Abstract
Planning of soil conservation and erosion control schemes to minimize downstream effects requires information on the sources of sediment supply to a river system. A survey technique for providing an inventory of sediment sources has been developed in New Zealand; sediment sources are classified in terms of geomorphic type and degree of activity (severity). The technique is qualitative but is of value for both planning and research because it demands a formal, objective examination of the area under study. In the Harper-Avoca watershed the technique demonstrated that some well-established beliefs regarding the supply of sediment to the river systems might be erroneous; sediment supply appears to be controlled primarily by geomorphic and geologic factors, and human interference with the ecosystem probably has had a minor effect on rates of supply. The bulk of the sediment comes from large, natural features that are beyond present erosion-control technology, whereas those features that could be effectively treated supply a relatively small proportion of the river's total sediment load.
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Mosley, M.P. Mapping sediment sources in a New Zealand Mountain Watershed. Geo 3, 85–95 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02473475
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02473475