Determining contemporary and historical sediment sources in a large drainage basin impacted by cumulative effects: the regulated Nechako River, British Columbia, Canada

Purpose Sediment dynamics in most large river basins are influenced by a variety of different natural and anthropogenic pressures, and disentangling these cumulative effects remains a challenge. This study determined the contemporary and historical sources of fine-grained (< 63-μm) sediment in a large, regulated river basin and linked changes in sources to activities in the basin. The river has seen declines in chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, and the endangered Nechako white sturgeon populations, and sediment (both fine-grained and sands) transport and deposition have been identified as potential causes of these declines.