ABSTRACT
Suspended sediment is the material carried in suspension by the turbulent components of a fluid or by Brownian motion. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified suspended sediment and constituents that sorb to sediments, including metals and pathogens, as major impairments of rivers and streams in the U.S.A.[1] Considering that the annual physical, chemical, and biological damages attributed to fluvial sediment in North America alone total about $20 billion,[2] the need for accurate fluvial-sediment data has never been greater. These data need to be reliable, comparable, cost-effective, and spatially and temporally consistent to accurately quantify the sedimentary content of surface waters.
