Scales of boundary resistance in coarse-grained channels: turbulent velocity profiles and implications

Gravel-bed surfaces are characterized by morphological features occurring at different roughness scales. The total shear stress generated by the flow above such surfaces is balanced by the sum of friction drag (grain stress) and form drag components (created by bed forms). To facilitate a better understanding of total resistance and bed load transport processes, there is a need to mathematically separate shear stress into its component parts. One way to do so is to examine the properties of vertical velocity profiles above such surfaces. These profiles are characterized by an inner layer that reflects grain resistance and an outer layer that reflects total resistance. A flume-based project was conducted to address these concerns through systematically comparing different roughness scales to ascertain how increased roughness affects the properties of vertical velocity profiles. Great care was taken to create natural roughness features and to obtain flow data at a high spatial and temporal resolution using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter.Average vertical velocity profiles above each roughness scale were clearly segmented. The vertical extent of the inner flow region was directly related to the scale of roughness present on the bed (and independent of flow depth), increasing with increased roughness. On a rough but rather uniform “plane” bed made of heterogeneous coarse sediments (with no bed forms), the shape of the velocity profile was clearly dominated by the local variations in grain characteristics. When pebble clusters were superimposed, the average shear stress in the outer flow region increased by 100% from the plane bed conditions. The ratio of inner grain shear stress to outer total shear stress for this pebble cluster experiment was 0.18 under shallow flow conditions and 0.3 under deep flow conditions. The grain stress component that should be used in bed load transport equations therefore appears to vary in these experiments between 15% and 30% of the total channel stress, increasing with decreased resistance. Roughness height (K_s/D₅₀) values at the grain scale for the plane bed and pebble cluster experiments were 0.73 and 0.63, respectively. These are values that should be used in flow resistance equations to predict grain resistance and grain stress for bed load transport modeling.     

A field experiment on streambed stabilization by gravel structures

We report an experiment to study particle restraint imposed by bed surface aggregate structures in a small headwater stream. Extant structures (clusters, stone lines, and partial stone cells) were manually destroyed in one reach of the channel (treated reach) whilst leaving them intact in an adjacent reach (reference reach), establishing two reaches of similar sediment texture and gradient that differed primarily in degree of structure development. After the first flood, the sediment yield from the treated reach was 32% greater than from the reference reach. For material > D₈₄, the treated reach yielded 24× that from the reference reach. The critical Shields number was reduced by more than 18% in the treated reach to the value generally accepted for loose, heterogeneous sediment. The effect of structural development on particle mobility was subsequently studied in the treated reach over the course of three flow events that did not significantly exceed the Shields threshold, so that bed material transport remained low. After these events, mobility of the larger clasts was substantially reduced, permitting the inference that particle restraint in the treated reach approached that of the reference reach. This corresponds with direct evidence of structure development in the treated reach as indicated by the movement and emplacement of marked grains. A major flood, however, caused a reversion toward unstructured conditions in the treated reach, indicating that structures had not developed the resilience exhibited in the reference reach.     

Sediment rating parameters and their implications: Yangtze River, China

This study examines the characteristics of sediment rating parameters recorded at various gauging stations in the Yangtze Basin in relation to their controls. Our findings indicate that the parameters are associated with river channel morphology of the selected reaches. High b-values (> 1.600) and low log(a) values (< − 4.000) occur in the upper course of the steep rock-confined river, characterizing high unit stream power flows. Low b-values (< 0.900) and high log(a) values (> − 1.000) occur in the middle and lower Yangtze River associated with meandering reaches over low gradients, and can be taken to imply aggradation in these reaches with low stream power. Higher b-values (0.900–1.600) and lower log(a)-values (− 4.000 to − 1.000) characterize the reaches between Yichang and Xinchang, immediately below the Three Gorges. These values indicate channel erosion and bed instability that result from changes in channel gradient from the upstream steep valley to downstream low slope flood plain settings. Differences in channel morphology accompany these changes. Confined, V-shaped valleys occur upstream and are replaced downstream by broad U-shaped channels. The middle and lower Yangtze shows an apparent increase in channel instability over the past 40 years. This inference is based on sediment rating parameters from various gauging stations that record increasing b-values against decreasing log(a)-values over that time. Analysis of the sediment load data also reveals a strong correlation between changes in sediment rating curve parameters and reduction of annual sediment budget (4.70 × 10⁸ t to 3.50 × 10⁸ t/year, from the 1950s to 1990s), largely due to the damming of the Yangtze and sediment load depletion through siltation in the Dongting Lake. Short-term deviations from the general trends in the sediment rating parameters are related to hydroclimatic events. Extreme low b-values and high log(a)-values signify the major flood years, while the reverse indicates drought events. When compared with rivers from other climate settings, it is evident that the wide range of values of the Yangtze rating parameters reflects the huge discharge driven by the monsoon precipitation regime of eastern China.     

The response of drainage basins to the late Quaternary tectonics in the Sicilian side of the Messina Strait (NE Sicily)

Despite more than 40 yr of research attributing temporal changes in streambank erosion rates to subaerial processes, little quantitative information is available on the relationships between streambank erodibility (k_d) and critical shear stress (τ_c) and the environmental conditions and processes that enhance streambank erosion potential. The study goal was to evaluate temporal changes in k_d and τ_c from soil desiccation and freeze–thaw cycling. Soil erodibility and τ_c were measured monthly in situ using a multiangle, submerged jet test device. Soil moisture, temperature, and bulk density as well as precipitation, air temperature, and stream stage were measured continuously to determine changes in soil moisture content and state. Pairwise Mann–Whitney tests indicted k_d was 2.9 and 2.1 times higher (p < 0.0065) during the winter (December–March) than in the spring/fall (April–May, October–November) and the summer (June–September), respectively. Regression analysis showed 80% of the variability in k_d was explained by freeze–thaw cycling alone. Study results also indicated soil bulk density was highly influenced by winter weather conditions (r² = 0.86): bulk density was inversely related to both soil water content and freeze–thaw cycling. Results showed that significant changes in the resistance of streambank soils to fluvial erosion can be attributed to subaerial processes. Water resource professionals should consider the implications of increased soil erodibility during the winter in the development of channel erosion models and stream restoration designs.     

Downstream variation in bankfull width of wadeable streams across the conterminous United States

Bankfull channel width is a fundamental measure of stream size and a key parameter of interest for many applications in hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, and stream ecology. We developed downstream hydraulic geometry relationships for bankfull channel width w as a function of drainage area A, w = α A^β, (DHG_wA) for nine aggregate ecoregions comprising the conterminous United States using 1588 sites from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Wadeable Streams Assessment (WSA), including 1152 sites from a randomized probability survey sample. Sampled stream reaches ranged from 1 to 75 m in bankfull width and 1 to 10,000 km² in drainage area. The DHG_wA exponent β, which expresses the rate at which bankfull stream width scales with drainage area, fell into three distinct clusters ranging from 0.22 to 0.38. Width increases more rapidly with basin area in the humid Eastern Highlands (encompassing the Northern and Southern Appalachians and the Ozark Mountains) and the Upper Midwest (Great Lakes region) than for the West (both mountainous and xeric areas), the southeastern Coastal Plain, and the Northern Plains (the Dakotas and Montana). Stream width increases least rapidly with basin area in the Temperate Plains (cornbelt) and Southern Plains (Great Prairies) in the heartland. The coefficient of determination (r²) was least in the noncoastal plains (0.36–0.41) and greatest in the Appalachians and Upper Midwest (0.68–0.77). DHG_wA equations differed between streams with dominantly fine bed material (silt/sand) and those with dominantly coarse bed material (gravel/cobble/boulder) in six of the nine analysis regions. Where DHG_wA equations varied by sediment size, fine-bedded streams were consistently narrower than coarse-bedded streams. Within the Western Mountains ecoregion, where there were sufficient sites to develop DHG_wA relationships at a finer spatial scale, α and β ranged from 1.23 to 3.79 and 0.23 to 0.40, respectively, with r² > 0.50 for 10 of 13 subregions (range: 0.36 to 0.92). Enhanced DHG equations incorporating additional data for three landscape variables that can be derived from GIS—mean annual precipitation, elevation, and mean reach slope—significantly improved equation fit and predictive value in several regions, most notably the Western Mountains and the Temperate Plains. Channel width was also related to human disturbance. We examined the influence of human disturbance on channel width using several indices of local and basinwide disturbance. Contrary to our expectations, the data suggest that the dominant response of channel width to human disturbance in the United States is a reduction in bankfull width in streams with greater disturbance, particularly in the Western Mountains (where population density, road density, agricultural land use, and local riparian disturbance were all negatively related to channel width) and in the Appalachians and New England (where urban and agricultural land cover and riparian disturbance were all negatively associated with channel width).     

Long-term bed load transport rate based on aerial-photo and ground penetrating radar surveys of fan-delta growth, Coast Mountains, British Columbia

Sequential aerial photography, sonar bathymetry, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and sediment sampling and analysis provide the basis for calculating the volumetric and mass rate of progradation of the delta of Fitzsimmons Creek, a steep, high-energy, debris-flow-dominated channel draining about 100 km² of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. Fitzsimmons Creek is typical of small mountain rivers in the region. GPR imaging is used to define the pre-depositional morphology of the receiving basin, a technique that improves the accuracy of the volumetric survey. The 52-year record (1947–1999) of progradation yielded an average annual volumetric transport rate of 1.00±0.16×10⁴ m³ year⁻¹ for bed load, corresponding to a mass transport rate of 1.60±0.28×10⁴ Mg year⁻¹. Bed load yields are consistent with those obtained in hydrogeomorphically similar basins in the region and elsewhere. Decade-based annual rates, which vary from 0.64±0.11×10⁴ to 2.85±0.38×10⁴ Mg year⁻¹, provide poor estimates of the 52-year average. Indeed, the 52-year record may also not be long enough to fully integrate the significant fluctuations in the sediment efflux from Fitzsimmons Creek. The methodology proposed in this paper can be transferred to other comparable mountain environments worldwide.     

A roughness-corrected index of relative bed stability for regional stream surveys

Quantitative regional assessments of streambed sedimentation and its likely causes are hampered because field investigations typically lack the requisite sample size, measurements, or precision for sound geomorphic and statistical interpretation. We adapted an index of relative bed stability (RBS) for data calculated from a national stream survey field protocol to enable general evaluation of bed stability and anthropogenic sedimentation in synoptic ecological surveys. RBS is the ratio of bed surface geometric mean particle diameter (D_gm) divided by estimated critical diameter (D_cbf) at bankfull flow, based on a modified Shield's criterion for incipient motion. Application of RBS to adequately depict bed stability in complex natural streams, however, has been limited because typical calculations of RBS do not explicitly account for reductions in bed shear stress that result from channel form roughness. We modified the index (RBS) to incorporate the reduction in bed shear stress available for sediment transport that results from the hydraulic resistance of large wood and longitudinal irregularities in channel dimensions (“form roughness”). Based on dimensional analysis, we derived an adjustment to bankfull shear stress by multiplying the bankfull hydraulic radius (R_bf) by the one-third power of the ratio of particle-derived resistance to total hydraulic resistance (C_p/C_t)^1/3, where both resistances are empirically based calculations. We computed C_p using a Keulegan equation relating resistance to relative submergence of bed particles. We then derived an empirical equation to predict reach-scale hydraulic resistance C_t from thalweg mean depth, thalweg mean residual depth, and large wood volume based on field dye transit studies, in which total hydraulic resistance C_t was measured over a wide range of natural stream channel complexity, including manipulation of large wood volumes. We tested our estimates of C_t and RBS by applying them to data from a summer low flow probability sample of 104 wadeable stream reaches in the Coastal Ecoregion of Oregon and Washington, USA. Stream discharges calculated using these C_t estimates compared favorably with velocity–area measurements of discharge during summer low flow, and with the range of 1 to 2-year recurrence floods (scaled by drainage area) at U.S.Geological Survey gauged sites in the same region. Log [RBS] ranged from − 4.2 to + 0.98 in the survey region. D_gm ranged from silt to boulders, while estimated bankfull critical diameter, D_cbf, ranged from very fine gravel to large boulders. The median value of D_cbf (adjusted for form roughness influences) averaged 40% (inter quartile range 28 to 59%) of the unadjusted estimate D_cbf. Log[RBS] was consistently negatively related to human disturbances likely to produce excess sediment inputs or hydrologic alteration. Log [RBS] ranged from − 1.9 to + 0.5 in the streams within the lower quartile of human disturbance in their basin and riparian areas and was substantially lower (− 4.2 to − 1.1) in streams within the upper quartile of human disturbance. The synoptic survey methods and designs we used appear adequate to evaluate regional patterns in bed stability and sedimentation and their general relationship to human disturbances. Although the RBS concept also shows promise for evaluating sediment and bed stability in individual streams, our approach is relatively coarse, so site-specific assessments using these rapid field methods might prudently be confined to identifying severe cases of sedimentation or channel alteration. Greater confidence to discern subtle differences in site-specific assessments could be gained by calculating RBS using more precise field measurements of channel slope, bed particle size and bankfull dimensions, and by refining our adjustments for energy loss from channel form roughness.     

Creating and coupling a high-resolution DTM with a 1-D hydraulic model in a GIS for scenario-based assessment of avulsion hazard in a gravel-bed river

In this paper we explore the development and assimilation of a high resolution topographic surface with a one-dimensional hydraulic model for investigation of avulsion hazard potential on a gravel-bed river. A detailed channel and floodplain digital terrain model (DTM) is created to define the geometry parameter required by the 1D hydraulic model HEC-RAS. The ability to extract dense and optimally located cross-sections is presented as a means to optimize HEC-RAS performance. A number of flood scenarios are then run in HEC-RAS to determine the inundation potential of modeled events, the post-processed output of which facilitates calculation of spatially explicit shear stress (τ) and level of geomorphic work (specific stream power per unit bed area, ω) for each of these. Further enhancing this scenario-based approach, the DTM is modified to simulate a large woody debris (LWD) jam and active-channel sediment aggradation to assess impact on innundation, τ, and ω, under previously modeled flow conditions. The high resolution DTM facilitates overlay and evaluation of modeled scenario results in a spatially explicit context containing considerable detail of hydrogeomorphic and other features influencing hydraulics (bars, secondary and scour channels, levees). This offers advantages for: (i) assessing the avulsion hazard potential and spatial distribution of other hydrologic and fluvial geomorphic processes; and (ii) exploration of the potential impacts of specific management strategies on the channel, including river restoration activities.     

The storage of bed material in mountain stream channels as assessed using Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating

A detailed understanding of channel forming and maintenance processes in mountain streams requires some measurement and/or prediction of bed load transport and sediment mobility. Traditional field based measurements of such processes are problematic because of the high formative discharges characteristic of such streams. The application of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating is proposed here as a new way of determining actual residency times of fine sediments and consequently validating selected predictions for the entrainment of sediment in these streams. Model predictions of sediment mobility for selected step-pool and plane-bed channels in a mountain catchment in south eastern Australia are initially calculated using equations of hydraulic competence and the one-dimensional HEC-RAS model. Results indicate that floods exceeding bankfull with recurrence intervals up to 13 years are competent to mobilise the maximum overlying surface grain sizes at both sites. OSL minimum age model results from 7 samples of well bleached quartz in the fine matrix particles indicate general agreement with selected competence equations. The apparent long (100–1400 y) burial age of most of the mineral quartz, however, suggests that competent flows are not able to flush all subsurface fine-bed material. The depth of maximum bed load exchange (flushing) was limited to ≤ twice the depth of the overlying D₉₀ grain size. Application of OSL in this study provides important insight into the nature of storage and flushing of matrix material in mountain streams.     

Responses of photosynthesis and water relations to rainfall in the desert shrub creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) as influenced by municipal biosolids

Responses of photosynthesis (P_n), stomatal conductance (g_s), pre-dawn leaf water potential (Ψ_lp) and leaf water content (ω_l) of creosote bush to 10 rainfall events in the Chihuahuan Desert were investigated. Infiltration of rainwater was manipulated by applying municipal biosolids. The responses of P_nand water relation parameters to rainfall (>10 mm) were mainly dependent upon drought severity: (1) following a moderate drought, P_n, g_s, Ψ_lpand ω_lrecovered to corresponding values of irrigated plants within 2 days after a 23-mm rainfall; (2) Ψ_lpand g_sresponded to a 15-mm rainfall within 2 days, following a 25-day drought, whereas responses of P_nand ω_lwere delayed for several days; (3) responses of P_n, g_s, Ψ_lpand ω_lto a 14·7-mm rainfall were all delayed for several weeks following a 110-day drought, but the delay was longer in P_n, g_sand ω_lthan in Ψ_lp. Creosote bush responded to small rainfall events (approximately 6 to 8 mm) with an increase in Ψ_lp, but without noticeable changes in g_sand P_n, suggesting a strong stomatal control of water loss even though xylem embolism was reduced. Biosolids applied at high rates (3·4 and 9 kgm⁻²) decreased the soil water by 2 to 4 mm following rainfall events, and this in turn delayed and decreased the responses of P_nand water relation parameters to rainfall.P_nand g_swere linearly related to ω_land exponentially related to Ψ_lp. With the generally coincidental responses of P_nor g_sand ω_lto rainfall, we concluded that the responses of P_nand g_sto rainfall were dependent on leaf rehydration which resulted from restored hydraulic conductance following drought.     

Critical specific stream power in gravel-bed rivers

Experiments with marked pebbles were carried out on different sized rivers of the Belgian Ardenne (catchment areas varying from less than 1 km² to 2700 km²). Specific stream power required to cause bedload movement was evaluated and critical values were obtained. Three types of relationship between critical specific stream power (ω₀) and grain size (D) were established. The values for ω₀ in the largest river (the Ourthe) were the lowest and were close to the values obtained for mountainous rivers carrying large boulders. In medium sized rivers (catchment area between 40 and 500 km²), the critical unit stream power was higher. It is likely that it is due to the bedform's greater resistance. This resistance would use up some of the energy that can cause movement and transport of bedload. The amount of resistance of the bedform can be expressed as bedform shear stress (τ″), determined by the relationship between grain shear stress (τ′—that determines movement and transport of the bedload) and the total shear stress (τ). This ratio varies between 0.4 and 0.5 in the medium sized rivers, compared to 0.7 in the Ourthe. In headwater streams (less than 20 km²), there is greater loss of energy due to bedform resistance (τ′/τ<0.3). Critical specific stream power is higher in this third type of river than in the other two.     

Bed load transport in an obstruction-formed pool in a forest, gravelbed stream

This paper examines channel dynamics and bed load transport relations through an obstruction-forced pool in a forest, gravel-bed stream by comparing flow conditions, sediment mobility, and bed morphology among transects at the pool head, centre, and tail. Variable sediment supply from within and outside of the channel led to a complex pattern of scour and fill hysteresis. Despite the large flood magnitude, large portions of the bed did not scour. Scour was observed at three distinct locations: two of these were adjacent to large woody debris (LWD), and the third was along the flow path deflected by a major LWD obstruction. Bed material texture showed little change in size distribution of either surface or subsurface material, suggesting lack of disruption of the pre-flood bed. Fractions larger than the median size of the bed surface material were rarely mobile. Sediment rating relations were similar, although temporal variation within and among stations was relatively high. Relations between bed load size distribution and discharge were complex, showing coarsening with increasing discharge followed by fining as more sand was mobilized at high flow. Lack of local scour in the pool combined with bed load fining and net fill by relatively fine material implied that the dominant sources of mobile sediment were upstream storage sites and local bank collapse. Patterns of flow, channel dynamics, and sediment mobility were strongly affected by a LWD flow obstruction in the pool centre that created turbulent effects, thereby enhancing entrainment and transport in a manner similar to scour at bridge piers.     

The role of morphology on the displacement of particles in a step–pool river system

Although studies of sediment transport in steep and coarse-grained channels have been more numerous in recent years, the dynamics of sediment transport in step–pool river systems remain poorly understood. This paper investigates displacements of individual clasts through Spruce Creek (Québec, Canada), a classic step–pool channel, and the effects of the channel morphology on the path length of the clasts. Passive integrated transponder tags (PIT) were used to track the displacement of 196 individual particles over a range of discharges including the bankfull stage. Clasts were tracked after five sequences of flood events. The results showed that the distance distributions match a two-parameter Gamma model. Equal mobility transport occurs for the particle size investigated during each sequence of flood events. Mean travel distance of the clasts can be estimated from excess stream power, and the mobility of the clasts is more than an order of magnitude less than the model reported in riffle–pool channels. The dominant morphological length scale of the bed also controls the path length of the clasts. These results confirm some preliminary observations on sediment transport in step–pool channels.     

Terrestrial Laser Scanning of grain roughness in a gravel-bed river

This paper demonstrates the application of Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) to determine the full population of grain roughness in gravel-bed rivers. The technique has the potential to completely replace the need for complex, time-consuming manual sampling methods. Using TLS, a total of 3.8 million data points (mean spacing 0.01 m) were retrieved from a gravel bar surface at Lambley on the River South Tyne, UK. Grain roughness was extracted through determination of twice the local standard deviation (2σ_z) of all the elevations in a 0.15 m radius moving window over the data cloud. 2σ_z values were then designated to each node on a 5 cm regular grid, allowing fine resolution DEMs to be produced, where the elevation is equivalent to the grain roughness height. Comparisons are made between TLS-derived grain roughness and grid-by-number sampling for eight 2 m² patches on the bar surface. Strong relationships exist between percentiles from the population of 2σ_z heights with measured a-, b-, and c-axes, with the closest matches appearing for the c-axis. Although strong relationships exist between TLS-derived grain roughness (2σ_z), variations in the degree of burial, packing and imbrication, results in very different slope and intercept exponents. This highlights that conventional roughness measurement using gravel axis length should be used with caution as measured axes do not necessarily represent the actual extent to which the grain protrudes into the flow. The sampling error inherent in conventional sampling is also highlighted through undertaking Monte Carlo simulation on a population of 2000 clasts measured using the grid-by-number method and comparing this with the TLS-derived population of grain roughness heights. Underestimates of up to − 23% and overestimates of up to + 50% were found to occur when considering the D₈₄, and − 20% and overestimates of up to + 36% were found to occur when considering the D_50.     

The role of channel and floodplain storage in the suspended sediment budget of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, UK

This study attempts to quantify the amount of fine-grained (ca. < 150 μm) sediment stored on the floodplains and on the channel bed of the non-tidal sections of the main channels in the catchment of the River Ouse (3315 km²) and of one of its tributaries, the River Waarfe (818 km²), in Yorkshire, UK. Caesium-137 analyses of floodplain sediment cores were used to quantify the amount of Iloodplain deposition as a result of overbank flooding during the last ca. 40 years. A combination of bulk and sectioned cores were collected along transects perpendicular to the channel at 26 sites throughout the study basins. In general, rates of overbank sedimentation decrease with distance from the channel. The average values for individual transects range between 0.010 and 0.554 g cm⁻² year⁻¹. Floodplain storage along the main channels of the Ouse and Wharfe basins accounts for 60645 and 10325 t year⁻¹, respectively, and represents a net loss from the system. The amount of fine-grained sediment stored on the channel bed was estimated by a survey undertaken in August 1996, during which the fine material deposited on the bed was resuspended and its mass estimated at 16 locations. The average values for the individual locations range between 0.017 and 0.924 g cm⁻² and tend to increase downstream. The total channel bed storage at the time of sampling in 1996 was estimated to be 16076 and 1866 t for the Ouse and Wharfe basins, respectively. It is assumed that channel bed storage is seasonal and that no net loss to the system occurs at the annual timescale. Floodplain storage for the Ouse and Wharfe basins represents 39 and 49%, and channel bed storage equals 10 and 9%, respectively, of the annual suspended sediment load (1995–1996) delivered to the channel system. These results have important implications for the routing of fine-grained sediment and sediment-associated contaminants in drainage basins, and for the interpretation of downstream sediment yields in terms of upstream sediment mobilisation.     

Response of bed morphology and bed material texture to hydrological conditions at an asymmetrical stream confluence

Changes in bed morphology and sedimentology at stream confluences in relation to specific hydrological events have not been documented extensively. Moreover, few, if any, studies have investigated the effect of net hydrological conditions on channel change at a confluence over a period of many years. Repeat cross section surveys and sampling of bed material at a small, asymmetrical stream confluence reveal the short-term effects of hydrological variability on bed morphology and spatial patterns of bed material texture. Survey data over a 15-year period illustrate the long-term response of channel morphology at the confluence to net hydrological conditions. Results confirm that this confluence is a dynamic fluvial environment, involving shifts in the zone of scour and repeated deposition and erosion of a bar complex at the downstream junction corner as the discharge ratio changes in response to hydrological variability in the tributary streams. Persistent faster runoff-response times of the lateral tributary compared to the main stem have resulted in long-term net erosion of the channel bank opposite this tributary. The documented morphological and sedimentological changes are consistent with and can be explained by results of experimental studies and by past investigations at this confluence that have documented changes in patterns of mean flow structure and turbulence in response to variation in the discharge ratio of contributing streams.     

Recent morphological evolution of the Lower Mississippi River

This study documents slope and stream power changes in the Lower Mississippi River during the pre-cutoff (1880s–1930s), and post-cutoff (1943–1992) periods. The study reach extends from New Madrid, MO, to Natchez, MS, a distance of about 900 km. Analyses for six major reaches and 13 sub-reaches for the pre- and post-cutoff periods indicate that the river presently has a much larger slope and stream power than prior to the cutoffs. The largest increases have occurred between Fulton, TN, and Lake Providence, LA, where slope and stream power increases range from about 27% to 36% and 20% to 38%, respectively. Increases in slope and stream power in reaches upstream and downstream have also occurred, but to a lesser degree. Previous investigations have shown that no coarsening of the bed material has occurred since 1932, and that the bed material may actually be somewhat finer overall. As the Lower Mississippi River is not a sediment-starved system, an increase in stream power with no change in D₅₀ would be expected to be offset by an increase in the bed material load as the river adjusts towards equilibrium. Previous investigators have inferred a reduction in the sediment loads on the Mississippi River this century based on analyses of total measured suspended loads. However, these results should be viewed as primarily representing the changes in wash load and should not be taken to imply that bed material loads have also decreased. Therefore, the bed material loads in the study reach should be greater than in the pre-cutoff period. Excess stream power in the sub-reaches directly affected by cutoffs resulted in scour that increased downstream bed material load. These elevated sediment loads play a key role in driving morphological adjustments towards equilibrium in the post-cutoff channel. The stability status of the channel in the study reach currently ranges from dynamic equilibrium in the farthest upstream reaches through severe degradation to dynamic equilibrium in the middle reaches, and aggradation in the lowest reaches. These evolutionary trends cannot be explained by consideration of changes in slope and stream power alone. Changes in the incoming bed material load to each reach generated by upstream channel evolution must also be considered.     

An assessment of land use and other factors affecting sediment loads in the Rio Puerco watershed, New Mexico

Rapid channel erosion in the Rio Puerco watershed of northwest New Mexico has been attributed to land use, climate changes, and internal channel adjustments. The objectives of this study were to assess (1) the impacts of land uses on sediment load, (2) the quantitative relationships between land use and sediment load, and (3) the effectiveness of different erosion control methods. The impacts of land uses on sediment load were assessed via hypotheses that, holding other erosion-related variables constant, sediment load correlates positively with grazing intensity and with density of unpaved roads, and correlates negatively with the number of erosion control treatments. We calculated the average annual sediment load for 17 subbasins of 0.67–17.97 km² by comparing sediment accumulation at two points in time (mid-1960s and 1999) behind intact sediment retention structures. We assessed land use via grazing records and measurements of unpaved roads generated from aerial photographs. Soil characteristics, vegetation, and physical factors were quantified for each subbasin. Using 18 variables for each subbasin, we employed Mallow's C_p as a selection criterion. We used six statistical models, including multiple regression and principal components analysis, to determine inherent mathematical relationships between significant independent variables and sediment load. The results indicate that sediment load does not correlate with grazing intensity except in small, relatively low-relief basins with fewer bedrock exposures. However, this interpretation may be compromised by the low quality of data available to quantify grazing. Sediment load is highly sensitive to the presence of unpaved roads, which serve as high gradient, channelized conduits of water and sediment during storms. Sediment load does not correlate with erosion control except in the subset of small, relatively low-relief subbasins that also proved sensitive to grazing intensity. Overall, the statistical analyses suggest that the impact of land uses on sediment load can be assessed using the data available although physical factors appear more significant than land use in producing high sediment loads in the Rio Puerco subbasins. Historical erosion control techniques, as implemented in the Rio Puerco watershed, prove largely ineffective against accelerated sediment loads because they have not been appropriately implemented or maintained.     

Sediment budget analysis of slope–channel coupling and in-channel sediment storage in an upland catchment, southeastern Australia

Slope–channel coupling and in-channel sediment storage can be important factors that influence sediment delivery through catchments. Sediment budgets offer an appropriate means to assess the role of these factors by quantifying the various components in the catchment sediment transfer system. In this study a fine (< 63 µm) sediment budget was developed for a 1.64-km² gullied upland catchment in southeastern Australia. A process-based approach was adopted that involved detailed monitoring of hillslope and bank erosion, channel change, and suspended sediment output in conjunction with USLE-based hillslope erosion estimation and sediment source tracing using ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb_ex. The sediment budget developed from these datasets indicated channel banks accounted for an estimated 80% of total sediment inputs. Valley floor and in-channel sediment storage accounted for 53% of inputs, with the remaining 47% being discharged from the catchment outlet. Estimated hillslope sediment input to channels was low (5.7 t) for the study period compared to channel bank input (41.6 t). However an estimated 56% of eroded hillslope sediment reached channels, suggesting a greater level of coupling between the two subsystems than was apparent from comparison of sediment source inputs. Evidently the interpretation of variability in catchment sediment yield is largely dependent on the dynamics of sediment supply and storage in channels in response to patterns of rainfall and discharge. This was reflected in the sediment delivery ratios (SDR) for individual measurement intervals, which ranged from 1 to 153%. Bank sediment supply during low rainfall periods was reduced but ongoing from subaerial processes delivering sediment to channels, resulting in net accumulation on the channel bed with insufficient flow to transport this material to the catchment outlet. Following the higher flow period in spring of the first year of monitoring, the sediment supplied to channels during this interval was removed as well as an estimated 72% of the sediment accumulated on the channel bed since the start of the study period. Given the seasonal and drought-dependent variability in storage and delivery, the period of monitoring may have an important influence on the overall SDR. On the basis of these findings, this study highlights the potential importance of sediment dynamics in channels for determining contemporary sediment yields from small gullied upland catchments in southeastern Australia.     

Bedform morphology of salmon spawning areas in a large gravel-bed river

While the importance of river channel morphology to salmon spawning habitat is increasingly recognized, quantitative measures of the relationships between channel morphology and habitat use are lacking. Such quantitative measures are necessary as management and regulatory agencies within the Pacific Northwest region of the USA, and elsewhere, seek to quantify potential spawning habitat and develop recovery goals for declining salmon populations. The objective of this study was to determine if fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning areas in the Snake River, Idaho, USA, were correlated with specific bedform types at the pool–riffle scale. A bedform differencing technique was used to objectively quantify the longitudinal riverbed profile into four distinct pool–riffle units that were independent of discharge. The vertical location of thalweg points within these units was quantified with a riffle proximity index. Chinook salmon spawning areas were mapped and correlated with the pool–riffle units through the use of cross-tabulation tables. The results indicate that 84% of fall Chinook salmon spawning areas were correlated with riffles (χ² = 57.5, df = 3, p < 0.001), with 53% of those areas located on the upstream side of riffle crests. The majority of Snake River fall Chinook salmon spawning occurred at elevations greater than 80% of the difference in elevation between the nearest riffle crest and pool bottom. The analyses of bedform morphology will assist regional fish managers in quantifying existing and potential fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat, and will provide a quantitative framework for evaluating general ecological implications of channel morphology in large gravel-bed rivers.