Relation of suspended-sediment concentration to channel scour and fill

It is known that during the passage of a flood the channel of an alluvial stream scours and fills with considerable rapidity. Though such changes may be random, it seems more likely that there is a definite pattern of channel change directly related both to discharge and to the sediment load provided to the river by the drainage basin.

In a study by the authors [1] an analysis was made of concurrent values of suspended sediment load and width, mean depth, mean velocity, and discharge at a number of gaging stations. From the data analyzed it appeared that fairly definite relations exist between these variables.