Assessment of plot-scale sediment transport on young moraines in the Swiss Alps using a fluorescent sand tracer

Abstract

Glacial retreat uncovers large bodies of unconsolidated sediment that are prone to erosion. However, our knowledge of overland flow (OF) generation and sediment transport on moraines that have recently become ice-free is still limited. To investigate how the surface characteristics of young moraines affect OF and sediment transport, we installed five bounded runoff plots on two moraines of different ages in a proglacial area of the Swiss Alps. On each plot we conducted three sprinkling experiments to determine OF characteristics (i.e., total OF and peak OF flow rate) and measured sediment transport (turbidity, sediment concentrations, and total sediment yield). To determine and visualize where sediment transport takes place, we used a fluorescent sand tracer with an afterglow as well as ultraviolet (UV) and light-emitting diode (LED) lamps and a high-resolution camera. The results highlight the ability of this field setup to detect sand movement, even for individual fluorescent sand particles (300–500 µm grain size), and to distinguish between the two main mechanisms of sediment transport: OF-driven erosion and splash erosion. The higher rock cover on the younger moraine resulted in longer sediment transport distances and a higher sediment yield. In contrast, the higher vegetation cover on the older moraine promoted infiltration and reduced the length of the sediment transport pathways. Thus, this study demonstrates the potential of the use of fluorescent sand with an afterglow to determine sediment transport pathways as well as the fact that these observations can help to improve our understanding of OF and sediment transport processes on complex natural hillslopes.