Cenozoic volcanism,tectonism and stream derangement in the Snowy Mountains and northern Monaro of New South Wales

Studies of Cenozoic lavas and associated sediments in the Kiandra‐Cabramurra and Adaminaby‐Cooma areas identify and date tectonic deformations responsible for differential uplift and drainage development of the region. Volcanic activity on the northern Monaro was mainly Eocene‐Oligocene but in the extreme north there are Early Miocene sediments and lavas. Volcanic activity and folding began to rearrange the drainage in the Eocene‐Oligocene. The headwaters of the Murrumbidgee River originally flowed south into the Eucumbene River but Early Miocene folding and faulting uplifted the Monaro Range and created a large lake near Adaminaby. Lake overtopping rerouted the drainage east and then south along the basalt‐filled valley of an old north‐flowing tributary, the ‘Adaminaby River’, forming the present‐day Murrumbidgee River. The folding also produced a 300 m height difference between the Berridale and Adaminaby Plateaus and formed a section of the Great Divide. This fold displacement ranks with the largest Cenozoic fault displacements. In the Kiandra area tectonism associated with Early Miocene volcanism rearranged the drainage and tilted the Kiandra area and Kosciuszko Block to the north.     

Late Quaternary dynamics of the Tisza River: Evidence of climatic and tectonic controls

The focus of this study is to understand a dramatic avulsion event on the Tisza River. During the Late Pleistocene the river course switched by about 80 km from the east to west of the Great Hungarian Plain (GHP) through the Záhony bend to its present meander belt. The aim of this study is to date this Záhony avulsion: based upon radiocarbon and pollen samples from six cores in the Polgár study area, situated in the west of the GHP at the middle course of the Tisza River. In addition, a grain size composition and heavy mineral analysis has been performed. The results of these analyses reveal a sequence of paleochannels and have been plotted on a high-resolution digital elevation model, illustrating the paleochannel form and age relationships.

The study suggests that the age of this major avulsion event is significantly older than it was previously supposed. Instead of 10 to 11 ka it is, according to our new data, 16–18 ka, and definitely predates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The river cut into the previous, contiguous surface and formed at least one climatic terrace, then drifted gradually westward as a response to a tilt or the differential subsidence of tectonic origin.     

Evolution of drainage patterns on Cape York Peninsula,northeast Queensland

Drainage patterns along passive continental margins are often hypothesised to be the result of drainage disruption following highland uplift and downwarping of the highland flank. Several studies of stream catchments throughout southeast Australia have demonstrated that the opposite tends to be the case in this region because the field evidence favours stream and continental drainage‐divide stability. While significant advances have been made towards understanding this phenomenon in the southeastern corner of the continent, little is known of the evolution of streams and highlands in northeast Australia. Our study examines palaeochannels and fluvial sedimentary units close to the continental drainage divide in six stream catchments along the length of Cape York Peninsula. The results show that four of the catchments (Barron‐Mitchell and Stewart‐Holroyd) have experienced continental divide and drainage stability, whereas the Pascoe‐Wenlock system appears to have experienced westward migration of the continental drainage divide and diversion of the Pascoe River. River diversion here is likely to be a result of the raising of base‐level and flooding of stream channels during the Cretaceous marine transgression and subsequent stream incision by the Pascoe River along structural weaknesses in the underlying strata, following cessation of marine conditions.     

Origin of the Danube-Aach system

The Swabian Alb formed by an Upper Jurassic carbonate sequence is the most extensive karst area of Germany. The western part is crossed by the upper Danube River. It represents an old, mainly Pliocene, drainage system that is now restricted by the young Rhine system. The low base level of the upper Rhine graben causes a strong headward erosion. Since the Upper Pliocene, the Danube has lost more than 90% of its headwaters. The underground Danube-Aach karst system of the western Alb represents the last capture of the Rhine, leading periodically to a complete loss of water in the upper Danube. The seepage of this water, together with the huge karst catchment area, supplies the strong discharge of the Aach Spring, forming the largest spring of Germany with an average discharge of 8.5 m³ s^–1.     

Geochemistry and provenance of bed sediments of the large rivers in the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan region

We investigated the geochemical characteristics of major, trace and rare earth elements and Sr–Nd isotope patterns of bed sediments from the headwaters and upper reaches of the six large rivers draining the Tibetan Plateau (the Jinsha River—Yangtze, Lancang River—Mekong, Nujiang River—Salween, Huang He—Yellow, Indus, and Yarlung Tsangpo—Brahmaputra). By using Ca/Al versus Mg/Al, La/Sc versus Co/Th, and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr versus ε_Nd (0) binary differentiation diagrams of provenance, some typical contributors to the different catchment sediments can be identified. In the Three-River (the Jinsha, Lancang, and Nujiang Rivers) tectonomagmatic belt, acidic–intermediate-acidic volcanic rocks are very important provenance of sediments. Carbonate rocks and Permian Emeishan basalts are dominant in the Jinsha River. The Yellow River sediments have similar geochemical characteristics with loess in catchments. The Indus and Yarlung Tsangpo Rivers sediments are mainly from ultra-K volcanic rocks and Cenozoic granitoids widely distributed in the Indus–Yarlung suture. The intensity of chemical weathering in these river catchments is evaluated by calculating the chemical indices of alteration (CIA) of sediments and comparing them with bedrocks. The CIA values of the six river sediments are from 46.5 to 69.6, closing to those of bedrocks in the corresponding catchment, which indicates relatively weak chemical weathering intensity. Lithology, climate, and topography affect the chemical weathering intensity in these river catchments.     

东昆仑阿拉克湖地区第四纪水系演化过程及其趋势

根据第四系沉积物的沉积时代、沉积类型及盆山耦合与迁移规律,将东昆仑阿拉克湖地区第四纪水系变迁划分了4个阶段：早更新世小型内陆盆地无序水系阶段;中更新世冰川水系与东流水系阶段;晚更新世柴达木盆地内陆水系向南溯源侵蚀阶段;全新世黄河外泄水系形成与发展阶段。根据研究区及相邻地区黄河水系和柴达木盆地内陆水系的溯源侵蚀发展历史及趋势分析,认为研究区未来水系发展趋势不一定是加鲁河袭夺鄂陵湖、扎陵湖两湖及黄河水系,而可能是黄河加快下蚀作用和溯源侵蚀,鄂陵湖和扎陵湖将逐渐消失成为河流,黄河水系最终将袭夺柴达木内陆盆地水系。     

The Kufrah paleodrainage system in Libya: A past connection to the Mediterranean Sea?

Paillou et al. (2009) mapped a 900 km-long paleodrainage system in eastern Libya, the Kufrah River, that could have linked the southern Kufrah Basin to the Mediterranean coast through the Sirt Basin, possibly as long ago as the Middle Miocene. We study here the potential connection between the terminal part of the Kufrah River and the Mediterranean Sea through the Wadi Sahabi paleochannel, which may have constituted the northern extension of the lower Kufrah River paleodrainage system. New analysis of SRTM-derived topography combined with Synthetic Aperture Radar images from the Japanese PALSAR orbital sensor allowed the mapping of seven main paleochannels located west of the Kufrah River, each of which is likely to have formed a tributary that supplied water and sediment to the main paleodrainage system. The northernmost four paleochannels probably originated from the Al Haruj relief, a Pliocene alkaline basaltic intracontinental volcanic field, and potentially connected to the Wadi Sahabi paleochannel. The remaining three paleochannels are in the more southerly location of the Sarir Calanscio, North-East of the Tibesti mountains, and barely present a topographic signature in SRTM data. They end in the dunes of the Calanscio Sand Sea, forming alluvial fans. The most southern paleochannel, known as Wadi Behar Belama, was previously mapped by Pachur (1996) using LANDSAT-TM images, and was interpreted by Osborne et al. (2008) as representing part of an uninterrupted sediment pathway from the Tibesti mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. Processing of SRTM topographic data revealed local depressions which allow to connect the seven paleochannels and possibly the terminal alluvial fan of the Kufrah River to the Wadi Sahabi paleochannel, through a 400 km-long, south-north oriented, paleocorridor. These new findings support our previous hypothesis that proposed a connection between the lower Kufrah River in the region of the Sarir Dalmah and the Wadi Sahabi paleochannel, which connected to the Mediterranean Sea. Including the newly mapped paleochannels, the Kufrah River paleowatershed, at its maximum extent, would have covered more than 400,000 km², representing close to a quarter of the surface area of Libya.     

Human impacts on the Waikato River system, New Zealand

The Waikato River drains 13% of the North Island. It rises in the Central Volcanic Plateau; the headwaters, including the Tongariro R., drain into oligotrophic Lake Taupo, important for fishing and holidaying. The river flows north from Taupo for 450 km to the sea near Auckland. Human impacts on the river system have been extensive, primarily dating from European colonisation begun in the 1800s. Most of the catchment below L. Taupo has been altered by agricultural development (mainly sheep and cattle rearing); the original forests and swamps have been lost leading to increased nutrient levels, erosion, light intensities, and water temperatures. There is also extensive use of the water for electricity generation. The Tongarino Power Scheme involves impoundment of water, and the diversion of additional water from the Whanganui River and other catchments with consequent effects on their biota. There are 8 hydro-electric dams on the Waikato River below Taupo causing barriers to migratory animals, downstream effects due to impoundments, and alterations to water flow regimes. Impacts of geothermal power stations, and the water-cooled Huntly Power Station in the lower Waikato are more localised. Eutrophication is enhanced by sewage and stormwater discharges, but all wastes now receive some form of treatment. There are only 340,000 people in the catchment and the major industrial pollution comes from meat and dairy processing and forestry. Some natural pollution results from geothermal inputs. Water abstraction and discharges into the river are now closely regulated. Extensive introductions of exotic biota have been made, notably trout, coarse fish, and macrophytes. The native biota has been little-studied and the biological processes operating in the river are poorly understood. It is not possible to assess the relative importance of eutrophication and habitat change, nor to predict the impacts of future changes.     

A 100 ka record of fluvial activity in the Fitzroy River Basin,tropical northeastern Australia

This study reports the nature and timing of Quaternary fluvial activity in the Fitzroy River basin, which drains a diverse 143,000 km² area in northeastern Queensland, before discharging into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The catchment consists of an extensive array of channel and floodplain types that we show have undergone large-scale fluvial adjustment in-channel planform, geometry and sinuosity. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz sediments from fifteen (3–18 m) floodplain cores throughout the basin indicates several discrete phases of active bedload activity: at ～105–85 ka in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, at ～50–40 ka (MIS 3), and at ～30–10 ka (MIS 3/2). The overall timing of late Quaternary fluvial activity correlates well with previous accounts from across Australia with rivers being primarily active during interstadials. Fluvial activity, however, does not appear to have been synchronous throughout the basin’s major sub-catchments. Fluvial activity throughout MIS 2 (i.e. across the Last Glacial Maximum) in the meandering channels of the Fitzroy correlates well with regional data in tropical northeastern Queensland, and casts new light on the river response to reduced rainfall and vegetation cover suggested by regional palaeoclimate indicators. Moreover, the absence of a strong Holocene signal is at odds with previous accounts from elsewhere throughout Australia. The latitudinal position of the Fitzroy across the Tropic of Capricorn places this catchment at a key location for elucidating the main hydrological drivers of Quaternary fluvial activity in northeastern Australia, and especially for determining tropical moisture sources feeding into the headwaters of Cooper Creek, a major river system of the continental interior.     

若尔盖沼泽湿地的萎缩机制

1960年以来,若尔盖沼泽湿地的快速萎缩严重影响黄河上游水量补给和当地湿地生态系统,但其机制尚不清晰。基于2010—2013年野外调查、气象水文资料和遥感影像,分析若尔盖沼泽退化的主要原因与机制。尽管气温的缓慢升高,但降水量并未减少,考虑到沼泽的季节性特征,气候变暖对沼泽萎缩影响相当有限,但不是主要原因。经遥感判读和统计,共识别现有920 km的人工渠道,其疏干的沼泽面积约648.3 km2,占总萎缩面积的27%。人工开渠作为强烈的人类活动干扰,是若尔盖沼泽快速萎缩的重要原因。自然水系的溯源侵蚀长期疏干沼泽、降低地下水水位和放射状地向沼泽内部切穿是沼泽萎缩的重要机制。人工开渠连通自然水系强化沼泽内河床下切和排水作用。     

The Quaternary history of the Wash fluvial network, UK

This paper appraises and compares the Middle-Upper Pleistocene sedimentary sequences preserved in the fluvial systems draining into the Fenland Basin and the Wash estuary. Of the main Fenland rivers the longest records, which extend back to the initial Anglian (glacial) formation of the basin, are found in the Great Ouse and its tributaries, particularly the Cam and the Nar. These sequences preserve sediments representing all four post-Anglian interglacials. The Nene also has an extensive post-Anglian history, with evidence for a Hoxnian estuary that is presumed to have been the precursor of the Wash. North of the Nene, however, the Welland and Witham (proto-Trent) have relatively short sequences, which are thought to commence with a later (post-Anglian-pre-Devensian) glaciation that affected Lincolnshire and fed the previously-recognized Tottenhill outwash delta south of Kings Lynn. Prior to Devensian deglaciation the Witham valley was occupied by the Trent, which was the trunk river of the late Middle Pleistocene Wash system. During periods of low sea level the river would have extended north-eastwards across what is now the floor of the North Sea, possibly via the Inner Silver Pit. Several of the central Fenland sequences show evidence of infrequent terrace formation during the late Quaternary, although this might in part be due to poor vertical separation between terraces, so that differentiating them has been difficult; this has been exacerbated by mixed biostratigraphical signals due to the preservation of sediments representing more than one interglacial beneath a single terrace surface. In several of the systems there is evidence for valley rejuvenation to the lowest terrace or valley-floor level during the MIS 4-3 transition. The observed differences within what, during the predominant periods of lower sea level, would have been a single Wash river system are difficult to explain.     

Environmental effects of river sand mining: a case from the river catchments of Vembanad lake,Southwest coast of India

Rivers in the southwest coast of India are under immense pressure due to various kinds of human activities among which indiscriminate extraction of construction grade sand is the most disastrous one. The situation is rather alarming in the rivers draining the Vembanad lake catchments as the area hosts one of the fast developing urban-cum-industrial centre, the Kochi city, otherwise called the Queen of Arabian Sea. The Vembanad lake catchments are drained by seven rivers whose length varies between 78 and 244 km and catchment area between 847 and 5,398 km². On an average, 11.73 million ty⁻¹ of sand and gravel are being extracted from the active channels and 0.414 million ty⁻¹ of sand from the river floodplains. The quantity of instream mining is about 40 times the higher than the sand input estimated in the gauging stations. As a result of indiscriminate sand mining, the riverbed in the storage zone is getting lowered at a rate of 7–15 cm y⁻¹ over the past two decades. This, in turn, imposes severe damages to the physical and biological environments of these river systems. The present paper deals with the environmental effects of indiscriminate sand mining from the small catchment rivers in the southwest coast of India, taking the case of the rivers draining the Vembanad lake catchments as an example.     

The paleohydrological context of the Iron Age floodplain sites of the Mun River Valley,Northeast Thailand1

Many Iron Age sites on the flood plain of the Mun River in northeast Thailand are encircled by channels commonly known as “moats.” Also, the sites are closely associated with complex paleochannels of the river. A comparison between the seemingly human‐constructed moats and paleochannels provided an opportunity to assess the relationship between prehistoric human settlement and paleohydrological conditions. In this study, the results of physical, sedimentological, and geochemical analyses are used to characterize sediments deposited within the channels around the Iron Age site of Ban Non Wat and within a paleochannel at nearby Ban Non Ngiu. This allowed us to test the results of previous research that has suggested significant changes in the floodplain hydrology and the geoarchaeologically important conclusion that Iron Age human activity was associated with one particular paleohydrological phase. Our analyses broadly confirm the results of previous stratigraphic studies, but add detail regarding sedimentation processes. The evidence indicates that there are significant sedimentological differences within the complex of archaeological channel features, differences that provide critical evidence for the formation and sedimentation processes of the channels. More importantly, comparison between the archaeological features and the natural channel fills highlights the relationships between the archaeological sites and landscape. Drawing also on previously published chronological, geomorphological, and stratigraphical data, it is possible to place the sites into a floodplain hydrological regime that may have been unique to the Iron Age. Specifically, the moats may have been constructed in response to enhanced water availability on the floodplain. The sites, therefore, may reflect a human response to increased availability of water beyond the main river channels. This water supply, however, appears to have been short‐lived (centuries at most), and with its loss, the human adaptation to this enhanced natural resource became unviable. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

小昌马河流域地表水地下水同位素与水化学特征及转化关系

利用小昌马河流域上游大雪山老虎沟冰雪融水及下游昌马洪积扇区地下水的稳定同位素和水化学资料, 对流域稳定同位素和水化学的组分特征和季节变化进行了分析. 结果表明: 小昌马河流域内从上游冰雪融水区到下游昌马洪积扇地下水排泄区矿化度不断增高, 水化学类型由HCO₃-Mg-Ca过渡到HCO₃-SO₄-Ca-Mg; 上游冰雪融水与下游地下水δ¹⁸O的季节变化基本一致, 洪积扇区地下水来源于冰雪融水的补给. 水文地球化学模型模拟显示地下水形成过程中水岩作用以析出方解石, 吸收二氧化碳, 溶解石膏、 岩盐和绿泥石等为主要特征, 溶蚀的含盐矿物使地下水中氯化物、 硫酸根和钠离子含量升高, 地下水水质恶化. 同位素和水化学证据均揭示了小昌马河流域地表水-地下水的化学环境转化关系.     

Major river systems of central and southern Britain during the Early and Middle Pleistocene

Central and southern Britain was drained by two main river systems during the larger part of the Early and Middle Pleistocene: the Thames and Bytham rivers. Evidence for these rivers and their Quaternary history is represented by their sediments (the Kesgrave and Bytham Sands and Gravels, respectively), the geomorphological position of the sediments, biostratigraphy and amino acid geochronology. Evidence from the earlier parts of the Early Pleistocene (Tiglian C4b and earlier) indicates low-energy river systems and marine conditions over much of East Anglia. For most of the Early Pleistocene (Tiglian C4c to the Cromerian Complex) the ancestral Thames was the main river with, at its maximal extent, a catchment that extended into Wales, and across East Anglia and what is now the North Sea, to join the ancestral Rhine. During this period, glaciers in the uplands of Wales and periglacial mass movement elsewhere supplied material to the catchment and it was at this time that the bulk of the sorted Quaternary ssediments of lowland Britain were deposited. The Bytham river system has no successor because the landscape now in existence has been fundamentally altered by glacial erosion. This catchment drained most of Midland England and joined the Thames in central East Anglia. Initially, the Bytham river was a tributary of the Thames, but over time it extended its catchment and at the beginning of the 'Cromerian Complex'it became the main river of southern Britain. With the Anglian Glaciation (01 Stage 121, the Bytham river was destroyed and the Thames was diverted to its present route through London.     

天山北麓玛纳斯河流域山间洼地地下水库的形成机理与开发利用的意义

天山北麓玛纳斯河流域山问洼地位于低山丘陵区山前坳陷带的南部，该区褶皱、断裂、近NS向次级张性断裂与平移构造以及山间洼地的第四系沉积物发育．山区地表水流经该段入渗，加之南部中山区的侧向补给形成山间洼地地下水库．正确认识玛纳斯河流域山间洼地地下水库的形成机理并对其进行合理的开发利用，对解决玛纳斯河流域季节性缺水及枯水年缺水有重要意义．笔应用构造及地表水由山区水站至山口渠首站实测流量损失的研究成果，揭示了玛纳斯河流域山间洼地地下水库的形成及调蓄作用，并概算了补给量，为今后开发利用山间洼地地下水库水资源提供了依据．     

Channelized and hillslope sediment transport and the geomorphology of mountain belts

This paper uses the results of landscape evolution models and morphometric data from the Andes of northern Peru and the eastern Swiss Alps to illustrate how the ratio between sediment transport on hillslopes and in channels influences landscape and channel network morphologies and dynamics. The headwaters of fluvial- and debris-flow-dominated systems (channelized processes) are characterized by rough, high-relief, highly incised surfaces which contain a dense and hence a closely spaced channel network. Also, these systems tend to respond rapidly to modifications in external forcing (e.g., rock uplift and/or precipitation). This is the case because the high channel density results in a high bulk diffusivity. In contrast, headwaters where landsliding is an important sediment source are characterized by a low channel density and by rather straight and unstable channels. In addition, the topographies are generally smooth. The low channel density then results in a relatively low bulk diffusivity. As a consequence, response times are greater in headwaters of landslide-dominated systems than in highly dissected drainages. The Peruvian and Swiss case studies show how regional differences in climate and the litho-tectonic architecture potentially exert contrasting controls on the relative importance of channelized versus hillslope processes and thus on the overall geomorphometry. Specifically, the Peruvian example illustrates to what extent the storminess of climate has influenced production and transport of sediment on hillslopes and in channels, and how these differences are seen in the morphometry of the landscape. The Swiss example shows how the bedding orientation of the bedrock drives channelized and hillslope processes to contrasting extents, and how these differences are mirrored in the landscape. An erratum to this article can be found at     

论黄河下游断流问题

陈述黄河下游２０ 余年来频繁断流的事实,分析了黄河断流的原因及其已产生的危害,提出防治对策。讨论黄河开发利用的几种认识误区,研究了黄河流域的地质地貌格局与黄河流域生态环境及下游河道在华北平原大变迁的关系。最后提出立足于全流域开展黄河问题研究和可持续开发利用黄河的大系统观及具体工作建议。     

长江上游屏山至宜昌河道泥沙存贮量的变化及其地貌学意义

通过河流输沙分析研究了长江上游河道的悬移质泥沙存贮量及其变化。结果表明,1956～2000年屏山-宜昌河段历年的河道存贮量的变化可以划分为3个阶段,即两个泥沙存贮期和1个泥沙释放期。1956～1968年为第1个泥沙存贮期,河道泥沙存贮累积性增加,累计存贮量为4.0126×10⁸t,与这一时期人类活动导致的流域侵蚀加剧有密切的关系;1969～1983年为泥沙释放期,累积释放量为2.6533×10⁸t——支流水库大量修建,拦截了泥沙,下泄泥沙减少,进入长江干流的泥沙减少,含沙量降低,使得干流中前期存贮的泥沙发生侵蚀而释放;1984～2000年为第2个泥沙存贮期,累积存贮量为4.0733×10⁸t。金沙江下游重点产沙区产沙量增加,进入长江干流的泥沙增多,葛洲坝水库建成后投入运行,三峡水库大坝的建设,也导致长江干流河道中泥沙存贮量的增大。输入沙量、输出沙量和与流域面平均年降水量之间均存在较明显的正相关关系,而存贮量与降水量不相关,说明河道泥沙存贮对于降水量的变化不敏感。屏山-宜昌河道泥沙输移比的时间变化大致可以分为两个阶段,即在1956～1982年河道泥沙输移比呈增加趋势,1983～2000年则呈减小趋势。这种变化可以用河道泥沙存贮的变化来解释。长江上游屏山-宜昌河段河道泥沙存贮的时间变化与中游宜昌-武汉河段泥沙冲淤量的时间变化相位在一定程度上是相反的,说明上游河道泥沙存贮增多会导致中游河道泥沙存贮减少,上游河道泥沙存贮减少会导致中游河道泥沙存贮增多。     

The use of caddisfly fauna (Insecta: Trichoptera) to characterise the Late‐glacial River Trent,England

Trichoptera have been utilised infrequently in palaeoecological studies despite their value as environmental indicators of freshwater habitat structure and quality, via their aquatic larvae, and catchment macroclimate conditions, via the aerial adults. Two sites, dated ca. 11 600 ¹⁴C yr BP, in the middle reaches of the River Trent (England) supported caddisfly (Trichoptera) assemblages indicative of a dynamic braided river with extensive floodplain development. At the first, Barrow‐upon‐Trent, the caddisfly assemblage was dominated by taxa indicative of a medium to large gravel‐bed river (Lepidostoma hirtum, Micrasema setiferum and taxa from the family Hydropsychidae). At the second site, Hemington, the caddisfly fauna was dominated by taxa from the families Limnephilidae and Phryganeidae. These usually occur in slow flowing and standing waters and are indicative of cut‐off channels on the floodplain. Micrasema setiferum does not occur in the contemporary UK fauna and has a modern distribution across central Europe and Fennoscandia. A gridded climatology extracted for those geographical areas where M. setiferum occurs today indicated a greater degree of continentality than currently prevailing in the Trent catchment. The value of Trichoptera in palaeoecological studies is explored and a model of channel evolution for the River Trent is presented based on caddisfly data. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.