Deposition and Resuspension of Sediments in Near Bank Water Zones of the River Elbe

Catchment processes, such as spatially and temporally distributed rainfall, influence quantity and quality of river runoffs and thus, the transport of particulate sediments and associated contaminants in a river network. During flood events resuspension of contaminated sediments impacts the water quality and thus, it is important to determine the erosion probability of such deposits. The research is focused on the River Elbe deposits in groyne fields and their sediment dynamics. High percentage of contaminated deposits in the groyne fields originate from the tributary Mulde, which discharges high concentrations of arsenic and lead into the Elbe [Kraft, 2007]. Various hydrological scenarios were investigated for a 112 km long river reach of the Middle Elbe to predict the spatial distribution of the particulate suspended sediments and associated contaminants. The scenario results gave the estimation of erosion probability and pointed out the importance of the Mulde as the main contributor to the groyne field deposition and their potential source of contamination.