Long term high frequency sediment observatory in an alpine catchment
(Arc-Isère Rivers, French Alps)
Abstract
The present dataset is related to the Arc-Isère long-term environmental
research part of the Rhône Basin Long Term Environmental Research
Observatory. This alpine watershed located in the French Alps is
characterized by high Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) in very
anthropogenized valleys. Suspended Sediment Concentrations (SSC)
naturally observed in the river are very high, ranging from a few tens
of milligrams per litre at low flow to tens of grams per litre during
major natural hydrological events (floods, debris flows) or river dam
hydraulic flushes. One research objective related to this site aims at
better understanding the SSC dynamics along the river using a system of
nested watersheds (Arvan, Arc, and Isère) in order to access to both
temporal and spatial dynamics. Studies using this dataset are on the
quantification of fine sediment fluxes but also on the related
morphological changes due to fine sediment deposition or resuspension.
Additionally, the observatory database can support studies on
contaminants (either dissolved or particulate contaminant). Six hydro
sedimentary stations monitor SSC with high frequency via turbidity
sensors associated to automatic samplers. Discharge is measured via
classical water level measurements and a rating curve. The oldest
station (Grenoble-campus) started recording data from 2006 while others
hydro-sedimentary stations were built from 2009 to 2011. Data are
available in an online data website called “Base de Données des
Observatoires en Hydrologie” (Hydrological observatory database,
https://bdoh.irstea.fr/ARC-ISERE/) with DOI references for each site.
The hydrological and sediment transport time series are stored, managed
and made available to a wide community in order to be used at their full
extent. This database is used as a data exchange tool for both
scientists and operational end-users and as an online tool to compute
integrated fluxes.