Premium
A field method for the concurrent measurement of fine sediment content and embryo survival in artificial salmonid redds
Author(s) -
Levasseur Mylène,
Bérubé Francis,
Bergeron Normand E.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.1344
Subject(s) - infiltration (hvac) , sediment , sediment transport , geology , cube (algebra) , underwater , substrate (aquarium) , geotechnical engineering , hydrology (agriculture) , environmental science , materials science , geomorphology , oceanography , composite material , geometry , mathematics
Abstract The infiltration cube method presented in this paper allows concurrent field measurement of fine sediment content and embryo survival in an incubating environment reproducing, as closely as possible, the morphology and grain size composition of a natural salmonid redd. An infiltration cube is made up of a rectangular (30 cm square and 20 cm high) steel frame with no walls, which has a folded plastic bag attached to its base. Each infiltration cube is buried in the substrate using a procedure aimed at reproducing, as closely as possible, the construction and morpho‐sedimentological structure of a natural salmonid redd. Using a tripod installed on the river bed or at the surface of the ice, the infiltration cube method provides a quick, easy and robust way to pull relatively large samples (approximately 65 kg) out of underwater substrate even during tough winter field conditions. The absence of walls on the cube also precludes bias in infiltration rates by both allowing lateral sediment transport within substrate and preventing loss of fine particles during retrieval from underwater. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.