3.5 Estimation of sediment fluxes and sediment yields
Water discharge values were interpolated using a linear equation between
the two closest sampling dates to obtain the daily sediment load for
days without measurements. Due to interannual variation in SSC dynamics,
rating curves derived using data from the falling and rising stages of
the respective hydrological years were used to calculate the daily
sediment load. The sediment load (SL; tons/day) was calculated using the
following formula:
SL = Q×SSC
where Q is the water discharge (in m3/s) and SSC is
the suspended sediment concentration (in mg/L). The monthly sediment
load was derived by summing estimated daily sediment load for the
respective month.
Sediment yield is defined as the amount of sediment per unit area
removed from a watershed for a specific period of time. The sediment
yield of a drainage basin, measured in tonnes/km2 per
annum, is the resultant effects of erosion, transportation and
deposition occurring in the basin, and reflects the sediment delivery
ratio within. Here, the sediment yield was calculated by dividing the
annual sediment load by the size of Ming Yong catchment area.