Measurement of fluvial sediment transport compared with lacustrine sedimentation rates: The flow of the river jordan into lake kinneret

Standard measurements of fluvial sediment transport have been carried out over a 12 year period in the River Jordan, which is the main river flowing into Lake Kinneret. Suspended sediment has been sampled using a US D49 sampler and a smaller sampler of the same type. Concentrations reach maximum values of 1000 to 8000 mg 1⁻¹ on the rising stage of floods and the mean annual suspended sediment transport is 70 000 t or 44 t km⁻² year⁻¹. The annual sediment discharge values are consistent with the rates of lacustrine deposition determined by two independent methods involving firstly, the use of sediment traps to collect suspended matter settling to the bottom of the lake; and secondly, the interpretation of the ¹³⁷Cs profile in the upper layer of lake bottom sediments.