Management responses to pulses of bedload sediment in rivers

Abstract

Rivers can experience sudden pulses of sediment, from human and natural erosion processes, that can accumulate in the bed. Abundant studies have examined the sources and dynamics of sediment pulses, and problems caused by these pulses, particularly flooding, avulsions, and habitat simplification. Much less has been written about what managers can do about sediment pulses, and that is the purpose of this review. The first option for managers is to do nothing, and this decision can be informed by many case studies and by theory on the propagation and character of sediment pulses (their diffusion, translation, and celerity). Doing nothing should be informed by the secondary effects of sediment ..