Bedload transport fluctuations, flow conditions, and disequilibrium ratio at the Swiss Erlenbach stream: results from 27 years of high-resolution temporal measurements

Abstract

Abstract. Based on measurements with the Swiss plate geophone system with a 1 min temporal resolution, bedload transport fluctuations were analysed as a function of the flow and transport conditions in the Swiss Erlenbach stream. The study confirms a finding from an earlier event-based analysis of the same bedload transport data, which showed that the disequilibrium ratio of measured to calculated transport rate (disequilibrium condition) influences the sediment transport behaviour. To analyse the transport conditions, the following elements were examined to characterise bedload transport fluctuations: (i) the autocorrelation coefficient of bedload transport rates as a function of lag time (memory effect), (ii) the critical discharge at the start and end of a transport event, (iii) the variability in the bedload transport rates, and (iv) a hysteresis index as a measure of the strength of bedload transport during the rising and falling limb of the hydrograph. This study underlines that above-average disequilibrium conditions, which are associated with a larger sediment availability on the streambed, generally have a stronger effect on subsequent transport conditions than below-average disequilibrium conditions, which are associated with comparatively less sediment availability on the streambed. The findings highlight the important roles of the sediment availability on the streambed, the disequilibrium ratio, and the hydraulic forcing in view of a better understanding of the bedload transport fluctuations in a steep mountain stream.