Analysis of Sediment Movement Mechanisms in Watersheds Characterized by Anthropogenic Impacts

Abstract

Sediment movement dynamics were investigated on the basis of sediment analyses sampled on the watersheds and the downdrift coasts of the Mimigawa River, the Niyodo River and the Ohkohzu Channel, in which significant anthropogenic activities have been introduced in the last centuries. Sand and gravels were sampled on more than 150 locations along the rivers and coasts. Spatial and temporal changes in sediment movement were described from the sediment retention rates in reservoirs, roundness of gravels as well as the distributions of mineral and luminescence properties of sand particles.