LIPTON, Jeff D. - 2001

A Base Study of the Fluvial Geomorphology and Spatial Characteristics of Suspended Solid Concentrations in the Little Sackville River, Nova Scotia

The purpose of this research was to provide a base study of the fluvial geomorphology of the Little Sackville River by focusing on the characteristics of suspended solid concentrations within different reaches of the river in two different seasons.

Methods and data used were bank samples, cross-sections and water samples. Two different sampling methods were used for collecting water samples: a bottle sampling method and an automatic sampler. Precipitation and discharge data were also provided from Environment Canada to compare the relationship between discharge precipitation and suspended solid concentration.

It was found that suspended solid concentrations vary at reaches along the Little Sackville River and are dependent on grain size, channel morphology and accuracy of sampling method. Silt and sand were the main sources of sediment and percentages varied within each reach, which influenced the shape of the channel and suspended solid concentration recorded, showing a downstream relationship. The bottle sampling method proved to be less accurate due to the inconstancy of sampling days between sites, whereas the automatic sampler was more accurate in sampling time and showed a stronger relationship between discharge and the recorded suspended solid concentration.