A study of suspended sediment transport dynamics was undertaken in the West
River at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut. Hydrometerological conditions and
sediment transport were measured over three seasons in order to characterize suspended
sediment transport and grain size characteristics in relation to catchment and channel
snowpack. Catchment snow water equivalence was measured at the beginning of the
season, and discharge, suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and grain size were
measured at high temporal resolution through the runoff period to evaluate diurnal-,
event- and seasonal-scale discharge-suspended sediment and grain size hysteresis. In
addition, two models of a time-integrated suspended sediment trap, modified from Philips
et al. (2000), were deployed in both streams to assess the representativeness of the
captured sediment.
The West stream discharge was dominated by the snowmelt peak in all three
seasons. From 54-96% of suspended sediment was transported during this short period,
although hysteresis relationships indicate that delivery of sediment and water were not
synchronous and interannual relationships suggest disproportionate increases in sediment
discharge with increased catchment snowpack. Clockwise and counter-clockwise
suspended sediment hysteresis relationships were apparent and associated with lesser and
greater snowpack, respectively. Additionally, grain size hysteresis suggested variable
sediment sources during the season.
Assessment of the time-integrated suspended sediment trap in the East and West
streams illustrated that the captured material was not representative of the ambient stream
conditions. Captured mass was typically two orders of magnitude less than expected
iii
capture rates (<1%) and that the captured sediment was significantly coarser than the
ambient stream suspended sediment load.
Investigations of suspended sediment transfer in this small, High Arctic
catchment reveal that sediment transport increased with increased catchment snowpack,
but delivery of water and sediment were not synchronous during the nival discharge
event suggesting changing sediment accessibility during the season. An attempt to
collect a time-integrated suspended sediment sample that would incorporate variability in
the character and magnitude of sediment delivery provided an unrepresentative sample,
but results indicate that a detailed examination of hydraulic relationships between the trap
and ambient conditions could ultimately lead to the development of a more representative
trap. / Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-16 10:03:25.925
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OKQ.1974/720 |
| Date | 27 September 2007 |
| Creators | McDonald, Dana Marie |
| Contributors | Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.). Theses (Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)) |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 2151503 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner. |
| Relation | Canadian theses |
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