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Hydraulic models used to simulate floods through riparian forests along rivers need to account for flow resistance caused by tree drag. Tree drag formulations have been developed for this p...

The diffusive and nonspecific nature of nonpoint source contaminants such as sediment makes their management and mitigation challenging. Conventional source‐based tracing techniques for sediment simply apportion downstream sediment load to diffuse upstream sources classified by a limited number of source types including underlying rock type, land cover, and/or erosion process. Here, we develop a grid‐based sediment tracing technique that improves the precision of source contribution estimates and enhances the granularity of sediment source maps. We test the proposed technique using source and suspended sediment samples collected from the Emu Creek Catchment (911 km2), south‐east Queensland, Australia. Geochemical tracers were employed to distinguish sediments derived from the heterogenous and complex underlying rock types. Importantly, the proposed technique provided a greater spatial resolution of the sediment sources by assigning sediment contributions into grid sources rather than the area‐specific source types.

Many tropical river systems have altered water quality due to human land use, impacting the biodiversity of freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Long-term, catchment-scale monitoring is needed to understand pollutant sources, controls, and trends. This 12-year study monitored baseflow and flood event nutrient and sediment concentrations, and estimated sediment loads across the Normanby Basin in northern Australia. Suspended sediment concentrations and yields were highest in upper catchment areas where cattle grazing occurred on erosion-prone sodic soils. Mid- and lower catchment rivers and floodplains were a sink for sediments and nutrients, trapping around 75% of suspended sediments during events. Clays (

In Australia, there is a scarcity of high resolution hyrdoclimate reconstructions for the last several millennia. Fluvial-marine sediments offer a potential avenue for examining trends in freshwater input to coastal settings and, by inference, past hydroclimates. Here, major elemental geochemistry, δ13C and C:N ratios of organic matter, grain size and diatom species abundance, measured in a 4.4 m long sediment core collected from Moreton Bay, in east coast Australia, are used to infer the relative freshwater discharge of the adjacent catchment over the last ~1500 years. Reduced freshwater discharge into the Bay occurred from 630 to 1200 CE, especially between 1100 and 1200 CE. A broad increase in discharge is indicated after 1300 CE, extending to the present. The initial shift to the prolonged wet period coincides with both a decrease in the frequency of ‘dry’ El Nino events based on regional records from the austral Pacific, and a broad hemispheric-scale cooling trend. This record provides further insight into low amplitude climate variability in the Australian subtropics over the last 1000 years, supporting efforts in both forecasting current and future climates, and managing regional water resources. Importantly, instrumental records do not cover the full range of natural climate variability experienced in the region over the last 1000 years.

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.

Few Australian wetlands have persisted since the Last Glacial Maximum, with fewer still in existence through the entire last glacial cycle. The absence of wetlands, which itself indicates periods of moisture deficit, means there are few continuous climate and environmental change records covering this critical period. The lack of wetland persistence also raises the question of how plant and animal species that require permanent wetlands survived the last glacial cycle. Sixteen wetlands have been cored and dated on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) – a large east Australian sand island – with basal dates reported from 10 sites for the first time. These wetlands range in age to over 200 000 years old, with six dating to the Last Glacial Maximum or earlier. There is no evidence of a stratigraphic discontinuity in the radiocarbon-based age–depth profiles, suggesting continuous deposition of highly organic sediment through the period covered by these ages (c. 40 ka). The persistence of these wetlands suggests that for much of the last 40 000 years, and for perhaps much longer, the regional moisture balance has been positive. Over the last glacial cycle, persistently wet conditions may have provided a refuge from regional drying, and thus contributed to the high genetic diversity of rainforest plants in the region. Vegetation and climate records from these sites will allow hypothesis testing about the drivers of both local and regional climate variability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climatic forcing of fluvial systems has been a pre-occupation of geomorphological studies in Australia since the 1940s. In the Riverine Plain, southeastern Australia, the stable tectonic setting and absence of glaciation have combined to produce sediment loads that are amongst the lowest in the world. Surficial sediments and landforms exceed 140,000 yr in age, and geomorphological change recorded in the fluvial, fluvio-lacustrine and aeolian features have provided a well-studied record of Quaternary environmental change over the last glacial cycle. The region includes the Willandra Lakes, whose distinctive lunette lakes preserve a history of water-level variations and ecological change that is the cornerstone of Australian Quaternary chronostratigraphy. The lunette sediments also contain an ancient record of human occupation that includes the earliest human fossils yet found on the Australian continent. To date, the lake-level and palaeochannel records in the Lachlan-Willandra system have not been fully integrated, making it difficult to establish the regional significance of hydrological change. Here, we compare the Willandra Lakes environmental record with the morphology and location of fluvial systems in the lower Lachlan. An ancient channel belt of the Lachlan, Willandra Creek, acted as the main feeder channel to Willandra Lakes before channel avulsion caused the lakes to dry out in the late Pleistocene. Electromagnetic surveys, geomorphological and sedimentary evidence are used to reconstruct the evolution of the first new channel belt following the avulsion. Single grain optical dating of floodplain sediments indicates that sedimentation in the new Middle Billabong Palaeochannel had commenced before 18.4 +/- 1.1 ka. A second avulsion shifted its upper reaches to the location of the present Lachlan River by 16.2 +/- 0.9 ka. The timing of these events is consistent with palaeohydrological records reconstructed from Willandra Lakes and with the record of palaeochannels on the Lachlan River upstream. Willandra Lakes shows high inflows during the Last Glacial Maximum (similar to 22 ka), but their subsequent drying between 20.5 ka and 19 ka was caused by river avulsion rather than regional aridity. This case study highlights the benefits of combining fluvial with lacustrine archives to build complementary records of hydrological change in lowland riverine plains.

It is a substantial challenge to quantify the benefits which ecosystems provide to water supply at scales large enough to support policy making. This study tested the hypothesis that vegetation could reduce riverbank erosion, and therefore contribute to reducing turbidity and the cost of water supply, during a large magnitude flood along a 62 km riparian corridor where land cover differed substantially from natural conditions. Several lines of evidence were used to establish the benefits that vegetation provided to reducing eleven riverbank erosion processes over 1688 observations. The data and analyses confirmed that vegetation significantly reduced the magnitude of the riverbank erosion process which was the largest contributor to total erosion volume. For this process, a 1% increase in canopy cover of trees higher than five metres reduced erosion magnitude by between 2 and 3%. Results also indicate that riverbank erosion was likely to be affected by direct changes to the riparian corridor which influenced longitudinal coarse sediment connectivity. When comparing the impact of these direct changes on a relative basis, sand and gravel extraction was likely to be the dominant contributor to changed erosion rates. The locations where erosion rates had substantially increased were of limited spatial extent and in general substantial change in river form had not occurred. This suggests that the trajectory of river condition and increasing turbidity are potentially reversible if the drivers of river degradation are addressed through an ecosystem restoration policy.

Embayments and the biota they support are highly susceptible to disturbance within adjacent catchments. Examining the timing and magnitude of impacts arising from human-induced disturbance in these systems is often limited due to the absence of long-term monitoring. Moreton Bay in south-eastern Queensland is a shallow embayment that receives inflows from a 21220-km2 catchment. In this study, diatom abundances, pigment (chlorophyll-a, phaeopigments) and biogenic silica concentrations were evaluated in a composite sediment from central Moreton Bay to explore temporal trends in the photosynthetic community. The record extends from 1200 to 2011, incorporating the period of European settlement (c. 1840s) and rapid population growth and urbanisation of the catchment. The record shows that in central Moreton Bay bloom-forming marine diatoms (Thalassiosira, Thalassiothrix, Thalassionema) have increased in relative abundance since the mid-20th century, whereas the dominant benthic diatom (Paralia fenestrata) has declined. This transition most likely occurred in response to the compounding effects of increased delivery of nitrogen, fine sediments and pollutants to Moreton Bay as a consequence of changes in land use. The inferred historical decline in relative contributions of benthic microalgae to total primary production in central Moreton Bay has likely had wide-ranging ecological effects.

Drought-breaking floods pose a risk to coastal water quality as sediments, nutrients, and pollutants stored within catchments during periods of low flow are mobilized and delivered to coastal waters within a short period of time. Here we use subtidal surface sediment surveys and sediment cores to explore the effects of the 2011 Brisbane River flood on trace metals zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), and phosphorus (P) deposition in Moreton Bay, a shallow subtropical bay in eastern Australia. Concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Pb in sediments in central Moreton Bay derived from the 2011 flood were the highest yet observed in the Bay. We suggest flushing of metal rich sediments which had accumulated on the Brisbane River floodplain and in its estuary during the preceding 10 to 40 years of low flows to be the primary source of this increase. This highlights the importance of intermittent high magnitude floods in tidally influenced rivers in controlling metal transport to coastal waters in subtropical regions.

While sediment tracing has been typically applied to identify sediment sources that are difficult to measure by gauging (monitoring), it can also be useful in estimating relative sediment yields from gauged river catchments. The major and trace element composition of river sediments from eleven locations in the 130000 km2 Burdekin River catchment, northeastern Australia was analysed to examine relative contributions from upstream source areas in the 2011/12water year. Sediment tracing results are compared against estimates derived fromsediment load monitoring at three locations. Comparisons show that there is good agreement between tracing results and monitoring data at one of the tributary confluences. At the second site, notable contrastswere found between the load estimates from the monitoring and tracing data. At this site a large impoundment occurs between the upstream sampling/gauging sites for source sediments and the downstream sampling/gauging sites for target sediments. The contrast is likely caused by temporal variations in particle size distributions of suspended sediment fromeach river and differential trapping efficiencies in the impoundment for sediment derived fromthe different tributaries. In the absence of the detailed particle size data and trapping efficiency estimates, sediment tracing provides the unique opportunity to elucidate source contributions of the finer fractions of suspended sediment. At a third site, where there were recognised measurement gaps in the monitoring data during large discharge events, the relative load estimates fromthe tracing data provided a means of constraining the recognized uncertainty of monitored load estimates.We conclude that sediment tracing can be used as a valuable adjunct to monitoring data particularly in remote, large and data-sparse catchments. Both tracing results and monitoring data showthat the Upper Burdekin River and Bowen-Bogie Riverswere the dominant source of the b10 μm sediments being delivered to the GBR lagoon from the Burdekin River catchment in the 2011/12 water year. More substantial contribution from the Belyando-Suttor Rivers indicated by the tracing results than the monitoring data is attributed to preferential delivery of the 1–10 μm sediments through the impoundment and has uncovered a knowledge gap in sediment budgets in the catchment.

Understanding processes that govern the transport and distribution of terrestrial sediments to and within bays is critical for interpreting the drivers of long-term changes in these ecosystems. On the east coast of Australia increased soil erosion and sediment delivery following extensive land clearing in the contributing catchments, associated with European settlement, is highlighted as a key driver of the decline of numerous nearshore habitats including seagrass meadows and in-shore coral reefs. Here we use optical, radiocarbon and radionuclide dating to estimate mass accumulation rates and type of terrestrial sedimentation in central Moreton Bay during the Holocene. We compare the long-term rates of infilling within the central basin with the recent past and show a 3–9 fold increase in sediment accretion over the last 100 years compared to the long term (last ∼ 1500 to 3000 yrs) average. Infilling during the Holocene is not spatially uniform, with preferential deposition occurring within the now submerged palaeochannels of the Brisbane and Pine rivers. We suggest that modern turbidity regimes in Moreton Bay are the result of the compounded effect of both a historical increase in fine sediment supply and a rapid decline in the effective storage capacity of the basin.

Freshwater ecosystems are declining under climate change and land-use change. To maximize the return on investment in freshwater conservation with limited financial resources, managers must prioritize management actions that are most cost-effective. However, little is known about what these priorities may be under the combined effects of climate and land-cover change. We present a novel decision-making framework for prioritizing conservation resources to different management actions for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. The approach is novel in that it has the ability to model interactions, rank management options for dealing with conservation threats from climate and land-cover change, and integrate empirical data with expert knowledge. We illustrate the approach using a case study in South East Queensland (SEQ), Australia under climate change, land-cover change and their combined effects. Our results show that the explicit inclusion of multiple threats and costs results in quite different priorities than when costs and interactions are ignored. When costs are not considered, stream and riparian restoration, as a single management strategy, provides the greatest overall protection of macroinvertebrate and fish richness in rural and urban areas of SEQ in response to climate change and/or urban growth. Whereas, when costs are considered, farm/land management with stream and riparian restoration are the most cost-effective strategies for macroinvertebrate and fish conservation. Our findings support riparian restoration as the most effective adaptation strategy to climate change and urban development, but because it is expensive it may often not be the most cost-efficient strategy. Our approach allows for these decisions to be evaluated explicitly.

Sediment tracing using geochemical properties is an efficient way to identify the spatial sources of transported sediments delivered to waterways. Here, the contribution of soil sources to river bed sediments has been quantified in Emu Creek, a headwater catchment in south eastern Queensland, Australia. Soil samples were collected from the eight major rock types present in the catchment and were related to river bed sediments collected from eight sites along the main channel. Geochemistry, as characterized by 39 elemental concentrations, was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Three particle size fractions were examined

Erosion of soil from catchments during floods can deliver large quantities of sediment to the coastal zone. The transformations and processes of nutrient release from catchment soils during flooding are not well understood. To test the hypothesis that catchment soils supply nutrients to the coastal zone, we examined nutrient release and transformation following wetting of soils formed from three distinct rock types (basalt, granite and sandstone) with fresh and marine water. The soil samples were collected from eroding areas of a subtropical river catchment. We simulated runoff, transport and deposition by tumbling the fine fraction of the soils in freshwater for three days and settling in seawater for four weeks. We also collected and incubated cores from an adjacent coastal bay and added a layer of catchment soil to simulate deposition of new sediment following flood plume settling. Dissolved nutrients were measured in both simulations. Basalt soils were relatively nutrient rich and released substantial quantities of organic and inorganic dissolved nutrients, particularly phosphate. However when soils were added to estuarine sediment cores and incubated, there was a net influx of phosphate from the overlying water. All soils continually released ammonium in both experiments, indicating that catchment soils may be an important source of ammonium to fuel productivity within the coastal zone. This study provides new insights into increased nitrogen availability in a nitrogen-depauperate coastal zone and identifies catchment geology as an important influence in coastal productivity through delivery of soil nitrogen to downstream estuaries.

The response of river channels to land cover and land use changes in large areas of the tropics and subtropics is poorly documented. Arable agriculture and grazing was introduced to the subtropical catchment of the Brisbane River, Australia, by European settlers in the 1840s. This study examines subsequent changes to the morphology, sediments and vegetation of the Brisbane River in relation to the major drivers of channel change. Documentary evidence from pioneers, paintings, newspapers,maps, surveys, photographs, and instrumental flow records suggests that within 20 years of the introduction of sheep grazing, compaction and degradation of catchment soils and surface drainage produced a shift from perennial to seasonally ephemeral flow and channel incision in minor tributary valleys. The main channel remained stable until the 1850s in the Estuary, and until the 1890s in the middle reaches, where bank erosion increased average channel widths by 18%. Compared to rivers in temperate areas, the Brisbane River has been relatively resilient to changes in land use and land cover. Rates of lateral channel migration have been low since at least 1885, and the level of the channel bed has been stable since 1894. It is shown that the present-day compound channel is a pre-European form with dimensions adjusted to floods with decadal return periods. Increases in sediment supply associated with the incision of tributary streams and later, from widening of the main channel, is consistent with regional evidence for the predominance of channel erosion. This implies an ongoing channel adjustment to changes associated with European land use change.

Moreton Island and several other large siliceous sand dune islands and mainland barrier deposits in SE Queensland represent the distal, onshore component of an extensive Quaternary continental shelf sediment system. This sediment has been transported up to 1000 km along the coast and shelf of SE Australia over multiple glacioeustatic sea-level cycles. Stratigraphic relationships and a preliminary Optically Stimulated Luminance (OSL) chronology for Moreton Island indicate a middle Pleistocene age for the large majority of the deposit. Dune units exposed in the centre of the island and on the east coast have OSL ages that indicate deposition occurred between approximately 540 ka and 350 ka BP, and at around 96±10 ka BP. Much of the southern half of the island has a veneer of much younger sediment, with OSL ages of 0.90±0.11 ka, 1.28±0.16 ka, 5.75±0.53 ka and

Identifying of the sources, stores and pathways of sediments in a catchment is essential to accurately target management actions designed to reduce sediment delivery to receiving waters. Fingerprinting the source of sediment using geochemical properties has increasingly been accepted as an accurate approach for quantifying the contribution of different sources to river sediment discharge. In this study, we seek to examine the effect of particle size and location of the sources on their contribution to suspended sediments. Geochemical tracers (n = 41) were employed to calculate proportional contributions of sediment to Emu Creek, a predominantly pastoral catchment (911 km2) in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. The study focused on two high flow events (10- and 6-year return periods) and some lower flow events which occurred during the 18 months from October 2011 to March 2013. Source contributions were determined at eight spatially distributed sites in major tributaries and along the main channel of Emu Creek. Source determination at the in-stream sites was done using end member samples (based on the underlying rock type) collected upstream of the site of interest, thus indicating how different sources dominate at different locations downstream. To examine whether different size fractions shared similar provenances, three size fractions of both source and suspended samples including fine silt and clay (

We present the results of investigations into alluvial deposition in the catchment of the Normanby River, which flows into Princess Charlotte Bay (PCB) in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. Our focus is on the fine fraction (< ~ 63 μm) of alluvial deposits that sit above the sand and gravel bars of the channel floor, but below the expansive flat surface generally referred to as the floodplain. Variously described as benches, bank attached bars or inset or inner floodplains, these more or less flat-lying surfaces within the macro-channel have hitherto received little attention in sediment budgeting models. We use high resolution LiDAR based mapping combined with optical dating of exposures cut into these in-channel deposits to compare their aggradation rates with those found in other depositional zones in the catchment, namely the floodplain and coastal plain. In total 59 single grain OSL dates were produced across 21 stratigraphic profiles at 14 sites distributed though the 24 226 km2 catchment. In-channel storage in these inset features is a significant component of the contemporary fine sediment budget (i.e. recent decades/last century), annually equivalent to more than 50% of the volume entering the channel network from hillslopes and subsoil sources. Therefore, at the very least, in-channel storage of fine material needs to be incorporated into sediment budgeting exercises. Furthermore, deposition within the channel has occurred in multiple locations coincident in time with accelerated sediment production following European settlement. Generally, this has occurred on a subset of the features we have examined here, namely linear bench features low in the channel. This suggests that accelerated aggradation on in-channel depositional surfaces has been in part a response to accelerated erosion within the catchment. The entire contribution of ~ 370 kilotonnes per annum of fine sediment estimated to have been produced by alluvial gully erosion over the last ~ 100 years can be accounted for by that stored as in-channel alluvium. These features therefore can play an important role in mitigating the impact on the receiving water of accelerated erosion.

Coastal ecosystems can be degraded by poor water quality. Tracing the causes of poor water quality back to land-use change is necessary to target catchment management for coastal zone management. However, existing models for tracing the sources of pollution require extensive data-sets which are not available for many of the world’s coral reef regions that may have severe water quality issues. Here we develop a hierarchical Bayesian model that uses freely available satellite data to infer the connection between land-uses in catchments and water clarity in coastal oceans. We apply the model to estimate the influence of land-use change on water clarity in Fiji. We tested the model’s predictions against underwater surveys, finding that predictions of poor water quality are consistent with observations of high siltation and low coverage of sediment-sensitive coral genera. The model thus provides a means to link land-use change to declines in coastal water quality.

Hillslope erosion rates have been estimated from models based on the widely used Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) over large areas of Australia as a basis for catchment and river management. In this paper we present data from erosion plots in the Normanby catchment, Cape York, Australia. Extremely high rates of hillslope erosion are predicted in areas of the Normanby, producing extremely high modeled suspended sediment loads in streams which drain into the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Lagoon. Using a novel, low budget sediment trap, total sediment yield is measured across the annual wet season (November to April) in 11 plots ranging in size from 0.1 to 1.9 ha. Total hillslope erosion rates (i.e., suspended and bed material load) measured within the four main geologies in the catchment, range between 0.03–256 kg/ha/yr. across two distinctly different wet seasons. These data are compared with the RUSLE modeled sediment yields determined for the same sites, for the same periods of time, using five different model formulations; two existing catchment scale models along with three plot scale formulations based on measured plot scale parameters. Modeled sediment yields using the first catchment scale model ranged from 4290 to 57,040 kg/ha/yr.; while the second catchment scale model predicted values of 730–9680 kg/ha/yr. Modeled yields using plot scale metrics together provided values ranging from 1550 to 331,700 kg/ha/yr. Depending on which modeled data are used, this represents an average ratio of over prediction by the RUSLE model (cf the measured rates for the same period) of between 12 and 13,300 times. We suggest that the over-prediction is due to four key reasons: 1) K factors have been incorrectly extrapolated from empirical data collected elsewhere on agricultural soils that vary greatly from the typical savannah rangeland soils; 2) the high stone content of the soils typically found on many of the savannah hillslopes is not adequately represented in either the C or K factor, 3) the model assumes that sediment supply is a linear function with time, when in fact the K factor (and hence supply) is likely to be non-linear though time—i.e. exhibiting supply exhaustion over an individual wet season or over the longer term (e.g. 103–104 years), and 4) the vegetative cover factors applied in previous modeling have used the late dry season C values, when the average cover factor across the wet season is significantly lower (where lower C factor = higher cover). We have derived new K factor values from our data for application in a new catchment model.

A decline in the ecosystem health of Australia's Moreton Bay, a Ramsar wetland of international significance, has been attributed to sediments and nutrients derived from catchment sources. To address this decline the regional management plan has set the target of reducing the loads by 50%. Reforestation of the channel network has been proposed as the means to achieve this reduction, but the extent of revegetation required is uncertain. Here we test the hypothesis that sediment and nutrient loads from catchments decrease proportionally with the increasing proportion of the stream length draining remnant vegetation. As part of a routine regional water quality monitoring program sediment and nutrient loads were measured in 186 flow events across 22 sub-catchments with different proportions of remnant woodland. Using multiple linear regression analysis we develop a predictive model for pollutant loads. Of the attributes examined a combination of runoff and the proportion of the stream length draining remnant vegetation was the best predictor. The sediment yield per unit area from a catchment containing no remnant vegetation is predicted to be between 50 and 200 times that of a fully vegetated channel network; total phosphorus between 25 and 60 times; total nitrogen between 1.6 and 4.1 times. There are ~48 000 km of streams in the region of which 32% drain areas of remnant vegetation. Of these 17 095 km are above the region's water storage dams. We estimate that decreasing the sediment and phosphorus loads to Moreton Bay by 50% would involve rehabilitating ~6350 km of the channel network below the dams; halving the total nitrogen load would require almost complete restoration of the channel network.

Increased sediment loads from accelerated catchment erosion significantly degrade waterways worldwide. In the South East Queensland region of Australia, sediment loads are degrading Moreton Bay, a Ramsar listed wetland of international significance. In this region, like most parts of coastal Australia, sediment is predominantly derived from gully and channel bank erosion processes. A novel approach is presented that uses carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios and elemental composition to discriminate between these often indistinguishable subsoil sediment sources. The conservativeness of these sediment properties is first tested by examining the effect of particle size separation (testing for consistency during transport) and the effect of sampling at different times (testing for temporal source consistency). The discrimination potential of these sediment properties is then assessed with the conservative properties, based on the particle size and temporal analyses, modelled to determine sediment provenance in three catchments. Nitrogen sediment properties were found to have significant particle size enrichment and high temporal variance indicative of non-conservative behaviour. Conversely, carbon stable isotopes had very limited particle size and temporal variability highlighting their suitability for sediment tracing. Channel erosion was modelled to be a significant source of sediment (μ 51%, σ 9%) contrasting desktop modelling research that estimated gully erosion is the predominant sediment source. To limit the supply of sediment to Moreton Bay, channel bank and gully erosion must both be targeted by sediment management programs. By distinguishing between subsoil sediment sources, this approach has the potential to enhance the management of sediment loads degrading waterways worldwide. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The rate of erosion of hillside gullies depends both on gully flow characteristics and the resistance offered by the gully soil profile to erosion. This paper describes a method for quantifying a physically-based resistance measure, illustrated by application to a gully feeding sediment into the Bremer River, southeast Queensland, Australia. The dynamics of discharge down the gully during runoff events is the driver of erosion, but this was unknown. A new method is described whereby this unmeasured flow can be estimated using data on rainfall rate and river gauge monitoring. The data collected on the gully was the increase in dimensions and volume (and so soil loss) over a two year period. This information was obtained from a digital elevation model (DEM) of the catchment, derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) observations made at either end of the two year period. The soil profile resistance characteristic evaluated is the energy required to erode a unit mass of soil from the gully walls, a physically-defined parameter, J, present in flow-driven erosion theory, which was adapted and applied to predict soil loss from the Bremer River gully. The value of J was evaluated by equating predicted to measured gully soil loss over the two year period using two alternative descriptions of gully cross-section. Firstly a realistic gully shape description was used, made possible by LiDAR data, yielding J?=?405.5?J/kg. Secondly, in order to allow use of more widely-available aerial photography for such studies, the simplifying assumption of a semi-circular gully shape was made, yielding J?=?455?J/kg. Allowing a ᳰ% error in estimated effective runoff rate for this ungauged gully, the estimated J value would have an uncertainty of +1%/-7% using the actual gully geometry. The assumptions made in estimating J are discussed, and possible applications of this information listed.

Article history: Understanding the key processes controlling the delivery, deposition and fate of sediments on continental shelves is critical to appreciate the evolution of coasts and estuaries and to interpret geological sequences. This study presents radiocarbon and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) ages of sediment cores collected from key locations offshore from the Burdekin River, Australia, the largest single source of sediment delivered to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. The ages show variable sediment accumulation rates at the different locations that coincide with the Holocene avulsion history of the Burdekin River. Our data show that most fine sediment (

Increased erosion associated with land use change often alters the flux of sediments and nutrients, but few studies have looked at the interaction between these disrupted cycles. We studied the effects of gully erosion on carbon and nitrogen storage in surface soil/sediment and herbaceous vegetation and on C and N mineralization in a headwater catchment used for cattle grazing. We found significantly lower C and N stored in an incising gully compared with an intact valley. This storage was significantly higher in an adjacent stabilizing gully, although not to the levels found in the intact valley. The intact valley had two to four times higher soil/sediment concentrations of total organic C, total N and Colwell extractable P than the incising gully. Lower storage was not explained by differences in vegetation biomass density or silt and clay content. Vegetation accounted for only 8% of C and 2% of N storage. Although not a significant store in itself, vegetation has an important indirect role in restoring and maintaining soil/sediment C and N stocks in eroding areas. We found significant linear relationships between C and N mineralization rates and soil/sediment C and N content, with lower rates occurring in the eroded sediment. These findings support our initial hypothesis that gully erosion reduces C and N storage and mineralization rates in eroding catchments. The implications of this study include a change to the quality of eroded sediments in headwater catchments, causing C-poorer and N-poorer sediments to be exported but overall loads to increase. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Managing receiving-water quality, ecosystem health and ecosystem service delivery is challenging in regions where extreme rainfall and runoff events occur episodically, confounding and often intensifying land-degradation impacts. We synthesize the approaches used in river, reservoir and coastal water management in the event-driven subtropics of Australia, and the scientific research underpinning them. Land-use change has placed the receiving waters of Moreton Bay, an internationally-significant coastal wetland, at risk of ecological degradation through increased nutrient and sediment loads. The event-driven climate exacerbates this issue, as the waterways and ultimately Moreton Bay receive large inputs of nutrients and sediment during events, well above those received throughout stable climatic periods. Research on the water quality and ecology of the region's rivers and coastal waters has underpinned the development of a world-renowned monitoring program and, in combination with catchment-source tracing methods and modeling, has revealed the key mechanisms and management strategies by which receiving-water quality, ecosystem health and ecosystem services can be maintained and improved. These approaches provide a useful framework for management of water bodies in other regions driven by episodic events, or where novel stressors are involved (e.g., climate change, urbanization), to support sustained ecosystem service delivery and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

Reconstructed Holocene lake-level curves from two saline, hydrologically closed maar crater lakes in southwestern Victoria, Australia, show near synchronous lake-level changes throughout the Holocene. We show that lake levels, reconstructed from sediment particle size and ostracod valve chemistry (δ18O and Sr/Ca) have undergone rapid (10 m) fluctuations throughout the Holocene. Finer sampling resolution shows a more sensitive response to Holocene climate than was previously presented for Lake Keilambete. Both maar crater lakes show a short-lived maximum in Holocene lake levels around 7.2 ka. The period of lake filling leading to peak lake levels matches the phase of most effective precipitation (7.4–7.0 ka) reconstructed from a high-resolution speleothem record from northern Tasmania. Water levels declined in both lakes during the mid Holocene, with a more substantive decline after ~5 ka which coincides with the end of the Southern Hemisphere hypsithermal. Water levels continued to oscillate with a periodicity of around 300–700 years, before reaching a late-Holocene nadir around 1.8 ka (Keilambete) and 1.3 ka (Gnotuk). The trend and periodicity of oscillations in the maar water levels show commonalities to δD in the Dome C ice core, and suggest that temperature may be a significant component in influencing the Precipitation/Evaporation (P/E) ratio in southeastern Australia during the Holocene.

Previous studies using fallout radionuclides (137Cs and 210Pbex) to determine the relative contributions of surface-soil and channel erosion (including gullies and channel banks) to stream sediments have used a relatively small number of composite samples (

The tropics of northern Australia have received relatively little attention with regard to the impact of soil erosion on the many large river systems that are an important part of Australia's water resource, especially given the high potential for erosion when long dry seasons are followed by intense wet season rain. Here we use 137Cs concentrations to determine the erosion processes supplying sediment to two major northern Australian Rivers; the Daly River (Northern Territory), and the Mitchell River (Queensland). We also present data from five sediment samples collected from a 100 km reach of the Cloncurry River, a major tributary of the Flinders River (Queensland). Concentrations of 137Cs in the surface soil and subsurface (channel banks and gully) samples were used to derive ‘best fit’ probability density functions describing their distributions. These modelled distributions are then used to estimate the relative contribution of these two components to the river sediments. Our results are consistent with channel and gully erosion being the dominant source of sediment, with more than 90% of sediment transported along the main stem of these rivers originating from subsoil. We summarize the findings of similar studies on tropical Australian rivers and conclude that the primary source of sediment delivered to these systems is gully and channel bank erosion. Previously, as a result of catchment scale modelling, sheet-wash and rill erosion was considered to be the major sediment source in these rivers. Identifying the relative importance of sediment sources, as shown in this paper, will provide valuable information for land management planning in the region. This study also reinforces the importance of testing model predictions before they are used to target investment in remedial action.

Floodplain wetlands in the wet–dry tropics are under increasing pressure from water resource development, and there is a need for methods to assess the biophysical dynamics of these extensive and often remote ecosystems. This study assessed the capacity of optical remote sensing methods to monitor the seasonal dynamics of inundation, turbidity, and aquatic vegetation cover for a northern Australian savanna catchment. MODIS data were used to map seasonal flood inundation patterns, and Landsat 5 TM data were used to map dry-season waterbody dynamics. A network of water-depth loggers and temperature sensors provided ground observations of surface inundation dynamics, and was used to validate the inundation mapping. Post-flood waterbody surface area declined by 89% over the dry season, with 70% of the decline occurring for Palustrine (floodplain) waterbodies. All aquatic systems became increasingly disconnected as the dry season progressed. Statistical relationships were developed between seasonal measurements of turbidity, aquatic vegetation cover, and Landsat spectral data. Catchment wide predictions showed that turbidity increased and macrophyte cover decreased for the Palustrine and Lacustrine (lake) systems, while the Riverine systems became less turbid over the dry season. These results show that, for open savanna landscapes where cloud cover does not limit waterbody detection, optical remote sensing methods can be effectively applied to assess seasonal patterns of inundation and accompanying biophysical dynamics. This provides an effective tool to evaluate the impact of river flow regime changes from water resource use or climate change in these regions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeosalinity records for groundwater-influenced lakes in the southwest Murray Basin were constructed from an ostracod-based, weighted-averaging transfer function, supplemented with evidence fromCampylodiscus clypeus(diatom), charophyte oogonia,Coxiella striata(gastropod),Elphidiumsp. (foraminifera),Daphniopsissp. ephippia (Cladocera), and brine shrimp (Parartemia zietziana) faecal pellets, the δ18O of ostracods, and > 130 μm quartz sand counts. The chronology is based on optically stimulated luminescence and calibrated radiocarbon ages. Relatively wet conditions are marked by lower salinities between 9600 yr and 5700 yr ago, but mutually exclusive high- and low-salinity ostracod communities suggest substantial variability in effective precipitation in the early Holocene. A drier climate was firmly in place by 4500 yr and is marked at the groundwater-dominated NW Jacka Lake by an increase in aeolian quartz and at Jacka Lake, by a switch from surface-water to groundwater dominance. Short-lived, low-salinity events at 8800, 7200, 5900, 4800, 2400, 1300 and 400 yr are similar in timing and number to those recorded on Australia's southern continental shelf, and globally, and provide evidence for the existence of the ~ 1500-yr cycle in mainland southern Australia. We surmise that these are cool events associated with periodic equatorward shifts in the westerly wind circulation.

This study investigated the storage of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the biomass, bed sediments and water column of representative reaches of a sub-tropical river, the upper Brisbane River (UBR), Queensland, Australia, and contrasted instream storage with total wet season exports. In reaches which contained accumulated fine sediments, more than 87% of total P and between 50% and 92% of total N were stored in the surface sediments. The lower proportion of N in sediment at some sites was attributed to substantial differences in the N/P ratios of sediments and macrophytes. At one site, the riverbed was dominated by cobbles and boulders and total nutrient stocks were comparatively low and dominated by the biomass. In reaches with a narrow channel and intact riparian cover, biomass N and P were stored predominately in leaf litter, while in wider unshaded reaches, macrophytes dominated. Total instream storage in the mid to lower reaches of the UBR was ∼50.9 T for N and ∼18.1 T for P. This was considerably higher than total wet season N (∼15.6 T) and P (∼2.7 T) exports from the UBR. The first flow event in the river after a prolonged period of no flow resulted in the export of free-floating, emergent species Azolla. The estimated biomass of Azolla in the mid to lower reaches of the river was equivalent to approximately 24% and 9% of the total N and P flux, indicating that this may be a significant, previously unaccounted for, source at peak flow.

Fallout (137)Cs has been widely used to determine floodplain sedimentation rates in temperate environments, particularly in the northern hemisphere. Its application in low fallout, tropical environments in the southern hemisphere has been limited. In this study we assess the utility of (137)Cs for determining rates of floodplain sedimentation in a dry-tropical catchment in central Queensland, Australia. Floodplain and reference site cores were analysed in two centimetre increments, depth profiles were produced and total (137)Cs inventories calculated from the detailed profile data. Information on the rates of (137)Cs migration through local soils was obtained from the reference site soil cores. This data was used in an advection-diffusion model to account of (137)Cs mobility in floodplain sediment cores. This allowed sedimentation rates to be determined without the first year of detection for (137)Cs being known and without having to assume that (137)Cs remains immobile following deposition. Caesium-137 depth profiles in this environment are demonstrated to be an effective way of determining floodplain sedimentation rates. The total (137)Cs inventory approach was found to be less successful, with only one of the three sites analysed being in unequivocal agreement with the depth profile results. The input of sediment from catchment sources that have little, or no, (137)Cs attached results in true depositional sites having total inventories that are not significantly different from those of undisturbed reference sites.

Rivers draining to the Great Barrier Reef are receiving increased attention with the realisation that European land use changes over the last ∼ 150 years may have increased river sediment yields, and that these may have adversely affected the reef environment. Mitigation of the effects associated with such changes is only possible if information on the spatial provenance and dominant types of erosion is known. To date, very few field-based studies have attempted to provide this information. This study uses fallout radionuclide (137Cs and 210Pbex) and geochemical tracing of river bed and floodplain sediments to examine sources over the last ∼ 250 years for Theresa Creek, a subcatchment of the Fitzroy River basin, central Queensland, Australia. A Monte Carlo style mixing model is used to predict the relative contribution of both the spatial (geological) sources and erosion types. The results indicate that sheetwash and rill erosion from cultivated basaltic land and channel erosion from non-basaltic parts of the catchment are currently contributing most sediment to the river system. Evidence indicates that the dominant form of channel erosion is gully headcut and sidewall erosion. Sheetwash and rill erosion from uncultivated land (i.e., grazed pasture/woodland) is a comparatively minor contributor of sediment to the river network. Analysis of the spatial provenance of floodplain core sediments, in conjunction with optical dating and 137Cs depth profile data, suggests that a phase of channel erosion was initiated in the late nineteenth century. With the development of land underlain by basalt in the mid-twentieth century the dominant source of erosion shifted to cultivated land, although improvements in land management practices have probably resulted in a decrease in sediment yield from cultivated areas in the later half of the twentieth century. On a basin-wide scale, because of the limited spatial extent of cultivation, channel sources are likely to be the largest contributor of sediment to the Fitzroy River. Accordingly, catchment management measures focused on reducing sediment delivery to the Great Barrier Reef should focus primarily on decreasing erosion from channel sources.

Beach ridges at Keppel Bay, central Queensland, Australia, preserve a record of sediment accumulation from the historical period back to middle Holocene times. The ridges comprise fine, well-sorted, feldspar-rich quartz sand that was eroded from the Fitzroy River catchment, deposited in Keppel Bay during floods of the Fitzroy River, and reworked onshore into beach and foredune deposits by the prevailing currents, waves and wind. These floods have an average recurrence interval of at least 7 yr and are induced by the passage of cyclones onshore into the large Fitzroy catchment. The youngest series of beach ridges sit sub-parallel to the modern beach and comprise six accretional units, each unit formed by a set of ridges and delineated by prominent swales. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of beach ridges in these units indicate they were deposited in periods of rapid progradation approximately 1500, 1000, 450 and 230 yr BP, when there was an enhanced supply of sediment to the beach from the Fitzroy River via Keppel Bay. Estimates of the mass of sediment stored in the beach-ridge strandplain show that it represents a significant sediment store, potentially trapping the equivalent of 79% of the estimated long-term (100 yr) average annual bedload of the Fitzroy River that is deposited in Keppel Bay. There has been a reduction in the rate of sediment accumulation in the strandplain since around 1000 yr BP, which is consistent with other coastal records in eastern Australia of a relatively wetter phase of climate in the late Holocene compared to the present. The youngest beach ridges (OSL ages

The optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating method was used to determine the geochronology of seven relict beach ridges that sit immediately behind the modern beach at Beachmere, a low-energy sandy coast within Moreton Bay, Queensland. Between 2600 ± 400 and 1700 ± 130 years ago, the shoreline eroded and foreshore sediment was deposited over the older beach deposit. Subsequently, there was a 1500-year period of shoreline progradation: the shoreline advanced 0.16 m/y between 1700 ± 130 and 1140 ± 80 years ago; and 0.41 m/y between 1140 ± 80 and around 200 years ago. Shortly after 690 ± 60 years ago, a series of well-developed regularly spaced beach ridges gave way to an intertidal flat and then deposition of a set of lower amplitude, closely spaced beach ridges. The younger ridges were deposited between 230 ± 40 and 140 ± 50 years ago, at a rate of around 1.06 m/y. During the last several decades, much of the Beachmere shoreline has eroded into these younger relict ridges. Drivers of these ...

Indurated sand in the Late Quaternary coastal plain succession of northern Moreton Bay was examined in sand-mine pits, drillcores and the eroded bank of an estuarine channel. Samples show that the cements usually coat grains and partially infill interstitial pores. Distinctive cement habits reflect different constituents that are dominantly kaolinite and amorphous organic-rich complexes. Trace-metal concentrations in the cements are lower than previously reported for soils and estuarine sediments in the study region. Optically stimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence ages of these deposits indicate that pedogenic induration occurs over long periods, up to approximately 90 000 years, with only incipient induration evident in deposits 16 000 – 2600 years old. However, the rate of induration is far higher in relatively coarse channel fill, in which mineral and amorphous organic-rich cements have precipitated from shallow groundwater that flowed laterally through the deposit. The degree of induration, t...

This study describes the use of linearly modulated optically stimulated luminescence (LM-OSL) to distinguish surface-soil derived sediments from those derived from channel bank erosion. LM-OSL signals from quartz extracted from 15 surface-soil and five channel bank samples were analysed and compared to signals from samples collected from two downstream river sites. Discriminant analysis showed that the detrapping probabilities of fast, first slow and second slow components of the LM-OSL signal can be used to differentiate between the samples collected from the channel bank and surface-soil sources. We show that for each of these source end members these components are all normally distributed. These distributions are then used to estimate the relative contribution of surface-soil derived and channel bank derived sediment to the river bed sediments. The results indicate that channel bank derived sediments dominate the sediment sources at both sites, with 90.1 ± 3% and 91.9 ± 1.9% contributions. These results are in agreement with a previous study which used measurements of 137Cs and 210Pbex fallout radionuclides to estimate the relative contribution from these two sources. This result shows that LM-OSL may be a useful method, at least in the studied catchment, to estimate the relative contribution of surface soil and channel erosion to river sediments. However, further research in different settings is required to test the difference of OSL signals in distinguishing these sediment sources. And if generally acceptable, this technique may provide an alternative to the use of fallout radionuclides for source tracing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Past phases of aggradation and incision have been studied along a 10 km reach in the Naas Valley in south-eastern Australia. Detailed mapping of the stratigraphy and an ambitious dating exercise, involving 23 optical dates, have been used to distinguish the different periods of aggradation and incision. The dated alluvial sequence shows that a period of aggradation occurred in the very late Pleistocene (ca. 14,000-12,000 years ago). Alluvial deposits are absent for the period 12,000-3300 years ago. Whether this truly reflects no deposition or a series of aggradation and erosion cycles remains unresolved. Aggradation dominated between 3300 and 900 years ago, punctuated by a short incision event around 1300 years ago. Gully erosion contemporaneous with this incision phase is also recorded. Incision has dominated during the last 900 years, cutting down to bedrock. This incision, which is still ongoing, has not been a continuous process, but involved short periods of aggradation. The exposed bedrock and large boulders display numerous scour holes indicating that bedrock has been exposed and abraided for lengthy periods in the past. The aggradation and incision cycles in the late Holocene gave rise to three groups of terraces, today visible along the study reach. Possible causes for the different periods of erosion and deposition are discussed in the context of late Pleistocene and Holocene climate change, land use impacts, and intrinsic factors.

Multi-centennial fluctuations in the northern New South Wales (NSW) coastline alignment are interpreted from a detailed reconstruction of the morphological and depositional evolution of the Iluka to Woody Bay barrier during the late Holocene. The regional coastline is aligned obliquely to the south-east, inner-shelf, modal wave direction, and hence sediment is transported obliquely on the shoreface with a net northward movement. On centennial to millennial time scales, the coastline is shown to have responded to fluctuations in mean wave direction, longshore gradients in sand transport and headland sand bypassing processes. Overall, barrier progradation has been punctuated by episodes of shoreline recession and realignment throughout the late Holocene. A prolonged shoreline recessional phase occurred at ∼ 1500 yr BP in response to a rotation in modal wave direction from more southerly, towards east–south–easterly. Subsequent to this realignment, renewed shoreline progradation occurred along the east aspect coastline after ∼ 1400 yr BP whilst the north-east aspect, coastline remained in a receded alignment until after ∼ 1000 yr BP, when renewed progradation occurred. Progradation rates increased throughout the past millennium, driven by changes to the alongshore gradient in sand transport, under an implied shift to a more southerly and energetic modal wave climate. In the past 50 yrs, the north-east aspect shoreline has experienced a rapid recessional trend, which is associated with a shift in modal wave climate, to a more east–southeasterly direction, and a reduction in headland sand bypassing, The average sand supply rate to the Iluka to Woody Head section of the northern NSW shoreline is 4.1 m3/m/yr, since ∼ 3000 yr BP.

Since European settlement began 180 years ago, the sediment flux in the upper Murrumbidgee River, NSW, Australia, has changed as a result of grazing, historical climate variations, and dam closures. Of these, the introduction of grazing stock, which triggered widespread gully erosion, has had the largest effect, increasing the sediment flux by a factor of more than 150. In comparison, multi-decadal variations in rainfall cause less than a twofold increase in the sediment transport capacity of the river, and the effects of dam closures are significant only in some reaches. At the time of settlement, vegetated shallow valley floor depressions were common and many of the creeks, and streams consisted of deep pools linked by shallow vegetated zones. Much of the main channel of the river was cobble and gravel bedded. The sediment flux out of this 10 500 km 2 catchment prior to settlement is estimated to have been very low, ¾2400 t year � 1 . Degradation of the vegetated valley bottoms by introduced stock in the 1840s and 1850s triggered a massive phase of gully erosion. Over the next 40 to 50 years the erosion rates in the headwater areas increased by a factor of nearly 245, and ¾43 000 000 t of sediment was generated. We estimate that, during this period, gully erosion increased the sediment flux out of the catchment by a factor of about 200 to ¾480 000 t year � 1 . As the gully networks reached maximum extension, sediment yield from the headwater areas declined by a factor of ¾40 and are now estimated to be about six times the pre-European rates. Interestingly, sediment yield from the whole catchment declined only by a factor of two to ¾100 times the pre-European rates (250 000 t year � 1 ). We attribute this difference

A consensus has not been reached on the validity of “old” (pre‐Polynesian settlement) 14C ages for Pacific rat bones from New Zealand. As an independent test of their validity, we have applied optical dating techniques to fossiliferous sediments at three non‐archaeological sites in the North and South Islands. In this paper, we report the optical ages obtained from quartz grains and compare them with a suite of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C ages obtained from the bone gelatin of Pacific rats (Rattus exulans) and five species of bird (four herbivores and one omnivore). An AMS 14C age is also reported for one sample of moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) eggshell. All dated fossil remains were collected from known stratigraphic positions. Additional chronological control is provided by two known‐age volcanic tephras at the Hukanui sites in the North Island. At the South Island site (Earthquakes #1), an infilled burrow provides independent age control, in that fossils inside the burrow should yie...

Managing the impacts of erosion after forest harvesting requires knowledge of erosion sources; rates of sediment transport and storage; as well as losses from the system. We construct a tracer-based (137Cs) sediment budget to quantify these parameters. The budget shows significant redistribution, storage and transport of sediment between landscape elements and identifies the snig tracks and log landings as the major impact sites in the catchment. Annual sediment losses from them were estimated to be 25±11 and 101±15 t ha−1 year−1, respectively, however, it is probable that most of this is due to mechanical displacement of soil at the time of harvesting. The budget showed greatest net transport of material occurring from snig tracks; representing some 11±4% of the 137Cs budget. Of the latter amount, 18%, 28% and 43% was accounted for within the cross banks, filter strip and General Harvest Area (GHA), respectively. The 137Cs budget also showed the GHA to be a significant sediment trap. The filter strip played a fundamental role in the trapping of material generated from the snig tracks, the mass delivery to them from this source was calculated to be 1.7±0.6 kg m2 year−1. Careful management of these remains critical. Overall we could account for 97±10% of 137Cs. This retention suggests that (within errors) the overall runoff management system of dispersing flow (and sediment) from the highly compacted snig tracks, by cross banks, into the less compacted (and larger area) GHA and filter strips has effectively retained surface soil and sediment mobilised as a result of harvesting at this site.

Rivers can be affected by multiple natural and human-induced changes to sediment supply and to sediment transport capacity. Assessment of the relative importance of these changes enables appropriate river management. Here assessments are made of the relative changes in sediment supply and sediment transport capacity of an 83 km section of the bedrock-controlled Coxs River, New South Wales, Australia. These relative changes are estimated, in turn, for land degradation, historical climate variations, and dam closure. Measurements of gully erosion extent from aerial photographs indicate that since European settlement the average annual sediment supply to the river has increased by a factor of-20. Rainfall records and flow-gauging records show a climate shift in the mid- 1940s. On the basis of hydrologic modeling the increased streamflow in the period since the mid-1940s is estimated to have increased sediment transport capacity by a factor of almost 3. Closure of Lyell Dam in 1982 stopped sediment supply from the upper catchment. On the basis of hydrologic modeling the flow regulation and abstraction at the dam is estimated to have reduced the long-term average sediment transport capacity downstream by 15%. The current sediment transport capacity after the climate shift and dam closure is 2.6 times higher that in the first half of this century. In spite of this net increase in sediment transport capacity the huge volume of sediment delivered to the channel from gully erosion has led to widespread sand deposition along much of the river. Much of the river bed that was previously dominated by bedrock is now alluvial in character. Only the steepest reaches remain bedrock-dominated.

The Irangi Hills in Kondoa District, central Tanzania, are severely degraded by sheet, rill and gully erosion. Using recently developed optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating techniques, and a detailed study of the hillslope stratigraphy and soils, we have determined the sequence of events that gave rise to this highly degraded landscape. Two major colluvial deposits have been identified on the slopes. The oldest colluvium gave OSL deposition dates of 14,700±1600, 14,200±1500 and 11,400±1300 years ago. These dates coincide with the climatic change from dry to wet conditions, which took place during the Late Pleistocene. It is possible that the erosion and deposition of the old colluvium occurred as a response to this change. This phase of erosion and deposition was followed by a long phase of stability and pedogenetic alteration of the old colluvium. A phase of accelerated soil erosion began not later than 900 years ago, as indicated by a dated alluvial fan, the presence of which indicates that some deeper gullies already existed on upper pediment slopes at that time. The second, more recent colluvial deposit gave OSL dates of 460±40, 590±70 and 660±50 years. A major period of gully formation and incision, with subsequent fan development, occurred sometime between 600 and 300 years ago. The recent phase of erosion (

In 1991, one of Australia's longest rivers, the Darling–Barwon, experienced one of the world's largest recorded algal blooms. Nearly 1000 km of river were affected. At the time of the bloom phosphorus originating from anthropogenic sources was believed to be the principal cause. In this study we have used major element chemistry to examine the sources of sediment and sediment-associated phosphorus delivered to the Darling–Barwon River. We show that the sediments are derived primarily from the sedimentary and granitic bedrock areas of the catchment, not the intensively farmed basalt areas. We also show that the sediment currently in transport in the Darling–Barwon does not originate from contemporary upland erosion, but is probably derived from lowland areas of the catchment that contain more weathered material. Phosphorus concentrations in the sediments are consistent with those in natural soils of the region, and evidence from two sediment cores indicates that phosphorus concentrations have not changed significantly in the last 200 years. The implications of these findings for algal growth control strategies are discussed. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sediment that is transported fluvially is subject to the processes of sorting, abrasion and breakage. Each of these processes may affect the properties used to determine the origin of the sediment; so they should be evaluated in sediment tracer studies. As part of a study to determine the dominant sources of sediment in Tarago Reservoir, southeastern Victoria, Australia, the effects of disaggregation and grain abrasion on the distribution of 137 Cs with respect to particle size fractions were studied in soils derived from the three different rock types of the Tarago catchment. The main action of abrasion over short distances is aggregate breakage. In each soil, the material produced by abrasion had approximately the same 137 Cs concentration as the corresponding size fractions of unabraded soil. The 137 Cs is unlikely to be significantly affected by grain abrasion or disaggregation. These results improve the confidence with which 137 Cs can be used to trace the origin of sediment at other sites.

The authors present and test a new method for determining the original soil depth of suspended sediment through analysis of fallout radionuclide properties. They propose that combining the different depth distributions of fallout {sup 7}Be, {sup 210}Pb, and {sup 137}Cs in soils with one another provides reference curves that can be used as a framework for interpreting the tracer concentrations of sediments derived from them. If it is assumed that the soil depth sources of the sediment are from the surface and the subsurface, the tracer concentrations from these two sources can be used to calculate the actual soil depth(s) from which the sediment originated. The proportion of sediment from each depth can also be calculated. The authors tested this method by generating sediment from a hillslope with treatments simulating: (T1) surface erosion, (T2) shallow rills to 10 mm, (T3) deep rills to 100 mm, and (T4) small gullies to 250 mm. The tracer-based calculations of sediment source matched the known incision depths of these features. Material was predicted to be from 1 {+-} 2 mm and 4 {+-} 4 mm soil depth for T1 and T2 respectively. In T3, the material was predicted to be from 1.25 {+-} 0.5more » mm at the surface and >78 {+-} 6 mm depth from the deep rills. In T4, the sediment was predicted to be from 86 {+-} 6 mm from the small gullies. The subsoil contribution to sediments increased from {approx}50% (T3) to 75% (T4) as rill and dully depths and widths increased.« less

Sediment budgets typically require an estimate of the proportional yield from erosion sources to sediments in transport and storage. This becomes increasingly difficult as catchments become larger, and erosion, storage, and deposition processes become more complex. We demonstrate how fallout radionuclides can be used to estimate the proportional contributions to sediment load, from a tripartite classification of erosion sources in a large catchment (the mid-Murrumbidgee, 13,500 km2). The three major potential sources of sediment within this catchment are cultivated lands (∼22% of the surface area), uncultivated pastoral lands (∼78%), and the numerous channels and gullies found in this region. Concentrations of the fallout radionuclides 210Pbex and 137Cs in representative samples from each of these three sources are significantly different. Employing these values in a simple mixing model shows that the largest contribution of material is currently derived from subsoil channel/gully sources. Alterations to the suspended sediment 210Pbex signature by in situ labeling and decay are also considered. Applying the model with different concentrations of 210Pbex (decayed as a function of residence time in channels) suggests that the mean residence time of fine-grained material within this system is 10±5 years. However, differences in 137Cs concentrations observed between flood and low-flow sediments, and the presence of the short-lived, cosmogenic 7Be, suggest that residence time of some of this fine-grained material may be of the order of only weeks to months.