Comparison of hydraulic geometry between sand‐ and gravel‐bed rivers in relation to channel pattern discrimination

A comparison has been made between the hydraulic geometry of sand‐ and gravel‐bed rivers, based on data from alluvial rivers around the world. The results indicate a signi?cant difference in hydraulic geometry among sand‐ and gravel‐bed rivers with different channel patterns. On this basis, some diagrams for discrimination of meandering and braided channel patterns have been established. The relationships between channel width and water discharge, between channel depth and water discharge, between width–depth ratio and water discharge and between channel slope and water discharge can all be used for channel pattern discrimination. The relationship between channel width and channel depth can also be used for channel pattern discrimination. However, the accuracy of these relationships for channel pattern discrimination varies, and the depth–discharge relationship is a better discriminator of pattern type than the classic slope–discharge function. The cause for this difference has been explained qualitatively. To predict the development of channel patterns under different natural conditions, the pattern discriminator should be searched on the basis of independent or at least semi‐independent variables. The relationship between stream power and bed material grain size can be used to discriminate channel patterns, which shows a better result than the discriminator using the slope–discharge relationship. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adjustment of self-formed bankfull channel geometry of meandering rivers: modelling study

We consider the evolution of the hydraulic geometry of sand-bed meandering rivers. We study the difference between the timescale of longitudinal river profile adjustment and that of channel width and depth adjustment. We also study the effect of hydrological regime alteration on the evolution of bankfull channel geometry. To achieve this, a previously developed model for the spatiotemporal co-evolution of bankfull channel characteristics, including bankfull discharge, bankfull width, bankfull depth and down-channel bed slope, is used. In our modelling framework, flow variability is considered in terms of a specified flow duration curve. Taking advantage of this unique feature, we identify the flow range responsible for long-term bankfull channel change within the specified flow duration curve. That is, the relative importance of extremely high short-duration flows compared to moderately high longer duration flows is examined. The Minnesota River, MN, USA, an actively meandering sand-bed stream, is selected for a case study. The longitudinal profile of the study reach has been in adjustment toward equilibrium since the end of the last glaciation, while its bankfull cross-section is rapidly widening due to hydrological regime change in the last several decades. We use the model to demonstrate that the timescale for longitudinal channel profile adjustment is much greater than the timescale for cross-sectional profile adjustment due to a lateral channel shift. We also show that hydrological regime shift is responsible for the recent rapid widening of the Minnesota River. Our analysis suggests that increases in the 5–25% exceedance flows play a more significant role in recent bankfull channel enlargement of the Minnesota River than increase in either the 0.1% exceedance flow or the 90% exceedance flow. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of bedload transport characteristics of Idaho streams and rivers

Field data are essential in evaluating the adequacy of predictive equations for sediment transport. Each dataset based on the sediment transport rates and other relevant information gives an increased understanding and improved quantification of different factors influencing the sediment transport regime in the specific environment. Data collected for 33 sites on 31 mountain streams and rivers in Central Idaho have enabled the analysis of sediment transport characteristics in streams and rivers with different geological, topographic, morphological, hydrological, hydraulic, and sedimentological characteristics. All of these streams and rivers have armored, poorly sorted bed material with the median particle size of surface layer coarser than the subsurface layer. The fact that the largest particles in the bedload samples did not exceed the median particle size of the bed surface material indicates that the armor layer is stable for the observed flow discharges (generally bankfull or less, and in some cases two times higher than bankfull discharge). The bedload transport is size‐selective. The transport rates are generally low, since sediment supply is less than the ability of flow to move the sediment for one range of flow discharges, or, the hydraulic ability of the stream is insufficient for entrainment of the coarse bed material. Detailed analyses of bedload transport rates, bedload and bed material characteristics were performed for each site. The obtained results and conclusions are used to identify different influences on bedload transport rates in analyzed gravel‐bed rivers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relation between flow,surface‐layer armoring and sediment transport in gravel‐bed rivers

This study investigates trends in bed surface and substrate grain sizes in relation to reach‐scale hydraulics using data from more than 100 gravel‐bed stream reaches in Colorado and Utah. Collocated measurements of surface and substrate sediment, bankfull channel geometry and channel slope are used to examine relations between reach‐average shear stress and bed sediment grain size. Slopes at the study sites range from 0·0003 to 0·07; bankfull depths range from 0·2 to 5 m and bankfull widths range from 2 to 200 m. The data show that there is much less variation in the median grain size of the substrate, D_50s, than there is in the median grain size of the surface, D₅₀; the ratio of D₅₀ to D_50s thus decreases from about four in headwater reaches with high shear stress to less than two in downstream reaches with low shear stress. Similar trends are observed in an independent data set obtained from measurements in gravel‐bed streams in Idaho. A conceptual quantitative model is developed on the basis of these observations to track differences in bed load transport through an idealized stream system. The results of the transport model suggest that downstream trends in total bed load flux may vary appreciably, depending on the assumed relation between surface and substrate grain sizes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

River channel and bar patterns explained and predicted by an empirical and a physics‐based method

Our objective is to understand general causes of different river channel patterns. In this paper we compare an empirical stream power‐based classification and a physics‐based bar pattern predictor. We present a careful selection of data from the literature that contains rivers with discharge and median bed particle size ranging over several orders of magnitude with various channel patterns and bar types, but no obvious eroding or aggrading tendency. Empirically a continuum is found for increasing specific stream power, here calculated with pattern‐independent variables: mean annual flood, valley gradient and channel width predicted with a hydraulic geometry relation. ‘Thresholds’, above which certain patterns emerge, were identified as a function of bed sediment size. Bar theory predicts nature and presence of bars and bar mode, here converted to active braiding index (B_i). The most important variables are actual width–depth ratio and nonlinearity of bed sediment transport. Results agree reasonably well with data. Empirical predictions are somewhat better than bar theory predictions, because the bank strength is indirectly included in the empirical prediction. In combination, empirical and theoretical prediction provide partial explanations for bar and channel patterns. Increasing potential‐specific stream power implies more energy to erode banks and indeed correlates to channels with high width–depth ratio. Bar theory predicts that such rivers develop more bars across the width (higher B_i). At the transition from meandering to braiding, weakly braided rivers and meandering rivers with chutes are found. Rivers with extremely low stream power and width–depth ratios hardly develop bars or dynamic meandering and may be straight or sinuous or, in case of disequilibrium sediment feed, anastomosing. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The variability in the morphological active width: Results from physical models of gravel‐bed braided rivers

The morphological active width, defined as the lateral extent of bed material displacement over time, is a fundamental parameter in multi‐threaded gravel‐bed rivers, linking complex channel dynamics to bedload transport. Here, results are presented from five constant discharge experiments, and three event hydrographs, covering a range of flow strengths and channel configurations for which morphological change, bedload transport rates, and stream power were measured in a physical model. Changes in channel morphology were determined via differencing of photogrammetrically‐derived digital elevation models (DEMs) of the model surface generated at regular intervals over the course of ~115 h of experimental runs. Independent measures of total bedload output were made using downstream sediment baskets. Results indicate that the morphological active width increases with total and dimensionless stream power and is strongly and positively correlated with bulk change (total volume of bed material displaced over time) and active braiding intensity (ABI). Although there is considerable scatter due to the inherent variability in braided river morphodynamics, the active width is positively correlated with independent measurements of bedload transport rate. Active width, bulk change, and bedload transport rates were all negligible below a dimensionless stream power threshold value of ~ 0.09, above which all increase with flow strength. Therefore, the active width could be used as a general predictor of bulk change and bedload transport rates, which in turn could be approximated from total and dimensionless stream power or ABI in gravel‐bed braided rivers. Furthermore, results highlight the importance of the active width, rather than the morphological active depth, in predicting volumes of change and bedload transport rates. The results contribute to the larger goals of better understanding braided river morphodynamics, creating large high‐resolution datasets of channel change for model calibration and validation, and developing morphological methods for predicting bedload transport rates in braiding river systems. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Network‐scale dynamics of grain‐size sorting: implications for downstream fining,stream‐profile concavity,and drainage basin morphology

We explore the link between channel‐bed texture and river basin concavity in equilibrium catchments using a numerical landscape evolution model. Theory from homogeneous sediment transport predicts that river basin concavity directly increases with bed sediment size. If the effective grain size on a river bed governs its concavity, then natural phenomena such as grain‐size sorting and channel armouring should be linked to concavity. We examine this hypothesis by allowing the bed sediment texture to evolve in a transport‐limited regime using a two grain‐size mixture of sand and gravel. Downstream ?ning through selective particle erosion is produced in equilibrium. As the channel‐bed texture adjusts downstream so does the local slope. Our model predicts that it is not the texture of the original sediment mixture that governs basin concavity. Rather, concavity is linked to the texture of the sorted surface layer. Two different textural regimes are produced in the experiments: a transitional regime where the mobility of sand and gravel changes with channel‐bed texture, and a sand‐dominated region where the mobility of sand and gravel is constant. The concavity of these regions varies depending on the median gravel‐ or sand‐grain size, erosion rate, and precipitation rate. The results highlight the importance of adjustments in both surface texture and slope in natural rivers in response to changes in ?uvial and sediment inputs throughout a drainage network. This adjustment can only be captured numerically using multiple grain sizes or empirical downstream ?ning rules. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of vegetation in the retention of fine sediment and associated metal contaminants in London's rivers

Many urban rivers receive significant inputs of metal‐contaminated sediments from their catchments. Restoration of urban rivers often creates increased slack water areas and in‐channel vegetation growth where these metal‐contaminated sediments may accumulate. Quantifying the accumulation and retention of these sediments by in‐channel vegetation in urban rivers is of importance in terms of the planning and management of urban river restoration schemes and compliance with the Water Framework Directive. This paper investigates sediment properties at four sites across three rivers within Greater London to assess the degree to which contaminated sediments are being retained. Within paired restored and unrestored reaches at each site, four different bed sediment patch types (exposed unvegetated gravel, sand, and silt/clay (termed ‘fine’) sediments, and in‐channel vegetated sediments) were sampled and analysed for a range of metals and sediment characteristics. Many samples were found to exceed Environment Agency guidelines for copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) and Dutch Intervention Values for Cu and Zn. At all sites, sediments accumulating around in‐channel vegetation were similar in calibre and composition to exposed unvegetated fine sediments. Both bed sediment types contained high concentrations of pseudo‐total and acetic acid extractable metal concentrations, potentially due to elevated organic matter and silt/clay content, as these are important sorbtion phases for metals. This implies that the changed sediment supply and hydraulic conditions associated with river restoration may lead to enhanced retention of contaminated fine sediments, particularly around emergent plants, frequently leading to the development of submerged and emergent landforms and potential river channel adjustments. High pseudo‐total metal concentrations were also found in gravel bed sediments, probably associated with iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) oxyhydroxides and discrete anthropogenic metal‐rich particles. These results highlight the importance of understanding the potential effects of urban river restoration upon sediment availability and channel hydraulics and consequent impacts upon sediment contaminant dynamics and storage. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reach‐scale channel geometry of a mountain river

Mountain rivers can be subject to strong constraints imposed by changes in gradient and grain size supplied by processes such as glaciation and rockfall. Nonetheless, adjustments in the channel geometry and hydraulics of mountain rivers at the reach scale can produce discernible patterns analogous to those in fully alluvial rivers. Mountain rivers can differ in that imposed reach‐scale gradient is an especially important control on reach‐scale channel characteristics, as indicated by examination of North St Vrain Creek in Colorado. North St Vrain Creek drains 250 km² of the Rocky Mountains. We used 25 study reaches within the basin to examine controls on reach‐scale channel geometry. Variables measured included channel geometry, large woody debris, grain size, and mean velocity. Drainage area at the study reaches ranged from 2·2 to 245 km², and gradient from 0·013 to 0·147 m m^?1. We examined correlations among (1) potential reach‐scale response variables describing channel bankfull dimension and shape, hydraulics, bedform wavelength and amplitude, grain size, ?ow resistance, standard deviation of hydraulic radius, and volume of large woody debris, and (2) potential control variables that change progressively downstream (drainage area, discharge) or that are likely to re?ect a reach‐speci?c control (bed gradient). We tested the hypothesis that response variables correlate most strongly with local bed gradient because of the segmented nature of mountain channels. Results from simple linear regression analyses indicate that most response variables correlate best with gradient, although channel width and width/depth ratio correlate best with discharge. Multiple regression analyses using Mallow's C_p selection criterion and log‐transformation of all variables produced similar results in that most response variables correlate strongly with gradient. These results suggest that the hypothesis is partially supported: channel bed gradient is likely to be a good predictor for many reach‐scale response variables along mountain rivers, but discharge is also an important predictor for some response variables. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hierarchically nested river landform sequences. Part 2: Bankfull channel morphodynamics governed by valley nesting structure

River corridors exhibit landforms nested within landforms repeatedly down spatial scales. In Pasternack et al. ( 2018 ), a new, scale‐independent, hierarchical river classification was developed that uses five landform types to map the domains of a single fluvial process – flow convergence routing – at each of three–five spatial scales. Given those methods, this study investigated the details of how flow convergence routing organizes nested landform sequences. The method involved analyzing landform abundance, sequencing, and hierarchical nesting along the 35 km gravel/cobble lower Yuba River in California. Independent testing of flow convergence routing found that hydraulic patterns at every flow matched the essential predictions from classification, substantiating the process–morphology link. River width and bed elevation sequences exhibit large, nonrandom, and linked oscillations structured to preferentially yield wide bars and constricted pools at base flow and bankfull flow. At a flow of 8.44 times bankfull, there is still an abundance of wide bar and constricted pool landforms, but larger topographic drivers also yield an abundance of nozzle and oversized landforms. The nested structure of flow convergence routing landforms reveals that base flow and bankfull landforms are nested together within specific floodprone valley landform types, and these landform types control channel morphodynamics during moderate to large floods. As a result, this study calls into question the prevailing theory that the bankfull channel of a gravel/cobble river is controlled by in‐channel, bankfull, and/or small flood flows. Such flows may initiate sediment transport, but they are too small to control landform organization in a gravel/cobble river with topographic complexity. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Active width of gravel‐bed braided rivers

Previous analyses have identified the active width of braided rivers, the bed area over which bed load flux and short‐term morphological change occurs, as an important element of braiding dynamics and predictions of bed load flux. Here we compare theoretical predictions of active width in gravel‐bed braided rivers with observations from Sunwapta River, and from a generic physical model of gravel braided rivers, to provide general observations of the variation in active width, and to develop an understanding of the causes of variation. Bed topography was surveyed daily along a 150 m reach of the pro‐glacial Sunwapta River for a total of four weeks during summer when flow was above threshold for morphological activity. In the laboratory, detailed digital elevation models (DEMs) were derived from photogrammetric survey at regular intervals during a constant discharge run. From the field and flume observations there is considerable local and circumstantial variation in active width, but also a general trend in average active width with increasing discharge. There is also a clear relationship of active width with active braiding index (number of active branches in the braided channel network), and with dimensionless stream power, which appears to be consistent across the range of data from field and physical models. Thus there is a link between active width and the river morphology and dynamics, and the possibility of a general relationship for estimating active width from channel pattern properties or reach‐scale stream power values, from which approximate bedload flux calculations may be made. The analysis also raises questions about differences between hydraulically‐based numerical model computations of instantaneous active width and observation of time‐integrated morphological active width. Understanding these differences can give insight into the nature of bedload transport in braided rivers and the relationship to morphological processes of braiding. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel geometry of mountain streams in New Zealand

A dataset of 21 study reaches in the Porter and Kowai rivers (eastern side of the South Island), and 13 study reaches in Camp Creek and adjacent catchments (western side of the South Island) was used to examine downstream hydraulic geometry of mountain streams in New Zealand. Streams in the eastern and western regions both exhibit well-developed downstream hydraulic geometry, as indicated by strong correlations between channel top width, bankfull depth, mean velocity, and bankfull discharge. Exponents for the hydraulic geometry relations are similar to average values for rivers worldwide. Factors such as colluvial sediment input to the channels, colluvial processes along the channels, tectonic uplift, and discontinuous bedrock exposure along the channels might be expected to complicate adjustment of channel geometry to downstream increases in discharge. The presence of well-developed downstream hydraulic geometry relations despite these complicating factors is interpreted to indicate that the ratio of hydraulic driving forces to substrate resisting forces is sufficiently large to permit channel adjustment to relatively frequent discharges.     

Variation in hydraulic geometry for stable versus incised streams in the Yazoo River basin-USA

The effects of basin hydrology on hydraulic geometry of channels variability for incised streams were investigated using available field data sets and models of watershed hydrology and channel hydraulics for the Yazoo River basin,USA.The study presents the hydraulic geometry relations of bankfull discharge,channel width,mean depth,cross-sectional area,longitudinal slope,unit stream power,and mean velocity at bankfull discharge as a function of drainage area using simple linear regression.The hydraulic geometry relations were developed for 61 streams,20 of them are classified as channel evolution model(CEM) Types Ⅳ and Ⅴ and 41 of them are CEM streams Types Ⅱ and Ⅲ.These relationships are invaluable to hydraulic and water resources engineers,hydrologists,and geomorphologists involved in stream restoration and protection.These relations can be used to assist in field identification of bankfull stage and stream dimension in un-gauged watersheds as well as estimation of the comparative stability of a stream channel.A set of hydraulic geometry relations are presented in this study,these empirical relations describe physical correlations for stable and incised channels.Cross-sectional area,which combines the effects of channel width and mean channel depth,was found to be highly responsive to changes in drainage area and bankfull discharge.Analyses of cross-sectional area,channel width,mean channel depth,and mean velocity in conjunction with changes in drainage area and bankfull discharge indicated that the channel width is much more responsive to changes in both drainage area and bankfull discharge than are mean channel depth or mean velocity.     

A coupled sediment routing and lateral migration model for gravel‐bed rivers

We describe additions made to a multi‐size sediment routing model enabling it to simulate width adjustment simultaneously alongside bed aggradation/incision and fining/coarsening. The model is intended for use in single thread gravel‐bed rivers over annual to decadal timescales and for reach lengths of 1–10 km. It uses a split‐channel approach with separate calculations of flow and sediment transport in the left and right sides of the channel. Bank erosion is treated as a function of excess shear stress with bank accretion occurring when shear stress falls below a second, low, threshold. A curvature function redistributes shear stress to either side of the channel. We illustrate the model through applications to a 5·6‐km reach of the upper River Wharfe in northern England. The sediment routing component with default parameter values gives excellent agreement with field data on downstream fining and down‐reach reduction in bedload flux, and the width‐adjustment components with approximate calibration to match maximum observed rates of bank shifting give plausible patterns of local change. The approach may be useful for exploring interactions between sediment delivery, river management and channel change in upland settings. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Processes and mechanisms of dynamic channel adjustment to delta progradation: the case of the mouth channel of the Yellow River,China

This paper analyses the processes and mechanisms of a three‐stage channel adjustment over a cycle of the Yellow River mouth channel extension based on data comprising hydrologic measurements and channel geometric surveys. Rapid siltation in the mouth channel takes place in the young stage when the channel is being built by deposits and in the old stage when the channel cannot further adjust itself to keep sediment transport in equilibrium. It is disclosed that the bankfull width–depth ratio, bed material size and slope decrease in the young and mature stages but do not change in the old stage. The reduction of bankfull width–depth ratio and bed material size during the young and mature stages is found to be able to offset the effect of the slope reduction on sediment transport due to continuous mouth progradation. They reach their limits in old stage, and a constant slope is kept by unceasing sediment accumulation. The grain size composition of incoming sediment and the fining mechanism are responsible for the occurrence of lower limit of bed material size. The reason for the existence of a limit of bankfull cross‐sectional shape is that the large flows can fully transport the sediment load they are carrying, and siltation in the channel in the old stage takes place mainly in the low flows. It is suggested that the bankfull discharge plays an important role in shaping the channel but that the entire channel form is the product of both the large and low flows plus the effects of interaction between them. Channel pattern change shows a process from a braided pattern in the young stage to a straight pattern in the mature and old stages, and the straight channel becomes gradually sinuous. The occurrence and transformation of the channel patterns are supported by two planform predictors, but are also facilitated by some other conditions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flood‐driven topographic changes in a gravel‐cobble river over segment,reach, and morphological unit scales

Regulated rivers generally incise below dams that cut off sediment supply, but how that happens and what the consequences are at different spatial scales is poorly understood. Modern topographic mapping at meter‐scale resolution now enables investigation of the details of spatial processes. In this study, spatial segregation was applied to a meter‐scale raster map of topographic change from 1999 to 2008 on the gravel‐cobble, regulated lower Yuba River in California to answer specific scientific questions about how a decadal hydrograph that included a flood peak of 22 times bankfull discharge affected the river at segment, reach, and morphological unit scales. The results show that the river preferentially eroded sediment from floodplains compared to the channel, and this not only promoted valley‐wide sediment evacuation, but also facilitated the renewal and differentiation of morphological units, especially in the channel. At the reach scale, area of fill and mean net rate of elevational change were directly correlated with better connectivity between the channel and floodplain, while the mean rate of scour in scour areas was influenced by the ratio of slope to bankfull Froude number, a ratio indicative of lateral migration versus vertical downcutting. Hierarchical segregation of topographic change rasters proved useful for understanding multi‐scalar geomorphic dynamics. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dependence of sediment sorting on bedload transport phase in a river meander

It is widely recognized nowadays that there are at least two different phases of bedload sediment transport in gravel‐bed rivers. However, the transition between these phases is still poorly or subjectively defined, especially at bends in rivers, where cross‐stream sediment transport can strongly influence changes in the texture of the transported sediment. In this paper, we use piecewise models to identify objectively, at two points in the cross‐section of a river bend, the discharge at which the transition between bedload transport phases occurs. Piecewise models were applied to a new bedload data set collected during a wide range of discharges while analysing the associated changes in sediment texture. Results allowed the identification of two well‐differentiated phases of sediment transport (phase I and phase II), with a breakpoint located around bankfull discharge. Associated with each phase there was a change in bedload texture. In phase I there was non‐dominance in the transport of fine or coarse fractions at a particular sampling point; but in phase II bedload texture was strongly linked to the position of the sampling point across the channel. In this phase, fine particles tended to be transported to the inner bank, while coarse sizes were transferred throughout the middle parts of the channel. Moreover, bedload texture at the inner sampling point became bimodal while the transport of pebble‐sized particles was increasing in the central parts of the river channel. It is suggested that this general pattern may be related both to secondary currents, which transfer finer particles from the outer to the inner bank, and to the progressive dismantling of the riverbed surface layer. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The legacy of river channel modification in wadeable,lowland rivers: Exploring overdeep rivers in England

Many lowland fluvial systems are suspected to possess a morphological legacy from a long history of channel modifications as a consequence of limited energy and sediment supply to facilitate recovery. We explore the extent of such modifications using a regionally extensive dataset of physical habitat surveys compiled by non-specialist surveyors. Representative photographs for each surveyed site were used to quality check channel width, depth and bed grain size information derived from Modular River Physical (MoRPh) surveys. Following checking, 1659 surveys were retained for analysis from alluvial sites, almost entirely in England. The photographs were also inspected for evidence of clear ‘overdeepening’ that would preclude frequent overtopping of the lower bank top. Results indicated that almost one-third of the sites were overdeepened, that width-to-depth ratios defined using the active bed width showed stronger discrimination of overdeepening than bankfull width, that highly statistically significant identification of overdeepened channels was possible in channels up to 10 m wide and with only minimal differences attributable to channel bed materials. Stepwise regression analysis estimated relationships between channel width-to-depth ratios and channel size for overdeepened and non-overdeepened channels. We demonstrate that large data sets collected by numerous non-specialist surveyors can, with careful filtering, generate statistically robust results of geomorphological value over areas larger than is otherwise practicable. Furthermore, we reveal a notable legacy of overdeepening in the analysed lowland rivers, which presents a significant ‘hydromorphological’ management challenge.     

The form and function of headwater streams based on field and modeling investigations in the southern Appalachian Mountains

Headwater streams drain the majority of most landscapes, yet less is known about their morphology and sediment transport processes than for lowland rivers. We have studied headwater channel form, discharge and erosive power in the humid, moderate‐relief Valley and Ridge and Blue Ridge provinces of the Appalachian Mountains. Field observations from nine headwater (<2 km² drainage area), mixed bedrock–alluvial channels in a variety of boundary conditions demonstrate variation with respect to slope‐area channel initiation, basic morphology, slope distribution, hydraulic geometry, substrate grain size and role of woody debris. These channels display only some of the typical downstream trends expected of larger, lowland rivers. Variations are controlled mainly by differences in bedrock resistance, from the formation level down to short‐wavelength, outcrop‐scale variations. Hydrologic modeling on these ungauged channels estimates the recurrence of channel‐filling discharge and its ability to erode the channel bed. Two‐year recurrence discharge is generally larger and closer to bankfull height in the Valley and Ridge, due to low soil infiltration capacity. Discharge that fills the channel to its surveyed bankfull form is variable, generally exceeding two‐year flows at small drainage areas (<0·5 km²) and being exceeded by them at greater drainage areas. This suggests bankfull is not controlled by the same recurrence storm throughout a channel or physiographic region. Stream power and relative competence are also variable. These heterogeneities contrast relations observed in larger streams and illustrate the sensitivity of headwater channels to local knickpoints of resistant bedrock and armoring of channels by influx of coarse debris from hillslopes. The general lack of predictable trends or functional relationships among hydraulic variables and the close coupling of channel form and function with local boundary conditions indicate that headwater streams pose a significant challenge to landscape evolution modeling. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.