Questions in the quantitative analysis of sediment load - example of three major rivers in Hungary

Abstract

The importance of the monitoring of sediment processes is unquestionable: sediment balance of regulated rivers suffered substantial alterations in the past century, affecting navigation, energy production, fish habitats and ecosystems alike. The changes in flood characteristics and rating curves of our rivers are being researched and described, involving state-of-the-art measurement methods, modeling tools and traditional statistics. Sediment processes however, are much less known. Sediment-related research is scarce, which is partly due to the outdated methodology and poor database background in the specific field. Regular sediment sampling was developed in the first half of the 20th century, with different station density and monitoring frequencies in different countries. Sampling frequency of suspended load is 3 to 7 per year in Hungary, and even lower for the bed-load, not only on the Danube river but also on large tributaries like the Drava and the Tisza rivers. Data related to sediment quantity are unreliable and often contradictory. It is difficult to produce high quality long-term databases that could enable the calibration of sediment transport models. It is a challenge to compare measurements on international rivers. The authors give an overview of sediment sampling methods, an inventory of the available datasets and data management in Hungary on the rivers Danube, Drava and Tisza, based on field data.