Fluvial sediment in the environment: a national challenge

摘要: Sediment and sediment-associated constituents can contribute substantially to water-quality impairment. In the past, sediment was viewed mainly as an engineering problem that affected reservoir storage capacity, shipping channel maintenance, bridge scour, well loss of agricultural soil. is now recognized a major cause aquatic system degradation in many rivers streams result light attenuation, spawning substrate due fine-grained infilling, reduction primary productivity, decreases biotic diversity, effects from chemical constituents. Recent advances measurement, assessment, source-identification, analytical protocols provide new capabilities quantify solid-phase fluxes systems. Developing, maintaining, augmenting current sedimentand water-quality-monitoring networks essential for determining health U.S. waterways evaluating effectiveness management actions reducing sediment-related problems. The application scientific address adverse sedimentassociated represents step managing Nation’s water quality. A robust Federal, national-scale effort, collaboration with vested stakeholders, needed these issues across United States.