Sediment load and channel characteristics in subarctic upland catchments

Sediment load in low-order streams of the unglaciated Yukon-Tanana Uplands of central Alaska may be related to drainage basin characteristics and to stream channel morphology. This has been investigated by analysis of selected physical, hydrological, and water quality data for the 104-km super(2) Caribou-Poker Creek Research Watershed, located at 65 degrees 09'N, 147 degrees 30'W in a region of rolling-to-steep uplands and discontinuous permafrost. Channel morphology data are available for first-, second-, and third-order streams. The sediment load for selected points was determined over 45 weeks during the summers of 1978 and 1979. Consistent differences in sediment yield, hydrologic regime, and channel morphology have been determined between permafrost and nonpermafrost drainages.