Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The steady growth of cities along with the urbanization process has caused major changes in the natural environment, being part of the problem is a result of lack of knowledge of the dynamics that natural processes have. In the city of Santa Maria the population density and expansion process of the urban area were responsible for several modifications, among which we can cite the replacement of vegetation with pavements, changes in the form of relief, pollution of water resources and the various changes in drainage channels. Thus, studies of sediment loads in urban rivers are absolutely necessary to generate knowledge and appropriate technology development to minimize impacts to the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships, the spatial and temporal behavior of hydrosedimentological processes in the watershed of the stream Cadena - Santa Maria / RS. The study area is the portion of the watershed of the stream with Cadena flow in Irmã Dulce section and two basins built this. Flow measurements and collecting suspended sediments in three locations along the canal for a spatial analysis of the data were performed. Temporal analysis were considered in the data obtained from Walter Jobim section that had one limnigraf. Sought to identify the main variables related to rain and the flow that control the transport of suspended sediment in the events in the basin. Pearson's coefficient was used to make this check, followed by an attempt to indicate a statistical model. The Cadena stream showed a high content of organic matter present in the samples reaching a value of 88% of the total suspended load. In eight of the twelve events monitored the concentration of organic matter was higher in the most downstream section, indicating an increase along the channel. Rainfall is less influential in the regime of flows when it is lower than your average (137mm), suggesting that in this situation the contributions coming from the urban drainage and sewer systems begin to exert greater influence under the regime of flow. During the study period the stream Cadena no tendency to erosion or deposition of sediment. It was observed that in the months from September to November there is a significant increase in sediment yield in the basin, a phenomenon that is part of the intra-annual climate variability in the region. The variables related to flow and rainfall events analyzed showed a good correlation with the concentration of suspended sediment measured (Cssmeasured). The simple regression model between Qmax and Cssmeasured showed a coefficient of determination (R ²) of 0.78, suggesting that the maximum flow is a good indicator of the transport of suspended sediment in the basin study. / O constante crescimento das cidades junto com o processo de urbanização tem ocasionado grandes alterações no meio natural, sendo que parcela do problema é resultado da falta de conhecimento da dinâmica que os processos naturais possuem. Na cidade de Santa Maria o processo de adensamento populacional e expansão da área urbana foram responsáveis por diversas modificações, entre as quais se pode citar a substituição da vegetação por pavimentações, alterações na forma do relevo, poluição dos recursos hídricos e as mais diversas alterações nos canais de drenagem. Desse modo, estudos de quantidade de sedimentos em rios urbanos são absolutamente necessários para se gerar conhecimento e desenvolvimento tecnológico adequado para a minimização dos impactos causados ao ambiente. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar as relações, o comportamento espacial e temporal dos processos hidrossedimentológicos na bacia hidrográfica do arroio Cadena Santa Maria/RS. A área de estudo do trabalho é a porção da bacia hidrográfica do arroio Cadena com exutório na seção Irmã Dulce e em duas bacias embutidas a essa. Foram realizadas medições de vazão e coleta de sedimentos em suspensão em três locais ao longo do canal para uma análise espacial dos dados. Na análise temporal foram considerados os dados obtidos na seção Walter Jobim que contava com um linígrafo. Buscou-se identificar as principais variáveis relacionadas à chuva e a vazão que controlam o transporte de sedimentos em suspensão nos eventos na bacia. Foi utilizado o coeficiente de Pearson para fazer essa verificação, seguido de uma tentativa de indicar um modelo estatístico. O arroio Cadena apresentou um alto teor de matéria orgânica presente nas amostras chegando até o valor de 88% do total da carga suspensa. Em oito dos doze eventos monitorados a concentração de matéria orgânica foi maior na seção mais a jusante, indicando um acréscimo ao longo do canal. A precipitação é menos influente no regime das vazões quando ela é inferior que sua média (137mm), sugerindo que nessa situação as contribuições oriundas da drenagem e sistemas de esgoto urbanos passam a exercer uma maior influência sob o regime das vazões. No período de estudo o arroio Cadena não apresentou tendência à erosão e nem a deposição do sedimento. Foi observado que nos meses de setembro a novembro há um significativo aumento na produção de sedimentos na bacia, fenômeno esse que faz parte da variabilidade intra-anual climática da região. As variáveis relacionadas à vazão e a precipitação dos eventos analisados apresentaram uma boa correlação com a concentração de sedimentos em suspensão medida (Cssmedida). O modelo de regressão simples entre a Qmáx e a Cssmedida apresentou um coeficiente de determinação (R²) de 0,78, sugerindo que a vazão máxima é uma boa indicadora do transporte de sedimentos em suspensão na bacia de estudo.

L'évolution des caractéristiques des particules en suspension au cours de leur transfert au sein des bassins versants est encore mal connue. Ceci limite actuellement notre aptitude à prédire correctement l'érosion ou les flux de matières en suspension (MES) et rend difficile la proposition de pratiques de gestion adaptées aux réglementations en vigueur. A partir d'expériences en milieu contrôlé, nous avons montré que les particules de sols ont tendance à se désagréger en milieu turbulent. Il semble de plus qu'une augmentation de la concentration en suspension accélère cette désagrégation et conduise à des particules plus fines. Même si l'évolution des particules à l'échelle horaire semble rester de second ordre derrière les caractéristiques des sols sources, il est indispensable de pouvoir vérifier si les particules en suspension se comportent de la même manière en conditions naturelles où des interactions complexes entre processus peuvent avoir lieu. Cependant l'absence de méthode de mesure permettant le suivi des propriétés de transport des sédiments en écoulements très concentrés (de 1 plusieurs centaines de grammes par litre) dans les bassins élémentaires limite notre capacité à hiérarchiser les processus à considérer pour modéliser le transfert sédimentaire ou améliorer la gestion opérationnelle des sédiments. Afin de répondre à ce besoin instrumental, nous avons développé un Système de Caractérisation des Agrégats et des Flocs (SCAF). Cet instrument est conçu pour être incorporé dans les stations de suivi hydro-sédimentaire. La mesure est réalisée immédiatement après prélèvement d'un échantillon de la suspension à caractériser par une série de capteurs optiques qui suivent l'évolution de l'absorbance optique durant la sédimentation de l'échantillon. Nous proposons une méthode de traitement des données optiques donnant accès à la distribution des vitesses de chute de la suspension ainsi qu'à un indice de floculation qui renseigne sur la capacité des MES à floculer durant leur sédimentation. Les distributions de vitesses de chute mesurées sont validées sur une large gamme de matériaux et de régimes de sédimentation, afin de couvrir la variabilité des types de matériaux et des concentrations observées en milieu naturel. Pour des sédiments non cohésifs ou floculant peu durant leur sédimentation les mesures du SCAF s'ajustent sur celles issues des autres méthodes. Pour les suspensions qui floculent durant leur sédimentation, la plupart des méthodes de mesure classiques conduisent à des vitesses de chute non représentatives de la suspension. Nous avons montré que les variations des propriétés optiques des matières en suspension lors de leur floculation impactent nos mesures. La méthode proposée permet cependant de quantifier l'augmentation des vitesses de chute avec la floculation, et d'encadrer l'incertitude des mesures. Pour les mesures à forte concentration (>10 g/l), un front d'entravement peut se former durant la sédimentation, le SCAF mesurant alors précisément les vitesses de chute du front. La mesure des distributions des vitesses de chute et de la cohésion des particules en suspension peut permettre d'identifier différentes populations de particules formant une suspension (grains de sables, flocs, matières fines...). Le suivi de telles informations au sein de bassins versants ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour aborder la connectivité sédimentaire et s'orienter vers une gestion optimale des flux de MES. / Little is known about the processes that govern the evolution of suspended particle characteristics during their transport through a river basin. This is a main limitation for modelling erosion severity or suspended solids (SS) fluxes. It also leads to difficulties to propose management policies adapted to environmental legislation. Based on experiments in controlled environments, we have shown that soil particles tend to disaggregate in turbulent flows. The increase in SS concentration was associated to an increase of the disaggregation of SS particles, leading to smaller final particle sizes. Laboratory experiments also showed that the variability of the particle sizes due to their evolution over one hour was smaller than the variability due to the soil type from which the particles originated. However it is important to ensure that the suspended particles behave in the same way in natural conditions, where complex interactions between hydraulic, chemical and biological processes can influence their evolution. Up to now no measurement method allows measuring continuously the suspended sediment properties in highly concentrated fluids (from one to hundreds grams per liter), such as those observed in headwater catchments during runoff events. This severely limits the possibility to identify the processes that are important to consider in numerical models. The Aggregate and Floc Characterization System (SCAF) has been developed in order to measure SS properties for a wide range of SS concentrations. It was designed to be easily incorporated into sequential samplers. Immediately after the collection of a sample from the river, the sedimentation of the suspension is recorded by continuous measurements of the absorbance by a series of optical sensors. A method was proposed to processes the raw optical data in order to obtain the settling velocity distribution of the suspension. It also provides a flocculation index representing the tendency of the particles to flocculate during their sedimentation. The calculated settling velocity distributions were validated on a large range of materials and settling regimes in order to cover the natural variability of suspended sediments. For sediments that hardly flocculate during their sedimentation or are non-cohesive, the measurements of the SCAF were similar to those from other methods. In the case of suspensions that strongly flocculate during sedimentation, most of the classical methods give non-representative falling velocities. In this case, the optical property of the particles may vary during settling, affecting the optical measurement. The proposed method allowed quantifying the increase of settling velocity induced by flocculation, and provided confidence intervals for the settling velocities. For high SS concentrations ( > 10 g/l), a settling front can be formed during the sedimentation, which is well characterized by the SCAF. The measurement of the settling velocity distributions and of the flocculation index can be used to identify different particle populations (sand grains, flocs, individual particles) forming a suspension. Monitoring these properties in watersheds offers new insights to explore sediment connectivity within river basins and to optimize water management strategies.

Ce travail s'inscrit dans le cadre des problématiques liées à l'étude des grands fleuves du globe, et notamment à celle des fleuves tropicaux unimodaux. En se basant sur un suivi des flux hydriques, particulaire et dissous transportés par le fleuve Niger au Mali de 1991 à 1998, cette étude a permis de différencier les processus mis en jeu sur les deux zones du bassin versant étudié, le bassin amont du fleuve Niger et son delta intérieur, vaste plaine d'inondation. <br />L'étude des apports hydriques du bassin amont a ainsi montré que la période d'étude était contrastée, représentative des fluctuations hydrologiques de ces 25 dernières années déficitaires. L'étude des flux de matières en suspension exportés vers le delta intérieur du Niger a permis de mettre en évidence la variabilité temporelle et spatiale des concentrations en MES et de proposer une modélisation simple des processus mis en jeu. L'étude de la chimie des eaux du Niger amont (éléments majeurs et traces) a montré que les cours d'eau étudiés sont très peu minéralisés et que la charge solide est essentiellement inorganique. A l'échelle globale, la faiblesse de la lame écoulée, la lithologie (roches silicatées) et la faiblesse du relief sont les principaux facteurs expliquant les faibles taux de transport particulaire et dissous observés. L'essentiel des résultats ont confirmé la faiblesse actuelle de la pollution chimique de ce grand fleuve africain au Mali.<br />L'étude des bilans hydriques, particulaires et dissous entre les entrées et les sorties du delta intérieur du Niger ont confirmé le rôle important que joue cette zone sur le bilan hydrique (les pertes en eaux représentent de 30 à 45% des entrées) et dans la capture de quantités de matières particulaires et dissoutes importantes, qui sont ainsi soustraites aux apports aux océans, tout du moins de manière temporaire. Les pertes de matières particulaires s'élèvent de 26 à 54 % des entrées, celles de matières dissoutes à environ 30% des entrées. L'ensemble de ces pertes est lié plus ou moins directement à l'extension spatio-temporelle de l'inondation (évapotranspiration, dépôts). Celle-ci règle l'intensité de nombreux processus complexes qui se produisent dans le delta. Ce travail a également confirmé les fonctionnements hydrochimiques très différents entre sa partie amont, proprement deltaïque, et sa partie aval, caractérisée par des zones inondées plus réduites et une morphologie différente. Ces différences de fonctionnement sont exacerbées pour les crue de forte hydraulicité.