 % of the net primary productivity of the non-Alpine region over 1850–2005 CE. This sink is a result of the dynamic replacement of C on eroding sites that increases in this period due to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations enhancing the litter C input to the soil from primary production.

Model Hipotetikal Kesetimbangan Sedimen sebagai Indikator Awal Adanya Penurunan Muka Tanah Di Pantai Utara Pulau Jawa

North Coast of Java Island continues to experience coastal dynamics which resulted significant coastline erosion problems. According to the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries data (KKP), from 100 locations of coastline erosion in 17 provinces of Indonesia, North Coast of Java Island suffered the worst erosion, reaching 745 km or 44 percent of total coastline length. The shoreline retreat can be caused by three factors: sea level rise, erosion and land subsidence. The aim of this research was to determine the correlation between sediment equilibrium in coastal cells and the initial hypothesis of land subsidence which caused a coastline retreat. The method to calculate sediment equilibrium uses hypothetical sediment budget model. Modeling itself is done along the North Coast of Java. LITDRIFT model of Longshore Sediment Drift is employed to assess the coastline profile. The result of the research shows that there is anomalous model that is the condition of sediment is surplus but the condition of the field is backward. Several locations experienced a sediment surplus but experienced a coastline retreat, and after comparison with field observations and secondary data there was evidence of land subsidence: Pondok Bali Beach, Randusongo Beach, Muara Reja Beach, Depok Beach, Slamaran Beach, Jeruksari-Mulyorejo Beach and Sriwulan Beach. Furthermore this result can be used as an initial indicator of the land subsidence causing the coastline to retreat. In order to solve the erosion and sedimentation problem, the detail study with more comprehensive parameter needs to be conducted.

Sediment discharge and storage over the last deglacial highstand period on the central Vietnam shelf off Nha Trang

A sediment budget for the central Vietnam shelf off Nha Trang over the last deglacial Holocene highstand period has been investigated on the basis of shallow seismic and sediment core data and empirical equations. The annual suspended sediment discharge to the Nha Trang shelf ranges from: 4.3 to 5.4 Mt/year. Estimates based on published empirical equations suggest that the sediment discharge by three main local mountainous rivers (the Cai, Dinh and Van Phong rivers) that enter the Nha Trang shelf ranges between 1.7 and 4 Mt/year, which implies that the local rivers discharge approximately 75% of the total annual sediment input to the shelf. The annual sediment supply of the Cai River is approximately 2 and 6 times higher than that of the Dinh and Van Phong rivers, respectively. The highstand sediment depocentre of the Nha Trang shelf is mostly attached to the local river outflows, indicating their importance as the principal sediment supply sources to the shelf. Additional sources of sediment supply to the Nha Trang shelf can probably be related to along-shore transport from the nearby shelves. Calculations based on seismic and sediment core data indicate that the net sediment volume storage on the Nha Trang shelf is approximately 2.15 Mt/year. Approximately 50% of the total sediment yield supplied to the shelf is probably transported along-shore to the south. The sediment budget model for highstand deposits on the Nha Trang shelf is typical for a small mountainous river basin, which is significantly different from that of the large river delta systems in Vietnam such as the Mekong and Red rivers where 90% of the river sediments are captured on the delta plain/subaqueous part and only 10% of the river sediments are transported to the nearby shelf. In contrast, most of the sediments supplied by small mountainous rivers off Nha Trang are transported to the mid-shelf, forming a shore-parallel mud depocentre.

Implementations of fine-grained automated data provenance to support transparent environmental modelling

Demand is increasing for greater transparency of the science underpinning decision-making processes in land resource management. To illustrate how the application of fine-grained data provenance can increase the credibility and transparency of scientific methods and outputs, we implement provenance tracking for two different modelling frameworks, pyluc and LUMASS, and present results from example models. Pyluc is a python-based framework for generating spatial land use classification data with automatically-generated technical documentation. LUMASS is a spatial modelling and optimisation framework within which New Zealand's sediment budget model SedNetNZ is implemented. In both cases, detailed provenance tracking resulted in a complexity of information which necessitated the development of an interactive data provenance visualization tool to help science producers and users explore, verify, and understand model outputs. We argue that best data management and sharing practice should include fine-grained data provenance to meet demands for the quality and integrity of science-based data and information.

Predicting spatial patterns in riverbank erosion for catchment sediment budgets

ABSTRACTRiverbank erosion is an important component of catchment sediment budget models but remains one of the least well-understood processes, particularly at large spatial scales. Here, we develop and test a new bank migration model in New Zealand for large catchment applications that (1) better represents spatial variability in factors influencing bank erosion and (2) improves predictive performance. We represent bank migration rates as a function of reach-scale stream power, channel sinuosity, soil texture, valley confinement, riparian woody vegetation and channel protection works. The new model significantly improves prediction compared to the SedNetNZ model. Comparison of measured bank migration rates with individual variables shows percent silt + clay derived from soil maps exhibited the strongest correlation, whereas other variables were non-significant. The model results demonstrate that improved prediction can be achieved by combining spatial representation of multiple factors over large areas, despite low correlation between individual variables and bank migration rates.

Uncertainty analysis of settling, consolidation and resuspension of cohesive sediments in the Upper Rhine

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the dynamics of settling, consolidation and remobilization of cohesive and contaminated sediment is an important requirement to assess the risk of erosion and to manage mud-dominated ecosystems. Here, we present data on the erodibility of cohesive sediments from the impounded Upper Rhine River and develop a modelling concept to understand the suspended sediment dynamics along the impounded Upper Rhine. The conceptual framework includes 10 reservoirs of the Upper Rhine between Basel and Iffezheim, which serve as long-term sinks of cohesive sediment. Each reservoir is represented by a 1D sediment budget model, which is coupled to its upstream and downstream neighbour. In this paper, we focus on the uncertainty associated with the measurement of the erodibility of cohesive sediments and on the implications to model the risk of erosion. The statistical analysis showed a large uncertainty of the estimated critical shear stresses and erosion rates. Root mean square errors are in the order of 50% and 100% of the average critical shear stresses and average erosion rates, respectively. Preliminary model results are in good agreement with bed changes of the Iffezheim reservoir, which were measured using approximately quarterly echo-soundings of the reservoir. The probabilistic approach that is based on Monte-Carlo simulations allows assessing the uncertainty related to our limited knowledge (i) of the dynamics of contaminated sediments and (ii) of the environmental conditions in the reservoir that control the risk of erosion of contaminated sediments.

Volumetric measurement of river bank erosion from sequential historical aerial photography

Understanding of the relative contribution of bank erosion to sediment budgets in New Zealand is limited. Few measurements of bank erosion rates exist, and this is a major limitation to the development of a locally calibrated model of bank erosion. The New Zealand sediment budget model, SedNetNZ, predicts bank erosion based on preliminary data, and this study aims to underpin the development of an improved model for bank erosion. Photogrammetric techniques and LiDAR were used to collect data on bank erosion rates for five different river reaches, ranging from 3 to 14km in length, in the Kaipara Catchment, Northland, New Zealand. Changing river channel planform between the 1950s and 2015 was assessed using four to five well-spaced dates of historical aerial photographs. Changes in planform were combined with bank height, to calculate erosion and accretion volumes which were compared with SedNetNZ modelled estimates. Erosion and accretion is relatively evenly balanced in the study sites. The largest difference in terms of relative proportions of erosion and accretion are found along the Tangowahine River (13.4km reach length), where 492,000m3 of sediment eroded between 1956 and 2015 compared to 364,000m3 of accretion. Lateral migration rates (erosion) for the five river reaches range between 0.14myr−1 and 0.21m yr−1 and are comparable with those measured by previous assessments in New Zealand. The migration rates in channel widths per year for the three larger rivers (stream order 5–6) range between 0.4% and 0.8% of channel width per year. In contrast, the smaller streams (stream order 3–4) are retreating more rapidly, with width-averaged rates of 1.7% and 3.0%. Current SedNetNZ modelling tends to underestimate the bank height and greatly overestimates the migration rate.

An investigation of controlling variables of riverbank erosion in sub-tropical Australia

A large proportion of the uncertainty surrounding catchment sediment budget modelling has been attributed to sediment supplied from riverbank erosion. Some of the variables influencing riverbank erosion are bend curvature, specific streampower, riparian vegetation, and in some instances sand and gravel extraction. The empirical relationship between these variables and observed riverbank erosion across 78 km of the Upper Brisbane River, Australia was investigated. No significant relationship was found between curvature, specific streampower and riverbank erosion. The role of riparian vegetation relative to sediment supply from riverbank erosion varied with spatial location, susceptibility of a reach to erosion, and human disturbance such as sand and gravel extraction. Despite not having data on substrate type the model described approximately 37% of the variation in observed riverbank erosion. It appears that inclusion of a management practice factor in riverbank erosion models is justified, where appropriate, and may improve model performance.

Sediment trapping analysis of flood control reservoirs in Upstream Ciliwung River using SWAT Model

The plans of Sukamahi dam and Ciawi dam construction for Jakarta flood risk reduction purpose had been proposed as feasible solutions to be implemented. However, the risk of the dam outlets clogging, caused by the sediment, is important to be anticipated. The prediction of the max sediment concentration in the reservoir is crucial for the dam operation planning. It is important to avoid the flood outlet tunnel clogging. This paper present a hydrologic sediment budget model of The Upstream Ciliwung River Basin, with flood control dam existence scenarios. The model was constructed within SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tools) plugin and run inside the QGIS framework. The free hydrological data from CFSR, soil data from FAO, and topographical data from CGIAR-CSI were implemented as the model input. The model resulted the sediment concentration dynamics of the Sukamahi and Ciawi reservoirs, on some suspended sediment parameter ranges. The sediment trapping efficiency was also computed by different possible dam capacity alternatives. The research findings will give a scientific decision making base for the river authority, in term of flood control dam planning, especially in The Upstream Ciliwung River Basin.

Development of a landslide component for a sediment budget model

Most erosion models focus on overland-flow erosion with fewer incorporating landslide erosion although it is common on hillslopes. Landslide models are typically dynamic, spatially distributed simulations with large data requirements for parameterisation and are often computationally intensive. The Australian SedNet model represents a middle ground between process-based and empirical models and is being modified for New Zealand conditions by incorporating shallow landsliding.We describe a method for implementing a model within SedNetNZ to provide the long-term annual average sediment contribution from shallow landsliding and its spatial distribution. The mass of soil eroded over a defined period is calculated from the landslide probability for each slope class, slope class area, failure depth, soil bulk density, and sediment delivery ratio. Landslide probability is derived from mapping a time series of landslides intersected with DEM-derived slope. The conceptual approach and methodology for parameterisation are suitable for landslide modelling where rainfall-triggered shallow landslides occur.

Detecting changes in sediment sources in drought periods: The Latrobe River case study

The transfer of sediments through the landscape (sediment connectivity) depends on hydrological conditions. This study aimed at assessing changes in sediment sources engendered under extreme drought. A sediment budget model that considered hillslope sediment connectivity was applied to the Latrobe River catchment (South-east Australia) in a relatively normal period (1990–1996) followed by part of the ‘Millennium Drought’ (1997–2005). Bayesian inference was applied to optimize monthly streamflow and calibrate sediment parameters against mean annual specific sediment yields at ten monitoring stations. In 1990–1996, assessed sediment yield at the outlet was 68 kt/y; 60% of sediments originated from net hillslope erosion and 40% from streambank erosion. In 1997–2005, sediment yield decreased to 13 kt/y, 27% from net hillslope erosion against 65% from streambank erosion. During the drought, both hillslope gross erosion and hillslope sediment connectivity decreased dramatically. Streambank protection is of the utmost importance under all hydrologic conditions and especially during drought periods.