sedimentbron

Sedimentbron, or sediment source, is the origin of sediment entering a water body or landscape, such as a river, lake, estuary, or coast. It includes processes and materials that generate and supply particulate matter—sand, silt, and clay—from upstream or surrounding areas. Primary sources are weathering of bedrock and soils in a catchment, soil erosion by rainfall and runoff, riverbank erosion, landslides, and, in arid regions, wind-blown dust and coastal erosion.

In hydrology and geomorphology, sediment sources are central to a sediment budget, which tracks input, storage, and export of sediment. Identifying sources—provenance—helps explain changes in river morphology, reservoir sedimentation, and coastal dynamics. Sediment provenance studies use grain-size distribution, mineralogy, and geochemical or isotopic fingerprints to apportion sediment to different sources.

Common methods include sediment fingerprinting, radionuclide tracers such as lead-210 and cesium-137, and rare-earth element patterns, often combined with mixing models. Uncertainties arise from mixing, reworking, and temporal variability in source contributions.

Human activities influence sediment sources. Deforestation, agricultural practices, and urban development increase erosion and sediment yield; dams trap sediment, reducing downstream supply and potentially raising erosion upstream. Climate change and wildfires can alter source areas and transport pathways, changing the character and amount of material reaching a given system.

Management aims to reduce unwanted sedimentation and protect ecosystems by erosion control, reforestation, riparian buffers, terracing, and watershed planning that integrates land use and hydrology.