Particle kinematics and sediment transport processes in mountain streams: the role of sediment supply and flow regimes

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Despite a large body of research on sediment transport, no agreement has been established on a governing equation appropriate to the estimation of bulk sediment movement in stream channels over time. In part, this is due to the irregularity of the granular beds acted upon by temporally and spatially variable fluid forces, bedsurface structures and armouring, and episodic sediment supply. Indeed, bed surface composition (texture and structure) and the sediment supply/storage regime both play important roles in controlling channel stability and regulating sediment transport in streams. Mountain streams are especially complex; stones form structures that exert significant influences on both the mobility of the bed sediment and the nature of the flow. In addition, these streams episodically receive large inputs of sediment from adjacent hillslopes, potentially dominating channel morphology and system dynamics. Although many studies have investigated the dynamics of lowland rivers with less variable sediment and flow regimes, little research has focused on mountain streams.