Predicting Sedimentgraphs for a Small Agricultural Catchment

Abstract

The key components of a sedimentgraph prediction procedure for small agricultural catchments are outlined in the paper. An instantaneous unit sedimentgraph (IUSG) based on the IUH and on a dimensionless sediment concentration distribution is developed, and used for transforming the sediment produced during a specified rainfall duration into a sedimentgraph. Rainfall-runoff-suspended sediment transport data from the River Dart basin, in Devon, UK, are used to evaluate several relationships for sediment yield estimation. The relationship between the lag time of the direct runoff hydrograph and the sedimentgraph is analysed, and the use of these lag times for estimating an IUSG (sediment routing) parameter is examined. The effectiveness of the proposed sedimentgraph prediction procedure is demonstrated by the successful regeneration of a measured sedimentgraph.