Physical and chemical properties of the sediment in natural and artificial river bars in the Elbe

Physical and chemical properties of natural river bars in the lower reaches of Elbe in the Czech Republic were studied and compared with those of artificial river bars. Most of the chemical properties of the sediment are not correlated with the texture of the sediment but are affected by the organic matter content. The highest content and most of the chemicals were recorded in the central parts of a bar and close to the shore and terrestrial habitats. Artificial bars significantly differ from natural ones in their chemical properties. There were higher levels of phosphorus and other nutrients in artificial bars.