Sediments transported in suspension by rivers represent the largest flux of solid materials from the terrestrial to oceanic spheres. Due to high surface area and surface charge, fine suspended sediments are also the primary mode of transport for hydrophobic contaminants and heavy metals through aquatic systems. Suspended sediments also play critical roles in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, energy and nutrients, and in the evolution of fluvial and coastal landforms. An overabundance of suspended sediments carrying associated pollutants accounts for the most prevalent impairment of freshwater aquatic systems in the US. The fundamental roles played by suspended sediments in the natural environment and their deleterious impacts in human-altered settings highlight the importance of studying fluvial sediments from a flux-based perspective, whereby the processes governing sediment generation, character, and transport can be better defined and used to both further our understanding of natural systems and effectively inform sediment management.
Students: Nathan Jumps, Jimmy Guilinger, Brandon Fong
Funding: This work has been supported in part by UC ANR CIWR grant SA15-2997-CA364B, USDA NIFA Hatch project number CA-R-ENS-5120-H, USDA Multi-State Project W4188, and the UCR AES Mission Funding program.
Publications:
Gray AB. 2018. The impact of persistent dynamics on suspended sediment load estimation. Geomorphology 322: 132-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2018.09.001.
Gray AB, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Goñi MA, Hatten JA, Warrick JA. 2016. Conversion to drip irrigated agriculture may offset historic anthropogenic and wildfire contributions to sediment production. Science of the Total Environment 556: 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.0188.
Gray AB, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Warrick JA, Goñi MA. 2015. Effects of antecedent hydrologic conditions, time dependence, and climate cycles on the suspended sediment load of the Salinas River, California. Journal of Hydrology 525: 632-649. https://doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.04.025.
Gray AB, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Warrick JA, Goñi MA. 2015. The effect of El Niño Southern Oscillation cycles on the decadal scale suspended sediment behavior of a coastal dry-summer subtropical catchment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 40(2): 272-284. https://doi: 10.1002/esp.3627.
Gray AB, Warrick JA, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Goñi MA. 2014. Suspended sediment behavior in a coastal dry-summer subtropical catchment: Effects of hydrologic preconditions. Geomorphology 214: 485-501. https://doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.03.009.
Students: Nathan Jumps, Jimmy Guilinger, Brandon Fong
Funding: This work has been supported in part by UC ANR CIWR grant SA15-2997-CA364B, USDA NIFA Hatch project number CA-R-ENS-5120-H, USDA Multi-State Project W4188, and the UCR AES Mission Funding program.
Publications:
Gray AB. 2018. The impact of persistent dynamics on suspended sediment load estimation. Geomorphology 322: 132-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2018.09.001.
Gray AB, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Goñi MA, Hatten JA, Warrick JA. 2016. Conversion to drip irrigated agriculture may offset historic anthropogenic and wildfire contributions to sediment production. Science of the Total Environment 556: 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.0188.
Gray AB, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Warrick JA, Goñi MA. 2015. Effects of antecedent hydrologic conditions, time dependence, and climate cycles on the suspended sediment load of the Salinas River, California. Journal of Hydrology 525: 632-649. https://doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.04.025.
Gray AB, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Warrick JA, Goñi MA. 2015. The effect of El Niño Southern Oscillation cycles on the decadal scale suspended sediment behavior of a coastal dry-summer subtropical catchment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 40(2): 272-284. https://doi: 10.1002/esp.3627.
Gray AB, Warrick JA, Pasternack GB, Watson EB, Goñi MA. 2014. Suspended sediment behavior in a coastal dry-summer subtropical catchment: Effects of hydrologic preconditions. Geomorphology 214: 485-501. https://doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.03.009.