The assessment of fine sediment accumulation in rivers using macro-invertebrate community response

Chris A. Extence (7190708)
Richard P. Chadd (7190705)
J. England (7190363)
Michael J. Dunbar (6081894)
Paul Wood (1255125)
E.D. Taylor (7190102)

Publication date

January 2013

Abstract

Increased fine sediment deposition and entrainment in rivers can arise from a combination of factors including low flows, habitat modification and excessive sediment delivery from the catchment. Physical and visual methods have traditionally been used to quantify the volume of deposited fine sediment (<2mm in size), but here we propose an alternative, the development and utilization of a sediment-sensitive macro-invertebrate metric (PSI - Proportion of Sediment-sensitive Invertebrates) which provides a proxy to describe the extent to which the surface of river beds are composed of, or covered by, fine sediments. Where suitable biomonitoring data exists, the index can be calculated retrospectively to track trends in fine sediment deposition,...