Anthropogenic sediment traps and network dislocation in a lowland UK river

Farm ponds, reservoirs and in‐stream weirs exist in most lowland UK river catchments and often dominate natural features such as lakes, wetlands, floodplains and debris dams. Artificial structures have served multiple purposes, including provision of power for historic flour milling and iron ore cru...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth surface processes and landforms 2022-01, Vol.47 (1), p.143-158
Main Authors: Foster, Ian D. L., Boardman, John, Evans, Jennine L., Copeland‐Phillips, Ruth, Vadher, Atish N., Wright, Seeseana, Collins, Adrian L., Manning, Christopher
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
absolute particle size
Anthropogenic factors
Canals
Catchment area
Catchments
connectivity
Farm ponds
Farms
Fish ponds
Fishponds
Floodplains
Fluvial sediments
Gravel
in‐stream weirs
Iron ores
Lakes
Organic matter
Particle size
Ponds
Reservoirs
River catchments
Rivers
Sediment
sediment management
Sediment traps
Sediments
Small farms
Soil
Structures
Weirs
Wetlands
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Summary:Farm ponds, reservoirs and in‐stream weirs exist in most lowland UK river catchments and often dominate natural features such as lakes, wetlands, floodplains and debris dams. Artificial structures have served multiple purposes, including provision of power for historic flour milling and iron ore crushing and provision of water for medieval fishponds, canals, crop irrigation and potable supply. Although unintentional, they can significantly affect longitudinal connectivity, including sediment delivery pathways, through river catchments. We report results from three spatially nested case studies that were undertaken in the Rother catchment, ranging in scale from small farm ponds of a few square metres in area, to larger in‐stream weirs and reservoirs (locally called ponds). Reservoirs typically trap sediment, decreasing sediment availability downstream, while inducing valley sediment accumulation upstream. We focus on the quantity and particle size characteristics of sediment trapped behind these structures compared to catchment soils and to sediments that are transported through, and deposited in, ‘natural’ gravel‐bed reaches. At all scales our results demonstrate that sediment trapping and release are particle size specific. Fine to coarse sands (125 μm to 2 mm diameter) and coarser sediments are retained behind structures at all scales, while silts and clays (
ISSN:0197-9337
1096-9837
DOI:10.1002/esp.5235