Suspended sediment load during floods in a small stream of the Dolomites (northeastern Italy)

Suspended sediment load was analyzed in a small, high-gradient stream of the Eastern Italian Alps which was instrumented to measure discharge and sediment transport. The ratio of suspended to total sediment yield and the relations between sediment concentration and water discharge were analyzed for seven floods which occurred from 1991 to 1996 in summer and autumn (from June to October). Different patterns of hysteresis in the relation between suspended sediment and discharge were related to types and locations of active sediment sources. The within-storm variation of particle size of suspended sediment during a major flood indicates a coarsening of transported material for increasing discharge. An analysis of grain size has shown that erosion areas on hillslopes were the main sources of suspended load.