Clogging of riverbed substrates by fine sediments

Fine sediment represents an important part of the solid flux of rivers. Due to the size of these particles, they are often transported as suspended load. They gradually fill the pores of the substrate forming the hyporheic zone or cover the substrate by settling, resulting in the clogging of the riverbed. Clogging of the major part of the riverbed affects the habitat of invertebrates and reduces the reproduction success of spawning fish. This threat has been reported by a substantial amount of research in the past decades. Human infrastructure (such as reservoirs and hydropower plants), combined with artificial riverbanks and an increased flux of fine sediment in some catchments, has deeply changed the dynamic of rivers. A large number of studies have focused on the impact of clogging on aquatic fauna. The process of deposition of fine sediment has also been the subject of many studies aimed at understanding the role of different parameters (for example, the role of vertical distribution of fine sediment on substrate clogging). The objective of this project is to answer what impact can different operating measures have on the clogging of river.