Abstract

A Worldwide Fluvial-Sediment Information Network is proposed as a means to address global information deficiencies in fluvial-sediment fluxes that limit capabilities for technically supportable flux management. The proposed network is predicated on the assumption that the acquisition, evaluation, dissemination, and application of fluvial-sediment information through technological means, principally the Internet, can be accomplished efficiently and cost-effectively. This vision for a global system to distribute actively collected and archived fluvial-sediment and selected ancillary data requires international cooperation, consistency, and quality assurance founded on at least six attributes: (1) use of consistent, reliable, and cost-effective methods for data collection and analysis, (2) protocols for the collection and reduction of sediment data, (3) electronic storage of data, (4) the use of basic and applied research to interpret the data, (5) active programs of sediment monitoring and research, and (6) an organizational structure responsible for network management. The proposed network is envisioned to complement the six key elements of the International Sediment Initiative.

Keywords: Fluvial sediment, data collection, database, protocols