TY - JOUR A1 - Lobera, G. A1 - Batalla Villanueva, Ramon J. A1 - Vericat, D. A1 - López-Tarazón, José Andrés A1 - Tena, A. T1 - Sediment transport in two mediterranean regulated rivers JF - The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man N2 - Mediterranean climate is characterized by highly irregular rainfall patterns with marked differences between wet and dry seasons which lead to highly variable hydrological fluvial regimes. As a result, and in order to ensure water availability and reduce its temporal variability, a high number of large dams were built during the 20th century (more than 3500 located in Mediterranean rivers). Dams modify the flow regime but also interrupt the continuity of sediment transfer along the river network, thereby changing its functioning as an ecosystem. Within this context, the present paper aims to assess the suspended sediment loads and dynamics of two climatically contrasting Mediterranean regulated rivers (i.e. the Esera and Siurana) during a 2-yr period. Key findings indicate that floods were responsible for 92% of the total suspended sediment load in the River Siurana, while this percentage falls to 70% for the Esera, indicating the importance of baseflows on sediment transport in this river. This fact is related to the high sediment availability, with the Esera acting as a non-supply-limited catchment due to the high productivity of the sources (i.e. badlands). In contrast, the Siurana can be considered a supply-limited system due to its low geomorphic activity and reduced sediment availability, with suspended sediment concentration remaining low even for high magnitude flood events. Reservoirs in both rivers reduce sediment load up to 90%, although total runoff is only reduced in the case of the River Esera. A remarkable fact is the change of the hydrological character of the River Lem downstream for the dam, shifting from a humid mountainous river regime to a quasi-invariable pattern, whereas the Siurana experiences the opposite effect, changing from a flashy Mediterranean river to a more constant flow regime below the dam. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Suspended sediment transport KW - Sediment load KW - Flow regime KW - Barasona Reservoir KW - Siurana Reservoir KW - Ebro basin KW - Mediterranean Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.018 SN - 0048-9697 SN - 1879-1026 VL - 540 SP - 101 EP - 113 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - López-Tarazón, José Andrés A1 - Lopez, Pilar A1 - Lobera, Gemma A1 - Batalla Villanueva, Ramon J. T1 - Suspended sediment, carbon and nitrogen transport in a regulated Pyrenean river JF - The science of the total environment : an international journal for scientific research into the environment and its relationship with man N2 - Regulation alters the characteristics of riversty transforming parts of them into lakes, affecting their hydrology and also the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics and dynamics. Reservoirs have proven to be very effective retaining particulate materials, thereby avoiding the downstream transport of suspended sediment and the chemical substances associated with it (e.g. Carbon, C or Nitrogen, N). The study of fluvial transport of C and N is of great interest since river load represents a major link to the global C and N cycles. Moreover, reservoirs are the most important sinks for organic carbon among inland waters and have a potential significance as nitrogen sinks. In this respect, this paper investigates the effects of a Pyrenean reservoir on the runoff, suspended sediment, C and N derived from the highly active Esera and Isabena rivets. Key findings indicate that the reservoir causes a considerable impact on the Esera-Isabena river fluxes, reducing them dramatically as almost all the inputs are retained within the reservoir. Despite the very dry study year (2011-2012), it can be calculated that almost 300,000 t of suspended sediment were deposited into the Barasona Reservoir, from which more than 16,000 were C (i.e. 2200 t as organic C) and 222 t were N. These values may not be seen as remarkable in a wider global context but, assuming that around 30 hm(3) of sediment are currently stored in the reservoir, figures would increase up to ca. 2.6 x 10(6) t of C (i.e. 360,000 t of organic C) and 35,000 t of N. Nevertheless, these values are indicative and should be treated with caution as there is incomplete understanding of all the processes which affect C and N. Further investigation to establish a more complete picture of C and N yields and budgets by monitoring the different processes involved is essential. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Suspended sediment KW - Carbon KW - Nitrogen KW - Temporal dynamics KW - Barasona Reservoir KW - River Esera KW - Ebro basin Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.132 SN - 0048-9697 SN - 1879-1026 VL - 540 SP - 133 EP - 143 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -