Monsoon control of effective discharge, Yunnan and Tibet

Research Article| November 01, 2010 Monsoon control of effective discharge, Yunnan and Tibet Amanda C. Henck; Amanda C. Henck * 1Quaternary Research Center and Department of Earth and Space Sciences, 070 Johnson Hall, Box 351310, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA *E-mail: achenck@u.washington.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David R. Montgomery; David R. Montgomery 1Quaternary Research Center and Department of Earth and Space Sciences, 070 Johnson Hall, Box 351310, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Katharine W. Huntington; Katharine W. Huntington 1Quaternary Research Center and Department of Earth and Space Sciences, 070 Johnson Hall, Box 351310, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chuan Liang Chuan Liang 2School of Hydrology and Hydrologic Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2010) 38 (11): 975–978. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31444.1 Article history received: 04 Jun 2010 accepted: 09 Jun 2010 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Amanda C. Henck, David R. Montgomery, Katharine W. Huntington, Chuan Liang; Monsoon control of effective discharge, Yunnan and Tibet. Geology 2010;; 38 (11): 975–978. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31444.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Analysis of suspended sediment transport data for rivers in Yunnan and Tibet shows that monsoon flows control effective discharge. We calculate effective discharge, defined as the discharge that transports the most sediment, for 44 stations for which there is at least one complete year of daily suspended sediment concentration and mean daily discharge data, and find that the effective discharge is approximately the mean monsoon discharge for all stations. The correspondence of the effective discharges with the mean annual flow and monsoon discharge for all stations demonstrates that monsoon flow dominates suspended sediment transport in the region, rather than storm flow during discrete, short-duration storm events. In this region, the monsoon lasts for 4 months (June–September) and during that time transports 86% of the suspended sediment load. In contrast to the general observation from temperate environments that infrequent, stochastic storm events dominate sediment transport (with 90% of the suspended sediment transport occurring in 10% of the time), our findings show that the mean monsoon discharge dominates sediment transport in the rivers draining the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.