Controls on the nutrient content of suspended sediment transported by British rivers

Recent studies of nutrient fluxes from river basins have emphasised the importance of sediment-associated transport. In order to develop an improved understanding of sediment-associated nutrient transport in UK rivers and of contrasts between individual rivers, attention has been directed to spatial and temporal variations in the nutrient (N and P) content of suspended sediment transported by four rivers, which embrace a representative range of British conditions. Bulk samples of suspended sediment were collected during storm events and these were analysed for both total N and P content and for individual fractions of these nutrients. Significant temporal and spatial variability in these various measures of the nutrient content of suspended sediment has been documented. Spatial variability has been linked to catchment characteristics, which in turn influence sediment sources. Patterns of temporal variability, which are reasonably consistent among the different rivers, have been related both to variations in other sediment properties and to hydrometeorological conditions.