A Dynamic, Network Scale Sediment (Dis)Connectivity Model to Reconstruct Historical Sediment Transfer and River Reach Sediment Budgets

Modeling network-scale sediment (dis)connectivity and its response to anthropic pressures provides a baseline understanding of river processes and sediment dynamics that can be used to forecast future hydro-morphological changes in river basins. However, this requires a solid understanding of how a system is currently operating, and how it operated in the past. We present the basin-scale, dynamic sediment connectivity model D-CASCADE, which combines concepts of network modeling with empirical sediment transport formulas to quantify spatiotemporal sediment (dis)connectivity in river networks. D-CASCADE accounts for multiple factors affecting sediment transport, such as spatiotemporal variations in hydrological regime, different sediment grain sizes, sediment entrainment and deposition. Add-ons are included in D-CASCADE to model local changes in river geomorphology driven by sediment-induced variations in features such as channel width. We apply D-CASCADE to the well-documented Bega River catchment, NSW, Australia, where significant geomorphic changes to rivers have occurred post European colonization (after 1850s), including widespread channel erosion and sediment mobilization. The Bega catchment provides a useful case study to test D-CASCADE, as original source data on the historical sediment budget are available. By introducing historic drivers of change in the correct chronological sequence, the D-CASCADE model successfully reproduced the timing and magnitude of major phases of sediment transport and associated channel adjustments over the last two centuries. With this confidence, we then ran the model to test how well it performs at estimating future trajectories of basin-scale sediment transport and sediment budgets at the river reach scale.

Automated summary

This study presents the basin-scale, dynamic sediment connectivity model D-CASCADE, which successfully reproduces the major phases of sediment transport and associated channel adjustments over the last two centuries. The model is also tested for estimating future trajectories of basin-scale sediment transport and sediment budgets at the river reach scale.