Sediment Transfer through the Fluvial System (Proceedings of a symposium held in Moscow, August 2004). IAHS Publ. 288, 2004, 37–43

Abstract This paper deals with the influence of debris flows on fluvial sediment transport in a drainage basin in the Northern Limestone Alps, Germany. A high magnitude rainstorm event in the year 2002 triggered several debris flows on slopes and in channels. Weekly quantification of the sediment transport in small channels in the study area Lahnenwiesgraben since the year 2000, show a drastic increase in sediment yield after the debris flow event due to extremely high sediment mobilization in the channel beds. The investigations show that erosion and deposition by debris flows also affect the long-term fluvial sediment budget. Debris flows change the state of the fluvial geomorphic system and induce prolonged high fluvial sediment transport. The composition of the transported sediment (organic content, granulometry) may also be modified. The interaction of geomorphic processes is an important issue in modelling sediment budgets and landform development.

Key words debris flow; fluvial erosion; Germany; Northern Limestone Alps; sediment budget; sediment cascades