Temporal trends in fluvial-sediment discharge in Ohio, 1950-1987

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with state, local, and other federal agencies, has been collecting fluvial-sediment data for Ohio streams since April 1950. The amount of data collected, period of data collection, and purpose of the networks have varied over the years. Long-term fluvial-sediment records of annual suspended-sediment-discharge data are available for eight daily suspended-sediment stations operated in Ohio. Graphical and statistical analyses of long-term sediment records indicate that, in general, no long-term (>3- to 5-year) trends are readily apparent in the relation between annual mean suspended-sediment discharge and water discharge in Ohio; however, some short-term, year-to-year changes in that relation occur for Ohio streams. Double-mass curves for five daily suspended-sediment stations and seasonal Kendall analysis of data from eight daily suspended-sediment stations clearly illustrate the lack of any discernible changes in the suspended-sediment-discharge/water-discharge relation or in suspended-sediment concentration for most Ohio streams over the past 36 years.