How bar generate sediment transport pulses in gravel-bed channels

We ran flume experiments with constant water dis- charge and sediment feed rate at the inlet. Experi- ments were conducted over long times (typically 600 h). The bars migrated downstream intermittently, producing the most important pulses. When the bar position was stable for a few hours, additional pulses resulted from sediment transfer from pool to pool, in the form of sediment waves (bedload sheets).