Field studies on factors affecting very fine and ultra fine particulate organic matter deposition in low‐gradient sand‐bed streams

The knowledge on particle deposition in streams is mainly based on investigations in mountain streams. No data exist from low‐gradient sand‐bed streams that largely differ in the morphological and hydraulic factors proposed to affect deposition. To identify physical control on particle deposition in low‐gradient streams, we assessed deposition of very fine and ultra fine organic particulate matter in 18 sand‐bed stream reaches. We added particles derived from lake sediment and assessed the mean transport distance S_P and the deposition velocity v_dep. Additionally, reach hydraulics were estimated by injections of a conservative solute tracer (NaCl). Among the low‐gradient streams, particle deposition kinetics were variable but similar to deposition in mountain streams. S_P was solely related to the flow velocity. This relation was confirmed when comprising published data on deposition of fine organic particles. An association between particle deposition and transient storage factors was insignificant. We found significance of the transient storage to S_P only for repeated measures within a single reach, when flow velocity and benthic conditions were nearly constant. Measured v_dep/v_fall ratios were much larger than unity in most reaches. Evidence from this relation suggests that the vertical transport of very fine and ultra fine organic particulate matter through the water column was caused mainly by vertical mixing. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Logjams as a driver of transient storage in a mountain stream

We use four stream segments along a wood-rich, pool–riffle mountain stream in the Southern Rockies of Colorado, USA to examine how spatial variations in wood load and variations in discharge during and after the snowmelt peak flow influence the magnitude of surface and subsurface transient storage. Segments range in complexity from a single channel with no large wood to an anabranching channel with closely spaced, channel-spanning logjams. Discharges at which transient storage was assessed range from base flow to snowmelt peak flow. To explore these relations, we used 10 geomorphic variables representing channel morphology and bed substrate, four wood-related variables representing wood load and associated backwater storage, and two measures of skewness from instream and bulk electrical conductivity breakthrough curves during tracer tests. Instream curves reflect surface and subsurface transient storage, whereas bulk curves primarily represent subsurface transient storage. Higher values of skewness indicate greater retention, and we used the values here as a metric of increased transient storage. Although limited sample size restricts the power of our results, our findings suggest that stream segments with greater instream large wood loads have more and larger pools, greater storage of fine sediment and particulate organic matter, and higher values of skew from instream conductivity. The results also suggest that the presence of instream wood, rather than changes in channel morphology associated with wood, is the most important driver of transient storage. This implies that river management designed to foster transient storage should focus on retaining instream large wood. We did not find significant correlations between geomorphic or wood-related variables and the skew estimated from bulk conductivity, which may reflect the relatively thin alluvium present in the field area and the prevalence of surface transient storage in this system.     

A heat pulse technique for the determination of small‐scale flow directions and flow velocities in the streambed of sand‐bed streams

The hyporheic zone (HZ) has the capability to eliminate and attenuate nutrients and contaminants in riverine systems. Biogeochemical reactions and the potential elimination of contaminants are strongly controlled by the flow paths and dynamics in the HZ. Nevertheless, an easily applicable method for the field determination of flow patterns in the HZ is still lacking. Therefore, a heat pulse technique, which traces the movement of a short heat pulse in the upper part of the HZ and other sand beds, was developed. Five rods are vertically driven into the sediment of the streambed; one rod with a heater as point source located in about 10‐cm sediment depth and four rods with four temperature sensors in 3 cm distance, arranged concentrically with 7 cm diameter around the heating rod. Subsequently, a heat pulse is applied and the resulting breakthrough curves are indicative of flow velocities and flow directions in the streambed. A rough data analysis procedure is also suggested. In addition, laboratory experiments were performed to test the heat pulse technique. These experiments were validated based on coupled numerical modelling of flow and heat transport. First field tests of the method prove that the method is easily applicable under field conditions. These first field tests showed highly complex flow patterns with flow velocities from 1·8 to 4·9 cm min^?1 and flow directions from parallel to surface flow to opposite to surface flow. This suggests the need for a robust method to quantify hyporheic flow patterns in situ. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial and temporal variations in bank erosion on sand‐bed streams in the seasonally wet tropics of northern Australia

Bank erosion rates and processes across a range of spatial scales are poorly understood in most environments, especially in the seasonally wet tropics of northern Australia where sediment yields are among global minima. A total of 177 erosion pins was installed at 45 sites on four sand‐bed streams (Tributaries North and Central, East Tributary and Ngarradj) in the Ngarradj catchment in the Alligator Rivers Region. Bank erosion was measured for up to 3·5 years (start of 1998/99 wet season to end of 2001/02 wet season) at three spatial scales, namely a discontinuous gully (0·6 km²) that was initiated by erosion of a grass swale between 1975 and 1981, a small continuous channel (2·5 km²) on an alluvial fan that was formed by incision of a formerly discontinuous channel between 1964 and 1978, and three medium‐sized, continuous channels (8·5–43·6 km²) with riparian vegetation. The bank erosion measurements during a period of average to above‐average rainfall established that substantial bank erosion occurred during the wet season on the two smaller channels by rapid lateral migration (Tributary Central) and by erosion of gully sidewalls due to a combination of within‐gully flows and overland flow plunging over the sidewalls (Tributary North). Minor bank erosion also occurred during the dry season by faunal activity, by desiccation and loss of cohesion of the sandy bank sediments and by dry flow processes. The larger channels with riparian vegetation (East Tributary and Ngarradj) did not generate significant amounts of sediment by bank erosion. Deposition (i.e. negative pin values) was locally significant at all scales. Bank profile form and channel planform exert a strong control on erosion rates during the wet season but not during the dry season. Copyright © 2006 Commonwealth Government of Australia.     

Particle path length distributions in meandering gravel‐bed streams: results from physical models

In gravel‐bed rivers with well‐de?ned pool–bar morphology, the path length of transported bed particles must be, at least during ‘channel‐forming’ ?ows, equal to the length scale of the morphology. This is the basis for some methods for estimating bed material transport rates. However, previous data, especially from ?eld tests, are often strongly positively skewed with mean much shorter than the pool–bar spacing. One possible explanation is that positively skewed distributions occur only in channels lacking distinct pool–bar topography or only at lower discharges in pool–bar channels. A series of ?ume experiments using ?uorescent tracers was used to measure path length distributions in low‐sinuosity meandering channels to assess the relation with channel morphology and ?ow conditions. At channel‐forming ?ows, 55 to 75 per cent of the tracer grains were deposited on the ?rst point bar downstream of the point of tracer input, with 15 per cent passing beyond the ?rst bar. Path length distributions are symmetrical with mean equal to the pool–bar spacing and can be described with a Cauchy distribution. In some cases there was a secondary mode close to the point of tracer introduction; this bimodal distribution ?ts a combined gamma–Cauchy distribution. Only when discharge was reduced below the channel‐forming ?ow were frequency distributions unimodal and positively skewed with no relation to the pool–bar spacing. Thus, path length distributions become more symmetrical, and mean path length increases to coincide with pool–bar spacing, as ?ow approaches channel‐forming conditions. This is a substantial modi?cation of existing models of particle transfer in gravel‐bed rivers. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Local‐scale variability of seepage and hydraulic conductivity in a shallow gravel‐bed river

Seepage rate and direction measured with a seepage metre modified for use in flowing water were greatly variable along a 300‐m reach of a shallow, gravel‐bed river and depended primarily on the local‐scale bed topography. The median value of seepage measured at 24 locations was 24 cm/day, but seepage measured at specific sites ranged from ?340 to +237 cm/day. Seepage also varied substantially over periods of hours to days and occasionally reversed direction in response to evolution of the sediment bed. Vertical hydraulic conductivity was related to seepage direction and was larger during upward seepage than during downward seepage; with differences ranging from 4 to 40% in areas of active sediment transport to more than an order of magnitude in areas where current was too slow to mobilize bed sediment. Seepage was poorly related to hydraulic gradient measured over vertical distances of 0·3 m and appeared to be opposite the hydraulic gradient at 18% of the locations where both parameters were measured. Results demonstrate the scale dependence of these measurements in coarse‐grained hyporheic settings and indicate that hydraulic gradients should be determined over a much shorter vertical increment if used to indicate exchange across the sediment–water interface. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of transient storage on nitrate uptake lengths in streams: an inter‐site comparison

Surface water–groundwater interaction in the hyporheic zone may enhance biogeochemical cycling in streams, and it has been hypothesized that streams exchanging more water with the hyporheic zone should have more rapid nitrate utilization. We used simultaneous conservative solute and nitrate addition tracer tests to measure transient storage (which includes hyporheic exchange and in‐stream storage) and the rate of nitrate uptake along three reaches within the Red Canyon Creek watershed, Wyoming. We calibrated a one‐dimensional transport model, incorporating transient storage (OTIS‐P), to the conservative solute breakthrough curves and used the results to determine the degree of transient storage in each reach. The nitrate uptake length was quantified from the exponential decrease in nitrate concentration with distance during the tracer tests. Nitrate uptake along the most downstream reach of Red Canyon Creek was rapid (turnover time K^?1_c = 32 min), compared with nitrate uptake reported in other studies (K^?1_c = 12 to 551 min), but other sites within the watershed showed little nitrate retention or loss. The uptake length S_w‐NO^?₃ for the most downstream reach was 500 m and the mass transfer coefficient V_f‐NO^?₃ was 6·3 m min^?1. Results from 15 other nitrate‐addition tracer tests were used to create a regression model relating transient storage and measures of stream flow to nitrate uptake length. The model, which includes specific discharge and transient storage area, explains almost half the variability in nitrate uptake length (adjusted R² = 0·44) and is most effective for comparing sites with very different stream characteristics. Although large differences in specific discharge and storage zone area explain inter‐site differences in nitrate uptake, other unmeasured variables, such as available organic carbon and microbial community composition, are likely important for predicting differences in nitrate uptake between sites with similar specific discharge rates and storage zone areas, such as when making intra‐site comparisons. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determining long time‐scale hyporheic zone flow paths in Antarctic streams

In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, glaciers are the source of meltwater during the austral summer, and the streams and adjacent hyporheic zones constitute the entire physical watershed; there are no hillslope processes in these systems. Hyporheic zones can extend several metres from each side of the stream, and are up to 70 cm deep, corresponding to a lateral cross‐section as large as 12 m², and water resides in the subsurface year around. In this study, we differentiate between the near‐stream hyporheic zone, which can be characterized with stream tracer experiments, and the extended hyporheic zone, which has a longer time‐scale of exchange. We sampled stream water from Green Creek and from the adjacent saturated alluvium for stable isotopes of D and ¹⁸O to assess the significance and extent of stream‐water exchange between the streams and extended hyporheic zones over long time‐scales (days to weeks). Our results show that water residing in the extended hyporheic zone is much more isotopically enriched (up to 11‰ D and 2·2‰ ¹⁸O) than stream water. This result suggests a long residence time within the extended hyporheic zone, during which fractionation has occurred owing to summer evaporation and winter sublimation of hyporheic water. We found less enriched water in the extended hyporheic zone later in the flow season, suggesting that stream water may be exchanged into and out of this zone, on the time‐scale of weeks to months. The transient storage model OTIS was used to characterize the exchange of stream water with the extended hyporheic zone. Model results yield exchange rates (α) generally an order magnitude lower (10^?5 s^?1) than those determined using stream‐tracer techniques on the same stream. In light of previous studies in these streams, these results suggest that the hyporheic zones in Antarctic streams have near‐stream zones of rapid stream‐water exchange, where ‘fast’ biogeochemical reactions may influence water chemistry, and extended hyporheic zones, in which slower biogeochemical reaction rates may affect stream‐water chemistry at longer time‐scales. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The role of channel morphology on the mobility and dispersion of bed sediment in a small gravel‐bed stream

This study uses a unique 10‐year tracer dataset from a small gravel‐bed stream to examine bed mobility and sediment dispersion over long timescales and at a range of spatial scales. Seasonal tracer data that captured multiple mobilizing events was examined, while the effects of morphology on bed mobility and sediment dispersion were captured at three spatial scales: within morphological units (unit scale), between morphological units (reach scale) and between reaches with different channel morphologies (channel scale). This was achieved by analyzing both reach‐average mobility and travel distance data, as well as the development of ‘mobility maps’ that capture the spatial variability in tracer mobility within the channel. The tracer data suggest that sediment transport in East Creek remains near critical the majority of the time, with only rare large events resulting in high mobility rates and grain travel distances large enough to move sediment past dominant bedforms. While a variable capturing both the magnitude and frequency of flow events within a season yielded a better predictor to sediment mobility and dispersion than peak discharge alone, the distribution of events of different magnitude within the season played a large role in determining tracer mobility rates and travel distances. The effects of morphology differed depending on the analysis scale, demonstrating the importance of scale, and therefore study design, when examining the effect of morphology on sediment transport. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ quantification of spatial and temporal variability of hyporheic exchange in static and mobile gravel‐bed rivers

Seepage meters modified for use in flowing water were used to directly measure rates of exchange between surface and subsurface water in a gravel‐ and cobble bed river in western Pennsylvania, USA (Allegheny River, Q_mean = 190 m³/s) and a sand‐ and gravel‐bed river in Colorado, USA (South Platte River, Q_mean = 9·7 m³/s). Study reaches at the Allegheny River were located downstream from a dam. The bed was stable with moss, algae, and river grass present in many locations. Median seepage was + 0·28 m/d and seepage was highly variable among measurement locations. Upward and downward seepage greatly exceeded the median seepage rate, ranging from + 2·26 (upward) to ? 3·76 (downward) m/d. At the South Platte River site, substantial local‐scale bed topography as well as mobile bedforms resulted in spatial and temporal variability in seepage greatly in exceedence of the median groundwater discharge rate of 0·24 m/d. Both upward and downward seepage were recorded along every transect across the river with rates ranging from + 2·37 to ? 3·40 m/d. Despite a stable bed, which commonly facilitates clogging by fine‐grained or organic sediments, seepage rates at the Allegheny River were not reduced relative to those at the South Platte River. Seepage rate and direction depended primarily on measurement position relative to local‐ and meso‐scale bed topography at both rivers. Hydraulic gradients were small at nearly all seepage‐measurement locations and commonly were not a good indicator of seepage rate or direction. Therefore, measuring hydraulic gradient and hydraulic conductivity at in‐stream piezometers may be misleading if used to determine seepage flux across the sediment‐water interface. Such a method assumes that flow between the well screen and sediment‐water interface is vertical, which appears to be a poor assumption in coarse‐grained hyporheic settings. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bedload yields for sand‐bed streams in the Ngarradj Creek catchment,Northern Territory,Australia

Bedload yields were calculated by 39 methods at the East Tributary gauge, nine methods at Upper Swift Creek gauge and 11 methods at Swift Creek gauge in the Ngarradj Creek catchment in northern Australia. These methods involved combining various significant bedload rating curves determined for a measured bedload data set for a 4‐year period with either the hourly or daily hydrographs or flow duration curves for the same period, 1 September 1998 to 31 August 2002. Bedload ratings were both statistically significant (ρ ≤ 0.05) and explained at least 60% of the variance in bedload flux. Bias corrections were used with all methods based on log₁₀‐transformed ratings. Estimated mean annual bedload yields varied by three orders of magnitude at the East Tributary gauge and by two orders of magnitude at Upper Swift Creek and Swift Creek gauges. Hourly discharges usually produced higher estimated yields than daily discharges. The bedload rating‐flow duration curve technique overestimates yields and bias correction methods always produce even higher yields. Ratings using both immersed bedload weight and adjusted immersed bedload weight always under‐predicted yields because they contain an implicit threshold of motion condition that is at least four times greater than that predicted by Bagnold's threshold equation. Such a result questions the applicability of Bagnold's threshold equation to the Ngarradj Creek catchment. The best estimates of mean annual bedload yield at East Tributary, Upper Swift Creek and Swift Creek gauges are 600 ± 170 (SE), 1065 ± 150 and 1795 ± 270 t/year, respectively. © 2015 Commonwealth of Australia. Hydrological Processes © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Processes and rates of sediment and wood accumulation in headwater streams of the Oregon Coast Range,USA

Channels that have been scoured to bedrock by debris flows provide unique opportunities to calculate the rate of sediment and wood accumulation in low‐order streams, to understand the temporal succession of channel morphology following disturbance, and to make inferences about processes associated with input and transport of sediment. Dendrochronology was used to estimate the time since the previous debris flow and the time since the last stand‐replacement fire in unlogged basins in the central Coast Range of Oregon. Debris flow activity increased 42 per cent above the background rate in the decades immediately following the last wildfire. Changes in wood and sediment storage were quantified for 13 streams that ranged from 4 to 144 years since the previous debris flow. The volume of wood and sediment in the channel, and the length of channel with exposed bedrock, were strongly correlated with the time since the previous debris flow. Wood increased the storage capacity of the channel and trapped the majority of the sediment in these steep headwater streams. In the absence of wood, channels that have been scoured to bedrock by a debris flow may lack the capacity to store sediment and could persist in a bedrock state for an extended period of time. With an adequate supply of wood, low‐order channels have the potential of storing large volumes of sediment in the interval between debris flows and can function as one of the dominant storage reservoirs for sediment in mountainous terrain. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of fractional bed‐material load ­computation methods in sand‐bed channels

This paper presents a comparison of different fractional bed‐material load computation methods in sand‐bed channels. These methods include the direct computation by size fraction approach of Einstein, Laursen and Toffaleti; the bed material fraction (BMF) approach using equations of Engelund and Hansen, Ackers and White, Yang, and Karim's modified BMF method; and the transport capacity fraction (TCF) approach using the transport capacity distribution functions of Karim and Kennedy, Li, and Wu and Molinas. Over 150 sets of flume and field data in the sand size range containing a total of 1007 data points are used to evaluate and compare the accuracy of these methods. Statistical analysis and graphical comparison are utilized to demonstrate the performance and variations in different methods. Overall, the Einstein method underpredicts the transport rate for finer sizes and overpredicts for the coarser sizes, while the other methods overestimate the finer fractions and underestimate the coarser fractions. The Wu and Molinas method, which was developed to account for these deficiencies, is shown to significantly improve fractional bed‐material load computations. The Karim and Kennedy method is also found to be applicable. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Streambed restoration to remove fine sediment alters reach‐scale transient storage in a low‐gradient fifth‐order river,Indiana, USA

Hyporheic restoration is of increasing interest given the role of hyporheic zones in supporting ecosystem services and functions. Given the prevalence of sediment pollution to waterways, an emerging restoration technique involves the removal of sediment from the interstices of gravel‐bed streams. Here, we document streambed sediment removal following a large, accidental release of fine sediment into a gravel‐bed river. We use this as a natural experiment to assess the impact of fine sediment removal on reach‐scale measures of transient storage and to document the responses of reaches with contrasting morphology (restored vs. unrestored) to changing discharge one‐field season. We conducted a series of conservative solute tracer experiments in each reach, interpreting both summary statistics for the recovered in‐stream solute tracer time series. Additionally, we applied the transient storage model to interpret the results via model parameters, including a Monte Carlo analysis to measure parameter identifiability and sensitivity in each experiment. Despite the restoration effort resulting in an open matrix gravel bed in the restored reach, we did not find the significant differences in most time series metrics describing reach‐scale transport and transient storage. We hypothesize that this is due to enhanced vertical exchange with the gravel bed in the restored reach replacing lateral exchange with macrophyte beds in the unrestored reach, developing a conceptual model to explain our findings. Consequently, we found that the impact of reach‐scale removal of fine sediment is not measureable using reach‐scale solute tracer studies. We offer recommendations for future studies seeking to measure the impacts of stream restoration at the reach scale.     

Seasonal variation in cascade‐driven hyporheic exchange,northern Honduras

A characterization of hyporheic exchange for dry and wet season baseflow, as well as partially dewatered discharge, was done in Prieta Creek, a first‐order cascade in northern Honduras. The cascade had discharges from 1 to 15 l s^?1, had average slopes of 12%, pool spacing of 3 m, and shallow substrate of sand and gravel. Tracer tests were conducted in a 15‐m sub‐reach, a length considered to be adequate for the experiment based on the DaI test, a ratio of exchange and transport processes. In the three tests, between 9 and 18% of tracer was not recovered, possibly due to entrainment in flowpaths passing beneath the downstream monitoring location. Tracer data were analysed by the one‐dimensional transport with inflow and storage (OTIS) transient storage model (TSM) to derive standard exchange parameters, and by the solute transport in rivers (STIR) model to examine hyporheic residence time distributions (RTDs). The best fit of the observed tracer breakthrough curves was obtained by using the STIR model with a combination of two exponential RTDs to represent hyporheic retention. With increasing discharge, the OTIS model predicted increasing storage exchange fluxes and exchange coefficients and decreasing storage zone areas and transient storage times, which are trends supported by riparian and streambed piezometric head data. Riparian water levels rose during the transition from the dry to wet season, which could constrict the hyporheic storage zone. Thirteen of the 19 streambed piezometers recorded seasonal changes in hydraulic gradients and flux direction, with fewer yet stronger upwelling zones during higher discharges. The MODFLOW model missed the observed seasonal changes, possibly due to subtle changes in the seasonal change in water surface profiles. We conclude that partially dewatered dry season exchange, compared to wet season exchange, was initiated and terminated with smaller pressure gradients and, in different streambed locations, was smaller in volume, had longer residence times, and may connect with deeper and longer flow paths. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tree establishment on bars in low‐order gravel‐bed mountain streams

In many large alluvial rivers, trees often recruit and survive along laterally accreted sediments on bars. This produces a gradient of tree ages and composition with distance from the active channel. However, in low‐order, gravel‐bed mountain streams, such as the stream investigated in this study, it is suggested that vertical accretion results in sediment deposition patterns on bars that are often highly patchy. Consequently, tree species and ages are also heterogeneously distributed, rather than having distinct linear or arcuate banding patterns with distance from the channel. In addition, overall age patterns of trees on these bars follow the distribution of floods, with numerous young trees and few older trees. Recruitment is fairly continuous on these bars and is not correlated with high water years, suggesting that even flows close to bankfull levels are capable of transporting fine sediment to the bars on which trees establish. This pattern of sediment deposition/erosion and the resulting tree recruitment and survival seem to be a result of valley confinement and the lack of lateral accretion in these smaller, mountainous channels. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hyporheic exchange flows induced by constructed riffles and steps in lowland streams in southern Ontario,Canada

Stream–subsurface water interaction induced by natural riffles and constructed riffles/steps was examined in lowland streams in southern Ontario, Canada. The penetration of stream water into the subsurface was analysed using hydrometric data, and the zone of > 10% stream water was calculated from a chemical mixing equation using tracer injection of bromide and background chloride concentrations. The constructed riffles studied induced more extensive hyporheic exchange than the natural riffles because of their steeper longitudinal hydraulic head gradients and coarser streambed sediments. The depth of > 10% stream water zone in a small and a large constructed riffle extended to > 0·2 m and > 1·4 m depths respectively. Flux and residence time distribution of hyporheic exchange were simulated in constructed riffles using MODFLOW, a finite‐difference groundwater flow model. Hyporheic flux and residence time distribution varied along the riffles, and the exchange occurring upstream from the riffle crest was small in flux and had a long residence time. In contrast, hyporheic exchange occurring downstream from the riffle crest had a relatively short residence time and accounted for 83% and 70% of total hyporheic exchange flow in a small and large riffle respectively. Although stream restoration projects have not considered the hyporheic zone, our data indicate that constructed riffles and steps can promote vertical hydrologic exchange and increase the groundwater–surface water linkage in degraded lowland streams. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chute channel dynamics in large,sand‐bed meandering rivers

Meander bends of many large, sand‐bed meandering rivers are partitioned by chute channels that convey permanent flow, and co‐exist with the mainstem for decades. As a first step toward understanding the dynamics and morphodynamic implications of these ‘bifurcate meander bends’, this study applied binary logistic regression analysis to determine whether it is possible to predict chute initiation based on attributes of meander bend character and dynamics. Regression models developed for the Strickland River, Papua New Guinea, the lower Paraguay River, Paraguay/Argentina, and the Beni River, Bolivia, revealed that the probability of chute initiation at a meander bend is a function of the bend extension rate (the rate at which a bend elongates in a direction perpendicular to the valley axis trend). Image analyses of all rivers and field observations from the Strickland suggest that the majority of chute channels form during scroll–slough development. Rapid extension is shown to favour chute initiation by breaking the continuity of point bar deposition and vegetation encroachment at the inner bank, resulting in widely‐spaced scrolls with intervening sloughs that are positively aligned with primary over‐bar flow. The rivers plot in order of increasing chute activity on an empirical meandering‐braided pattern continuum defined by potential specific stream power (ω_pv) and bedload calibre (D₅₀). Increasing stream power is considered to result in higher bend extension rates, with implications for chute initiation. In addition, chute stability is shown to depend on river sediment load relative to flow discharge (Qs/Q), such that while the Beni may plot in the region of highly braided rivers by virtue of a high potential specific stream power, the formation of stable chute channels is suppressed by the high sediment load. This tendency is consistent with previous experimental studies, and results in a planform that is transitional between single‐thread meandering and braided. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphic and stream flow influences on large wood dynamics and displacement lengths in high gradient mountain streams (Chile)

Understanding large wood (LW; ≥1 m long and ≥10 cm in diameter) dynamics in rivers is critical for many disciplines including those assessing flood hazard and risk. However, our understanding of wood entrainment and deposition is still limited, mainly because of the lack of long‐term monitoring of wood‐related processes. The dataset presented here was obtained from more than 8 years of monitoring of 1,264 tagged wood pieces placed in 4 low‐order streams of the Chilean mountain ranges and was used to further our understanding of key factors controlling LW dynamics. We show that LW displacement lengths were longer during periods when peak‐flow water depths (H_max) exceeded the bankfull stage (H_Bk) than in periods with H_max ≤ H_Bk and that these differences were significantly higher for smaller wood pieces. LW length and length relative to channel dimensions were the main factors governing LW entrainment; LW displacement lengths were inversely related to the ratio of piece length to H_15% (i.e., the level above which the flow remains for 15% of the time) and to the ratio of H_15% to bankfull width. Unrooted logs and LW pieces located at the bankfull stage travelled significantly longer distances than logs with attached rootwads and those located in other positions within the bankfull channel. A few large logjams were broken during the period of observation, and in all occasions, LW from these broken logjams did not travel over longer distances than other pieces of LW moved in the same periods and in the same stream segments. Most importantly, our work reveals that LW dynamics tend to be concentrated within a few reaches in each stream and that reaches exhibiting high wood dynamics (extensive entrainment, deposition, or repositioning of LW) are significantly wider and less steep than less dynamic reaches.