Cross-channel patterns of bed material transport in a poorly sorted sand-bed channel

Understanding of sediment transport comes largely from studies conducted on well-sorted sand-bed and poorly sorted gravel-bed channels. The aim of this study is to evaluate cross-channel patterns of transport rate and grain size in a poorly sorted sand-bed channel. Transport observations were collected from the San Antonio River using a Helley-Smith sampler during flows from 0.02 to 1.1 times bankfull capacity. Resulting transport rates and grain size distributions were pooled to describe eight sections across a channel transect that includes the lower bank and compared to local boundary material. Maximum transport rates are concentrated in the central zone of the streambed regardless of flow level, but gravels and coarse sands are conveyed preferentially on one side of the bed. Grain size distributions change relatively little with flow and approximate the local bed material supply. The size distributions associated with smaller transport rates near the channel margin become finer and more closely approximate the size characteristics of bank material at higher flows. Results extend patterns of differential routing of grain sizes to channel banks and establish the relative fluxes between the bed and bank environments. The small gravel content in poorly sorted sand beds requires further attention because it can contribute to cross-channel variation in sediment fluxes, limit the development of sandy bedforms, and influence the quality of streambed habitat.