Indirect estimation of flow and suspended sediment concentration and load in small mountain streams: An exploratory
Keywords:
Mountain streams, streamflow, dilution gauging, suspended sediments, water turbidity, MadeiraAbstract
The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of indirect techniques for streamflow and suspended
sediment concentration estimation and their use in the calculation of suspended sediment transport rate in the small
mountain watersheds of Madeira Island, Portugal. Emphasis was given to the application of salt dilution gauging
to the indirect determination of the flow rate and the use of water turbidity data to estimate the concentration of
suspended sediments. The field and laboratory work carried out are briefly described, and the main experimental
results and the field data from the short measurement campaign performed in the Ribeira Seca stream in Faial, on
the north side of the island, are presented and discussed. Whilst the measurement campaign carried out was
temporally and spatially limited, it was pioneering for Madeira and allowed to verify the applicability of the
indirect hydrometric and sedimentometric techniques used in this exploratory study.
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