Suspended Sediment and Turbidity Relationships for Individual and Multiple Catchments

Abstract

The relationships between suspended sediment concentrations and turbidity were analysed at rising and falling stages, using individual and combined catchments. Results suggested a high correlation exists between suspended sediment concentration and turbidity for most of the field data. The least square fit of all the data suggested that the relationships obtained followed a power function in the form of Y = a(T)b. Consistent turbidity and suspended sediment concentration relationships found in this study imply that turbidity measurement could reasonably be used as a surrogate in estimating stream suspended sediment concentration of the study catchments and of those under similar conditions.