A Dendrogeomorphic Estimate of Shore Erosion, Upper St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec

Authors

  • Yves Begin
  • Dominique Langlais
  • Luc Cournoyer

Keywords:

Floods, dendrogeomorphology, woody population, shore erosion, sediment, water levels

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the distribution of uprooted trees and an estimate of sediment loss based on dendrogeomorphic evidence. The study was conducted on a recently eroded shore in the upper St. Lawrence estuary in Quebec. Trees showed a significant reaction to uprooting, making it possible to estimate sediment remobilization since they became established, in the upper shore. Degradation of shoreline forest occurred during extreme flood levels during the last 35 years and especially in the 1970s. Landward displacement of the shorel ine reached 3 to 4 m during extreme flood events, and sediment removal reached an average of 0.1 m 3/m2/ year during major flood years.

 

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Published

1991-07-06