A study of the characteristics of floodplain sediment of the River Cocker following the flood event of November 2009

Abstract

This study aims to identify some of the characteristics of the overbank deposits onto a
floodplain in Rogerscale in Cockermouth, Cumbria following the flood event of
November 2009. In particular, the particle size distribution across the flood plain is
examined as well as the relationship between particle size and organic matter content
and the relationship between pH and organic matter content. The data this study is
based on came from two traverses across the floodplain that originated from the river
channel and extended 150m out into the floodplain. The findings of this study were
that with distance from the channel the proportions of particle sizes become
dominated by the finer fractions. However, the data did show an abundance of very
fine sand extending as far as 75m from the channel which is a strange anomaly as the
finer sediments had already settled out of suspension by this point. Of the relationship
between organic matter and particle size, there was a distinct correlation between the
abundance of organic matter in the finer fractions. The data did not reflect a
relationship between the pH of the sediment with the organic matter content.
However, the study reveals that with a more intense sampling method the data may
have yielded different results.