Recent research has suggested that given the problems associated with
more conventional methods of estimating the bed load transport rate in
dynamic rivers, measurement of the transfer of bed material, as
indicated by changes in river channel form, may be an appropriate
alternative. Thus far, this methodology has been successfully employed
to estimate medium-term bed load transport rates at the reach scale.
This paper illustrates the potential of such a technique and extends it
further through application to the within-reach scale and estimation of
spatially distributed patterns of bed load transport. It uses a data
collection technique that allows the rapid field acquisition of digital
terrain models of river channel form. Intercomparison of digital
terrain models from separate lime periods allows calculation of both
the total volumes and the distributed volumes of erosion and
deposition. The total volumes can be combined with upstream information
on sediment supply to assess the contribution of a particular reach to
the total bed load transport rate. The distributed information can be
combined with a likely direction of movement of material in transport
to estimate the distributed pattern of the time-averaged bed load
transport rate. Both of these approaches show a good correspondence
with observed patterns of the bed load transport rate.