Sediment fluxes and sinks for Magela Creek, Northern Territory, Australia
Wayne D. Erskine A B C E , M. J. Saynor A , J. M. Boyden A and K. G. Evans A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist, GPO Box 461, Darwin, NT 0801, Australia.
B Present address: School of Environmental and Life Sciences, The University of Newcastle, PO Box 127, Ourimbah, NSW 2258, Australia.
C Present address: Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, School for the Environment and Life Sciences, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia.
D Present address: Water Engineering and Mining Technology Group, School of Engineering and Information Technology, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia.
E Corresponding author: Email: wde059@gmail.com
Marine and Freshwater Research 69(7) 1018-1025 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF16107
Submitted: 1 April 2016 Accepted: 13 February 2017 Published: 17 February 2017
Abstract
Sediment fluxes and sinks based on total sediment load for Magela Creek in the Australian wet–dry tropics have been constructed from detailed measurements of stream suspended sediment (turbidity and suspended sand) and bed load for the 10-year period, 2001–2002 to 2010–2011. This work shows that the sediment trap efficiency of the vegetated wetlands on lower Magela is high at ~89.5%. Sediment fluxes are the lowest in the world because of low soil erosion rates and because upstream floodplains and downstream wetlands trap and store sediment. Bedload yields are less than suspended sediment yields, but the amount of silt and clay is much less than the amount of sand (suspended sand and bedload). All sand is stored upstream of the East Alligator River. Downstream connectivity of sediment movement does not occur. Therefore, sediment moves discontinuously from the upper to the lower catchment.
Additional keywords: bedload, sediment discontinuities, sediment-trap efficiency of wetlands, suspended sand, suspended sediment, turbidity.
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