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.