The results of 10 years of daily observations of the flux of suspended matter in one of the main watercourses in the European Alps: The Isere at Grenoble (France)

Despite being only a medium-sized tributary of the Rhone, contributing on average 11% of the latterʹs annual flow, the Isere River nevertheless plays a major role in the Rhoneʹs flux of suspended matter (SM). However, the transit of suspended matter down the Isere has been little studied. Based on regular and continuous observations between January 1995 and December 2005, the aims of this study were to quantify the flux of the Isere at Grenoble, and to evaluate the monthly evolution of sedimentary transit since 1960. The mean annual flux over the last few decades is thus estimated at 1.76 Mt yr−1.