Sedimentinput

Sediment input is the transfer of solid material from the land into water bodies, including rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal seas. It encompasses both suspended sediments carried in flow and bedload that moves along the bed. Sediment input is a central component of sediment transport and basin evolution, influencing channel morphology, reservoir capacity, and aquatic ecosystems.

Sources and drivers include natural processes such as weathering, soil erosion, riverbank erosion, landslides, glacial melt, and coastal cliff retreat, which contribute sediments. Human activities—deforestation, agriculture, urbanization, mining, and dam construction—can alter sediment supply by increasing erosion or trapping material upstream, leading to changes in downstream sediment dynamics.

Pathways and measurement involve sediments reaching waterways through runoff, sheet erosion, rill erosion, bank retreat, and mass movements, as well as atmospheric delivery of dust. Sediments are partitioned into suspended load and bedload. Field and remote sensing methods measure suspended sediment concentration, turbidity, sediment yield, and changes in sediment budgets, enabling assessments of transport rates and storage.

Impacts and management address ecological and engineering outcomes. Sediment input can support habitats and delta formation but excessive input may degrade water quality, smother benthic communities, reduce channel capacity, and lower reservoir storage. Management approaches include soil and vegetation conservation, erosion controls, riparian buffers, sustainable land-use practices, and engineered sediment routing or dredging. Monitoring and modeling of sediment budgets help balance supply with ecological needs, water quality, and infrastructure requirements.