Total sediment in a sample of water. There are three categories of sediment: suspended load, dissolved load, and bed load.
The natural inorganic soil materials composed of suspended load and bed load transported by a stream. The suspended load is composed of fine sediment transported in suspension while the bed load is composed of relatively coarse material transported along or near the bottom (bed) of the stream.
the quantity of sediment passing a stream reach in the course of a year.
The total volume of sediment carried by a stream.
The amount of fragmental rock material carried in suspension in a stream as clay, silt, sand, or coarser material. Darker colored, muddier water in streams after heavy rains shows the increase in sediment load.
The amount of sediment (sand, silt, and fine particles) carried by a stream or river.
The non-water portion of streamflow, consisting of dissolved materials, suspended silt, sand, etc. and larger objects (e.g. cobble and boulders) intermittently move along the streambed.