Due to a lack of data on settling velocities (w s ) and grain size distributions (GSDs) in floodplain environments, sedimentation models often use calibrated rather than measured parameters. Since the characteristics of suspended matter differ from those of deposited sediment, it is impossible to derive the w s and GSD from the latter. Therefore, one needs to measure in situ suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs), settling velocities, effective grain sizes and sedimentation fluxes. For this purpose we used the LISST-ST, a laser particle sizer combined with a settling tube.In 2002 The in situ grain size exhibited a significant positive relationship with w s , although the w s for the largest flocs showed high variability. Consequently, the variability in sedimentation fluxes was also large. In the actual sedimentation fluxes, and hence in sedimentation models, in situ grain sizes up to about 20 µ µ µ µ µm can be neglected. In floodplain sedimentation models the relation between settling velocity and in situ grain size can be used instead of Stokes's law, which is only valid for dispersed grain sizes. These models should also use adequate data on flow conditions as input, since these strongly influence the suspended sediment characteristics.

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