Response of river channel patterns to the spatially varying suspended sediment concentrations

River channel pattern transformation is dealt with in a broad background of suspended sediment concentration, varying from low, medium, high to hyperconcentration. Based on data from about 100 alluvial rivers in China, suspended sediment transport rate has been plotted against mean annual water discharge, showing that all points can be divided into four belts by three straight lines, as stable braided pattern, meandering pattern with ordinary sediment concentrations, wandering braided pattern, and meandering pattern with hyperconcentration of sediment. This picture of channel pattern transformation can be well explained by the law of the water flow's energy expenditure varying with its sediment concentration. The energy expenditure increases with sediment concentration, reaching a maximum, then declines. Rivers falling in different ranges of sediment concentrations adjust their own energy expenditure in different manners, leading to occurrence of different channel patterns. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49671011).     

Estimation of suspended sediment loads and delivery in an incised upland headwater catchment,south‐eastern Australia

Historically upland headwater catchments in south‐eastern Australia have undergone extensive gully erosion that has removed large amounts of sediment to lowlands. Recent research suggests these upland areas may continue to dominate fine sediment loads in lowland rivers. Improved understanding of sediment transfer through upland headwater catchments may have implications for interpreting downstream sediment supply. In this study a nested catchment design was utilized to examine suspended sediment yields and delivery from a small tributary sub‐catchment (1·64 km²) to the study catchment outlet (53·5 km²). Monitoring of suspended sediment concentration and discharge was undertaken for a period of nearly two years and used to estimate suspended sediment loads. Estimated total suspended sediment exports over the period of monitoring were 24·16 t from the sub‐catchment and 550·3 t from the catchment, which are generally less than previous reported small catchment yields in south‐eastern Australia. The extent of sediment delivery was examined using between‐site ratios of specific sediment yield per unit area and incised channel length. Sediment delivery was high under average rainfall conditions, but seasonally dependent. Both suspended sediment yields and the extent of delivery peaked over spring months, supplemented by remobilization of sediment stored during summer months in the main catchment channel. The findings of this study suggest much of the suspended sediment exported from small incised upland sub‐catchments (1–2 km²) may be delivered to downstream reaches under average rainfall conditions, which, in conjunction with the findings of previous research supports the potential importance of contributions from these areas to suspended sediment loads in lowland rivers during high flow periods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The contribution of aeolian processes to fluvial sediment yield from a desert watershed in the Ordos Plateau,China

In arid zones, many active aeolian dunes terminate at ephemeral and perennial desert rivers. The desert rivers show very high rates of sediment transport that cause deleterious downstream effects on the river system and ecology. High sediment loading has been attributed to severe water erosion of sparsely covered watersheds during infrequent but heavy rainfall. Although aeolian erosion is known to lead to high rates of wind‐blown sand transport, direct confirmation of whether the aeolian processes accelerate or inhibit fluvial sediment loss is lacking. Here, we show that an aeolian‐fluvial cycling process is responsible for the high rate of suspended sediment transport in a Sudalaer ephemeral desert channel in the Ordos Plateau of China. Frequent aeolian processes, but low frequency (once every 3 years on average) flooding, occur in this region. Wind‐blown saltating grains appeared to be unable to cross the desert channel because of interruption of channel‐induced recirculating air flow, and therefore tended to settle in the channel during the windy seasons, leading to channel narrowing. During flooding, this narrowed channel was found to yield a threefold increase in suspended sediment loading and a 3.4‐fold increase in the weight percentage of the 0.08–0.2 mm sediment fraction on 18 July 2012. Loss of stored aeolian sand due to channel erosion accounted for about half of the total sediment yield in this watershed. These findings show that aeolian processes play an essential role in accelerating the sediment yield from a watershed characterized by aeolian‐fluvial interplay and also suggest that the drier the region and the greater the aeolian process, the more the aeolian process contributes to fluvial sediment yield. Copyright © 2013 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.     

Effect of reservoir construction on suspended sediment load in a large river system: thresholds and complex response

Dam construction greatly alters the channel boundary of rivers, making the dammed river system a human‐controlled system. Based on hydrometric data in the upper Changjiang River basin, the change in behaviour of sediment transport of some dammed rivers was studied. As a result, some phenomena of threshold and complex response were found. When the coefficient (C_r,a) of actual runoff regulation by reservoirs, defined as the ratio of total capacity of reservoirs to annual runoff input, is smaller than 10%, suspended sediment load at Yichang station, the control station of the Changjiang River, shows a mild decreasing trend. When this coefficient becomes larger than 10%, suspended sediment load decreases sharply. The coefficient of 10% can be regarded as a threshold. The C_r,a of 10% is also a threshold, when the variation of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) with C_r,a at Yichang station is considered. The impacts of reservoir construction can be divided into several stages, including road construction, dam building and closure, water storage and sediment trapping. During these stages, some complex response was identified. At the station below the dam, SSC increases and reaches a maximum, and then declines sharply. This phenomenon was found on the main‐stem and several major tributaries of the upper Changjiang River. In the Minjiang River, where a series of dams were built successively, the response of SSC is more complicated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphodynamics of an erodible channel under varying discharge

Alluvial channels arise through the interaction between morphology, hydraulics, and sediment transport, known as the ‘fluvial trinity’. Over relatively short timescales where climate and geology are fixed but discharge and sediment supply may vary, this process facilitates adjustments towards steady state, where the system oscillates around a mean condition. The relationship between changes in conditions and geomorphic response may be highly complex and nonlinear, especially in systems with multiple modes of adjustment. This study examines the adjustment of an erodible channel with fixed banks and a widely graded sediment mixture to successive increases in discharge. With each increase in discharge, components of the fluvial trinity adjusted towards a steady state. Particularly at relatively low discharges, adjustments were controlled by intrinsic thresholds and highlighted important morphodynamic processes. Notably, there was a strong interplay between channel morphology and sediment transport, and an effect whereby larger-than-average grains controlled channel deformation. These two processes occurred at the bar scale and were highly spatialised, which has two important implications: (1) reach-averaged representations of process provide only partial insight into morphodynamics; and (2) models of rivers that suppress these process feedbacks and size-dependent transport may not replicate morphodynamics that typically occur in field conditions. The experiments provide quantitative evidence for conceptual models describing exponential approaches towards steady state and the potential for transiency if disturbance frequency exceeds the recovery time. They also highlight how in natural rivers, particularly those with greater degrees of freedom for adjustment (notably, lateral adjustment and meandering), continuous changes in discharge may lead to nonlinear rather than steady-state behaviour. In these settings, more holistic analytical frameworks that embrace different aspects of the system are critical in understanding the direction, magnitude and timing of channel adjustments.     

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.     

A study of river channel pattern information recorded by grain size parameters of fluvial sediment

River channel pattern may be regarded as the outcome of streamflow, sediment load, and channel boundary conditions, as can the grain size distribution of bed material. It may therefore be expected that connections should exist between river channel pattern characteristics and the corresponding river bed material grain size parameters. Using data from some Chinese rivers, an attempt has been made to express these connections quantitatively by using statistical methods. The work demonstrates that the river's bed load can be related to the percentage of the traction subpopulation of the bed material shown by the probabilistic plot of grain size cumulative-frequency curve. The study has also revealed some correlations between the bed material grain size parameters of rivers and their channel geometry such as channel width-depth ratio and channel sinuosity. For instance, the higher the ratio of the traction to suspension subpopulation in bed material, the more sinuous, more shallow, and wider the river channel would be. Furthermore, a discrimination function has been given to distinguish between meandering and wandering braided rivers. If the existence of these relationships can be supported by data from more rivers in other regions, then by using them we can postdict palaeoriver channel geometry and its channel pattern character from fluvial sediment grain size parameters of the palaeoriver. This would open a new way to reconstruct the physicogeographical environment in which palaeorivers developed.     

Prediction of depth‐integrated fluxes of suspended sediment in the Amazon River: particle aggregation as a complicating factor

Large rivers have been previously shown to be vertically heterogeneous in terms of suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration, as a result of sorting of suspended solids. Therefore, the spatial distribution of suspended sediments within the river section has to be known to assess the riverine sedimentary flux. Numerous studies have focused on the vertical distribution of SPM in a river channel from a theoretical or experimental perspective, but only a few were conducted so far on very large rivers. Moreover, a technique for the prediction of depth‐integrated suspended sediment fluxes in very large rivers based on sediment transport dynamics has not yet been proposed. We sampled river water along depth following several vertical profiles, at four locations on the Amazon River and its main tributaries and at two distinct water stages. Depending on the vertical profile, a one‐ to fivefold increase in SPM concentration is observed from river channel surface to bottom, which has a significant impact on the ‘depth‐averaged’ SPM concentration. For each cross section, a so‐called Rouse profile quantitatively accounts for the trend of SPM concentration increase with depth, and a representative Rouse number can be measured for each cross section. However, the prediction of this Rouse number would require the knowledge of the settling velocity of particles, which is dependent on the state of aggregation affecting particles within the river. We demonstrate that in the Amazon River, particle aggregation significantly influences the Rouse number and renders its determination impossible from grain‐size distribution data obtained in the lab. However, in each cross section, the Rouse profile obtained from the fit of the data can serve as a basis to model, at first order, the SPM concentration at any position in the river cross section. This approach, combined with acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) water velocity transects, allows us to accurately estimate the depth‐integrated instantaneous sediment flux. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Overbank sediment deposition patterns for straight and meandering flume channels

Experiments with the 10 m Flood Channel Facility at HR Wallingford, UK, indicate a fundamental dependency of the overbank deposition pattern of channel suspended sediments on channel planform. Two experiments (100 and 140 l s^?1) in a 1·95 m wide straight channel showed deposition concentrated in a berm along the channel bank. Little sediment was transferred further onto the floodplain. For the larger flow, the berm formed further from the channel. A single experiment (103 l s^?1) with a 1·31 m wide meandering channel showed deposition across the entire floodplain tongue between successive meanders. Maximum deposition occurred on the downstream side of the meander, just past the bend apex. These generalized flume results complement the real‐world but site‐specific data of field studies. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controls on the transition from meandering to straight channels in the wetlands of the Okavango Delta,Botswana

Previous studies of alluvial rivers have shown that channel patterns form a continuum controlled by interactions among factors such as gradient, discharge, sediment size, and bank strength. Data from channels in the permanent wetlands of the Okavango Delta add to these ?ndings by focusing on pattern transitions in channels with banks formed by sedges and grasses that are rooted in peat and underlain by unconsolidated sediment. Channels are well de?ned, and transport ?ne–medium sand as bedload between the vertical, vegetation‐lined banks. Water depths, velocities, grain sizes, and bankline vegetation do not vary signi?cantly or systematically downstream, but the permeable banks allow water to leak from the channels, contributing to an overall downstream decrease in discharge and width. In addition, as the Okavango River ?ows from the <12 km wide ‘Panhandle’ and splits into distributaries in the broader ‘Fan’, valley gradient steepens by c. 60 per cent. These downstream changes result in channel pattern adjustments. In the Panhandle, the Okavango River is a relatively wide (c. 30–100 m), actively meandering, sinuous channel (P > 2·0), but further downstream in the Fan, the narrower (<40 m) distributaries follow laterally stable, less sinuous (‘straight’) courses (P < 1·75). Some channel pattern discrimination diagrams based on simple indices of gradient, discharge, sediment size or stream power are inadequate for analysing the meandering–straight transition in the Okavango but Parker's (1976) approach, based on ratios of depth–width and slope–Froude number, accurately characterizes the transition. Our ?eld observations, combined with the results from previous experimental studies, suggest that in relatively wide channels (w/d > 10), thalweg meandering results in scour of the unconsolidated sediment at the bank base, leading to undermining and collapse of the vegetation, and to slow meander migration. However, as channels narrow downstream (w/d < 10) with discharge losses, proportionally increasing sidewall drag exerted by bankline vegetation suppresses thalweg meandering and bank scour, and channels follow stable, less sinuous courses. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suspended sediment in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers in Bangladesh: observation from TM and AVHRR data

Remote sensing was used to understand the seasonal and spatial variation of suspended sediment in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers in Bangladesh for two different discharge periods. Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in these rivers was estimated from the reflectance of Landsat TM band 3. During the high discharge period, SSC in the Ganges is higher than that in the Brahmaputra. But in the low discharge period, this is reversed. Both erosional and depositional processes are active on their flood plains. Significant fluctuations in SSC and in suspended sediment load were observed along their courses because of river bank erosion and deposition and/or scouring and aggradation of river beds. Owing to scouring and turbulence, SSC increases markedly at the confluence of these rivers. Reflectance of AVHRR band 1 data was also analysed to study the distribution of suspended sediment along other reaches of these rivers. Like SSC, reflectance at the confluence zone increases compared with that in the Brahmaputra. However, this increase is not marked compared with the Ganges. The influence of their tributaries on the suspended sediment load could be inferred from the pattern of reflectance. Remote sensing data used in this study was corrected for atmospheric effects. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of intermediate fine sediment storage in a braided river reach (southern French Prealps)

This paper presents a field investigation on river channel storage of fine sediments in an unglaciated braided river, the Bès River, located in a mountainous region in the southern French Prealps. Braided rivers transport a very large quantity of bedload and suspended sediment load because they are generally located in the vicinity of highly erosive hillslopes. Consequently, these rivers play an important role because they supply and control the sediment load of the entire downstream fluvial network. Field measurements and aerial photograph analyses were considered together to evaluate the variability of fine sediment quantity stored in a 2·5‐km‐long river reach. This study found very large quantities of fine sediment stored in this reach: 1100 t per unit depth (1 dm). Given that this reach accounts for 17% of the braided channel surface area of the river basin, the quantities of fine sediment stored in the river network were found to be approximately 80% of the mean annual suspended sediment yields (SSYs) (66 200 t year^?1), comparable to the SSYs at the flood event scale: from 1000 t to 12 000 t depending on the flood event magnitude. These results could explain the clockwise hysteretic relationships between suspended sediment concentrations and discharges for 80% of floods. This pattern is associated with the rapid availability of the fine sediments stored in the river channel. This study shows the need to focus on not only the mechanisms of fine sediment production from hillslope erosion but also the spatiotemporal dynamics of fine sediment transfer in braided rivers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling of meander migration in an incised channel

An updated linear computer model for meandering rivers with incision has been developed. The model simulates the bed topography, flow field, and bank erosion rate in an incised meandering channel. In a scenario where the upstream sediment load decreases （e.g., after dam closure or soil conservation）, alluvial river experiences cross section deepening and slope flattening. The channel migration rate might be affected in two ways： decreased channel slope and steeped bank height. The proposed numerical model combines the traditional one-dimensional （1D） sediment transport model in simulating the channel erosion and the linear model for channel meandering. A non-equilibrium sediment transport model is used to update the channel bed elevation and gradations. A linear meandering model was used to calculate the channel alignment and bank erosion/accretion, which in turn was used by the 1D sediment transport model. In the 1D sediment transport model, the channel bed elevation and gradations are represented in each channel cross section. In the meandering model, the bed elevation and gradations are stored in two dimensional （2D） cells to represent the channel and terrain properties （elevation and gradation）. A new method is proposed to exchange information regarding bed elevations and bed material fractions between 1D river geometry and 2D channel and terrain. The ability of the model is demonstrated using the simulation of the laboratory channel migration of Friedkin in which channel incision occurs at the upstream end.     

ANABRANCHING RIVERS: THEIR CAUSE,CHARACTER AND CLASSIFICATION

Anabranching rivers consist of multiple channels separated by vegetated semi-permanent alluvial islands excised from existing floodplain or formed by within-channel or deltaic accretion. These rivers occupy a wide range of environments from low to high energy, however, their existence has never been adequately explained. They occur concurrently with other types of channel pattern, although specific requirements include a flood-dominated flow regime and banks that are resistant to erosion, with some systems characterized by mechanisms to block or constrict channels, thereby triggering avulsion. The fundamental advantage of an anabranching river is that, by constructing a semi-permanent system of multiple channels, it can concentrate stream flow and maximize bed-sediment transport (work per unit area of the bed) under conditions where there is little or no opportunity to increase gradient. On the basis of stream energy, sediment size and morphological characteristics, six types of anabranching river are recognized; types 1–3 are lower energy and types 4–6 are higher energy systems. Type 1 are cohesive sediment rivers (commonly termed anastomosing) with low w/d ratio channels that exhibit little or no lateral migration. They are divisible into three subtypes based on vegetative and sedimentary environment. Type 2 are sand-dominated, island-forming rivers, and type 3 are mixed-load laterally active meandering rivers. Type 4 are sand-dominated, ridge-forming rivers characterized by long, parallel, channel-dividing ridges. Type 5 are gravel-dominated, laterally active systems that interface between meandering and braiding in mountainous regions. Type 6 are gravel-dominated, stable systems that occur as non-migrating channels in small, relatively steep basins. Anabranching rivers represent a relatively uncommon but widespread and distinctive group that, because of particular sedimentary, energy-gradient and other hydraulic conditions, operate most effectively as a system of multiple channels separated by vegetated floodplain islands or alluvial ridges.     

Effects of sediment grain size and channel slope on the stability of river bifurcations

Channel bifurcations can be found in river network systems from high gradient gravel-bed rivers to fine-grained low gradient deltas. In these systems, bifurcations often evolve asymmetrically such that one downstream channel silts up and the other deepens and, in most cases, they eventually avulse. Past analytical and numerical studies showed that symmetric bifurcations are unstable in high and low Shields stress conditions resulting in asymmetric bifurcations and avulsion, while they can be stable in the mid-Shields range, but this range is smaller for larger width-to-depth ratio. Here, using a one-dimensional (1D) numerical model, we show that effects of sediment grain size and of channel slope are much larger than expected for low-gradient systems when a sediment transport relation is used that separates between bedload and suspended load transport. We found that the range of Shields stress conditions with unstable symmetric bifurcations expanded for lower channel slopes and for finer sediment. In high sediment mobility, suspended load increasingly dominates the sediment transport, which increases the sediment transport nonlinearity and lowers the relative influence of the stabilizing transverse bedslope-driven flux. Contrary to previous works, we found another stable symmetric solution in high Shields stress, but this only occurs in the systems with small width-to-depth ratio. This indicates that suspended load-dominated bifurcations of lowland rivers are more likely to develop into highly asymmetric channels than previously thought. This explains the tendency of channel avulsion observed in many systems.     

The distribution and residence time of suspended sediment stored within the channel margins of a gravel‐bed bedrock river

Previously undocumented deposits are described that store suspended sediment in gravel‐bedded rivers, termed ‘fine‐grained channel margin’ (FGCM) deposits. FGCM deposits consist of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter that accumulate behind large woody debris (LWD) along the margins of the wetted perimeter of the single‐thread, gravel‐bed South River in Virginia. These deposits store a total mass equivalent to 17% to 43% of the annual suspended sediment load. Radiocarbon, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷C dating indicate that sediment in FGCM deposits ranges in age from 1 to more than 60 years. Reservoir theory suggests an average turnover time of 1·75 years and an annual exchange with the water column of a mass of sediment equivalent to 10% to 25% of the annual sediment load. The distribution of ages in the deposits can be fitted by a power function, suggesting that sediment stored in the deposits has a wide variety of transit times. Most sediment in storage is reworked quickly, but a small portion may remain in place for many decades. The presence of FGCM deposits indicates that suspended sediment is not simply transported downstream in gravel‐bed rivers in agricultural watersheds: significant storage can occur over decadal timescales. South River has a history of mercury contamination and identifying sediment sources and sinks is critical for documenting the extent of contamination and for developing remediation plans. FGCM deposits should be considered in future sediment budget and sediment transport modeling studies of gravel‐bed rivers in agricultural watersheds. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulating meander evolution of the Geul River (the Netherlands) using a topographic steering model

Active meandering rivers are capable of reworking and removing large quantities of valuable land. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of meandering rivers and predicting future meander behaviour can be of great value for local authorities. In this study, we apply a topographic steering meander model to the Geul River (southern Netherlands), using field data to calibrate the model. The present channel characteristics of the Geul River were mapped in the field. Cut‐banks were classified as erosive, unstable or stable. The model outcomes were compared with these field data. Several model runs were carried out, using different sets of parameter values. After studying the results and using the field data, we introduced the concept of a variable channel width in the simulation model. In reality, the river has different channel widths varying from 8 to more than 15 m. These widths are a linear function of local curvature. The model runs using a variable channel width show that the model is capable of predicting locations of lateral migration in conformity with observed active lateral migration and erosive banks. With both models, the sediment reworking time of the floodplain can be calculated. Floodplain reworking times of 200–300 years were calculated. In combination with the lateral migration rate, this reworking time is an important element in catchment sediment budget calculations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling the effect of vegetation on channel pattern in bedload rivers

We modify a simple numerical stream‐pattern model to examine the effect of sediment stabilization by roots on the channel pattern of bedload rivers. In the model, vegetation enhances bank resistance to erosion, causing the development of a single channel instead of a rapidly changing, multiple channel (braided) pattern. Net aggradation resulting from a high sediment supply, however, causes frequent avulsions that destroy vegetation locally, leading to the development of a multiple‐channel pattern. A stability diagram representing multiple model runs predicts whether a river will exhibit single or multiple channels, based on plant‐enhanced bank strength, and on the time scale of plant development relative to a time scale for change in unvegetated channels. A second stability diagram predicts the way in which the amplitude and period of a fluctuating imposed sediment load influence whether a single or multiple‐channel pattern develops. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.