Sediment (un)balance budget in a high-gradient stream on flysch bedrock: A case study using dendrogeomorphic methods and bedload transport simulation

•The study is focused on a 2010 flood in a high-gradient stream on flysch bedrock.•A dendrogeomorphic approach for estimating material supply from bank failures.•The simulation of material transport was realized using the TOMSED model.•A sediment unbalance budget was explored.•Channel incision can be expected after channel material depletion.

Detailed quantification of material supply into stream channels is crucial for determining sediment (un)balance budget during flood events. Unfortunately, existing quantification methods require long-term field monitoring; otherwise, there is an insufficient amount of usable data. In this study, we introduce a new approach, based on dendrogeomorphic methods, to determine the volume of material supply generated from flysch high-gradient stream bank failures. This approach was supplemented by 1D sediment transport modelling, using a TOMSED model.We analysed 138 cross-sections from the roots of predominantly broad-leaved trees, which were exposed in bank failures from different floods. Using the spatial position of the roots and dating the exposure time, we determined the volume of material supply into the channel during the last flood, in 2010. In-channel sediment transport was analysed on 14 cross-sections, and the channel sediment thickness was estimated using the geophysically based ERT (Electrical Resistivity Tomography) method.The total volume of material loss during the 2010 flood within the study area, according to the TOMSED model, was found to be at least 300 m3. This means that the calculated total volume of sediment supply resulting from bank failures during the flood (63.9 m3 based on dendrogeomorphic methods) was significantly lower than the calculated bedload transport for the entire study area. This finding implies that contemporary sediment sources cannot adequately cover the transport capacity during high-magnitude flood events, and in general, in-channel erosion processes prevail.