To understand the operation of a contemporary geoecosystem in a young-glacial area, it is necessary not only to define the quality and amount of transported material, but also their variation in space and time. The variability of the fluvial load reflects the dynamics of the processes of soil leaching and erosion in the catchment.
Fluvial transport varies over the hydrological year.
This results mainly from the distribution and type of precipitation, because it is the factor controlling the amount of water flowing in the catchment, which in turn determines the quantity of material carried away from the catchment system. The daily concentrations of dissolved and suspended material are presented in Figs. 8.1.1 and 8.1.2, while their monthly characteristics are listed in Table 8.1.1. The daily pattern of dissolved material concentration recorded over the two years indicates four periods of its occurrence in specific intervals. The reason is the higher rainfall in the winter half-years, and hence more frequent supplying of the river channel with precipitation water.