It is common knowledge that erosion depends on environmental factors modified by human activity. Erosion within a catchment area can be defined by local lithological, morphometric, hydrological features, etc., and land cover, with spatial distribution described by means of remote sensing tools. The study relied on spatial data for the catchment of the Lower Vistula—the biggest river in Poland. GIS (SAGA, QGIS) tools were used to designate the spatial distribution of independent environmental variables that determined the process of erosion according to land cover types within the Lower Vistula catchment (Corine Land Cover). In addition, soil loss in the catchment area was calculated using the USLE model (Universal Soil Loss Equation). The spatial data was used to determine the predictive power of variables for the process of erosion by applying the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) commonly used in fields of science unrelated to fluvial hydrology. The results of the study pointed directly to environmental features strongly connected with the process of erosion, identifying areas susceptible to intensified erosion, and in addition positively verified by USLE. This testifies to the correct selection of the proposed method, which is a strong point of the presented study. The proposed interdisciplinary approach to predict erosion within the catchment area (MaxEnt), widely supported by GIS tools, will allow the identification of environmental pressures to support the decision-making process in erosion-prone areas.
Purpose
As documented by multiple studies, the construction of artificial reservoirs influences fluvial processes. The hydrographic barrier causes a water regime change, and the effects are evident in the accumulation of sediment in the reservoir as well as the intensification of the erosion process below the dam due to the lack of sediments for transport in the river. Moreover, the use of lateral canals on the reservoirs causes additional transformations of the river system, excluding the river part below the dam from the natural system of the catchment area. This research aimed to determine the impact of the creation and functioning of the Koronowo Reservoir dam on the Brda River and its lateral canal on the continuum of sediment transport, with particular emphasis on suspended sediment.
Methods
The research was based on analysing the available hydrological data and the measurements of suspended sediment concentration during the water flushing maintenance works into the Brda River channel. In addition, a set of morphometric indices obtained through dedicated terrain analysis were necessary to understand the area’s morphodynamics and sediment sources. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC), suspended sediment volume concentration (SVC), and Sauter mean diameter (SMD) data were measured by a LISST-25X, and spatial data were obtained through the System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA GIS) software.
Results and conclusion
The results were combined with the Connectivity Index evaluation as well as field surveys and made it possible to identify new sources of material supply to the Brda catchment below the dam, thus identifying a disturbance in the sediment transport continuum in the catchment area. Research is a critical element in sustainable sediment management in the catchment, using a controlled sediment flushing operation and identifying local new sources of sediment supply.
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