Flocculated Silt, Not Clay, Dominates River Suspended Sediment Load
Abstract
Abstract River mud builds fertile floodplains, combats land loss due to sea level rise, and buries vast amounts of organic carbon. These processes rely on mud settling velocity, which is set by the grain size, mineralogy, and flocculation state of mud. Here we determined these factors using a suspended sediment data compilation from lowland rivers and new measurements from the Wax Lake Delta. Results show that rivers transport mostly silt‐sized grains (∼77% by mass). Although flocculation is classically associated with clay minerals, surprisingly most silt is flocculated (∼88%). Clay minerals dominate the clay size class (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
Fecal contamination and water quality
Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 2
- Publication date
- 17 January 2026
- Language
- EN