Denudation and mountain rivers alluvium at the Georgian coast of the Black Sea

Abstract

The mechanism of mountain rivers solid discharge formation and the significance of individual external factors are analyzed on the basis of data obtained by long-term stationary observations at the Black Sea coast in western Georgia. The rivers' bed load supply into the coastal zone is controlled by the erosion intensity in the drainage basin and depends considerably on cyclic fluctuations of precipitations at the area under study. A forecast of the alluvium supply into the coastal zone may be derived from the erosion characteristics within the drainage basins at the Black Sea coast.