Abstract

Data collected between 2015 and 2022 was utilised to assess longitudinal connectivity and explain the temporal and spatial fluctuation of large wood (LW) along the Blanco River, which was severely affected by the 2008 eruption of the Chait´en Volcano in southern Chile. The study was performed along a ~ 10.6-km long segment, which was divided into two sub-segments (upper and lower). LW source areas were identified using information from previous research, complemented by the analysis of satellite images to cover the study period. LW fluctuation was studied for the period 2017–2022, using field data and images from an unmanned aerial vehicle along seven 80 m-long reaches located within the lower sub-segment of the river. Using the generated georeferenced orthomosaics and digital elevation models, LW and wood jams (WJs) locations, abundance, dimensions, volumes, and WJs stability were assessed, as well as wood deposition patterns. Streambank erosions and landslides were found to be the main LW sources. Considering wood sourcing, and the variations in the number of LW and WJs, in the dimensions of individual LW and WJs volume and deposition patterns as indicators, it was possible to infer the longitudinal connectivity conditions for the studied segment through time. The results showed that the upper and lower subsegments were poorly connected. However, changes in LW abundance over time, its dimensions and volumes, and the very low stability of WJs, and LW deposition patterns indicative of fluvial transport confirmed that the lower subsegment was longitudinally connected. The results also verified that the presence of LW did not affect water or sediment longitudinal connectivity along the fluvial system. The volume of individual LW and WJs showed a decreasing trend with time in all study reaches. As the bank erosions able to source LW to the channel are also reducing with time, pieces of wood deposited in the active channel may become the only way to sustain LW availability for the next few years. Things could change with the occurrence of an extreme and infrequent flood able to connect the upper and lower sub-segments and force the river to initiate a new phase of planform adjustments.