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Abstract: This study aimed to analyze the role river floods play in triggering gravity flows and to investigate the role of submarine canyon systems as a conduit for terrigenous material to the deep sea. Two years of measurements in the Var canyon at depths ranging from 1200 m to 2350 m indicate that six floods of the Var River triggered hyperpycnal flows, an important mechanism for transporting particulate matter to the deep-sea floor. These sediment gravity flows were characterized by a sudden increase of current velocity that lasted 8 to 22 h and by downward particle fluxes that reached up to 600 g m−2 d−1 of particles and 3.1 g m−2 d−1 in terms of organic carbon. These large inputs of sediment and organic carbon may have a significant impact on deep-sea ecosystems and carbon storage in the Mediterranean Sea. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]