Holocene lateral channel migration and incision of the Red River, Manitoba, Canada

The Holocene evolution of the shallow alluvial valley occupied by the Red River was investigated at two successive river meanders near St. Jean Baptiste, Manitoba. A transect of five boreholes was sited across the flood plain at each meander to follow the path of lateral channel migration. From the cores, 24 wood and charcoal samples were AMS radiocarbon dated. The dates from the lower half of the alluvium in each core are interpreted to represent the age of the lateral accretion deposits within the flood plain at the borehole sites. The ages of these deposits increase progressively from 900 to 7900 and 1000 to 8100 cal years B.P. along each transect, respectively, from the proximal to distal portions of the flood plain. At the upstream meander, the average rate of channel migration was initially 0.35 m/year between 7900 and 7400 cal years B.P., then decreased to 0.18 m/year between 7400 and 6200 cal years B.P., and subsequently varied between 0.04 and 0.08 m/year. Net channel incision of the river since 8100 cal years B.P. is estimated to have ranged between 0.4 and 0.8 m/ky. The pre-6000-years-B.P. interval of greater channel migration is hypothesized to reflect a higher phase of sediment supply that was associated with the establishment of the river system on the former bed of glacial Lake Agassiz. Since 1000 years B.P., the outward migration of the meanders has caused a gradual enlarging of 0.7–2% in the cross-sectional area of the shallow valley at the two meanders. When considered proportionally over timescales of up to several centuries, the widening of the valley cross-section is very low to negligible and is deemed an insignificant factor affecting the modern flood hazard on the clay plain.     

Origin of glacial–fluvial landforms in the Azas Plateau volcanic field, the Tuva Republic, Russia: Role of ice–magma interaction

The basaltic Azas Plateau volcanic field is located in the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation. The area was glaciated multiple times, and the field is characterized by the formation of subglacial volcanoes called tuyas, but subaerial volcanoes and lava fields also exist. A combined study of remote sensing and field observations in the vicinity of the tuyas in the southeastern Azas Plateau volcanic field identified landforms that are best explained by the jökulhlaup hypothesis. The landforms include elongated hills, paleochannels, and butte and basin topography. These landforms are hypothesized to have formed by both erosion and deposition caused by high-energy water streams. The triggering for the hypothesized jökulhlaups was either melting of ice by subglacial volcanism and/or destabilization of ice-dammed/subglacial reservoirs. The age estimation of the flood events is difficult, but they probably occurred during the ice ages of the Quaternary, as late as in the Middle-Late Pleistocene.     

三峡大坝下游水位变化与河道形态调整关系研究

三峡水库蓄水利用已有13年,对坝下游洪、枯水位和河道形态调整的影响已初步显现,通过对1955-2016年长江中游水位、河道地形等资料的分析,结果表明：① 坝下游各水文站同流量枯水位下降、洪水位变化不大,最低水位上升,最高水位下降趋势;② 2002年10月-2015年10月枯水河槽冲刷量占平滩河槽冲刷量的95.5%,冲淤分布由蓄水前“冲槽淤滩”转为“滩槽均冲”,不同蓄水阶段存在差异;③ 河槽冲刷过程中,上荆江及以上河段枯水位下降趋势趋缓,下荆江及以下河段下降速率增加,应采取防控措施遏制河道水位下降趋势;④ 枯水河槽冲刷是长江中下游航道水深提升的基础,枯水位降幅小于深槽下切深度,在河道和航道整治工程综合作用下航道尺度提升,提前5年实现了2020年航道尺度规划目标;⑤ 平滩水位以上河槽形态调整不大,在河床粗化、岸滩植被、人类活动等综合作用下河道综合阻力增加,出现了中洪水流量—高水位现象,应引起足够重视。三峡水库汛期调蓄作用可有效提升中下游洪水防御能力,但不排除遭遇支流洪水叠加效应,中下游洪水压力仍然较大。     

The relationship between water level change and river channel geometry adjustment in the downstream of the Three Gorges Dam

In this study, data measured from 1955-2016 were analysed to study the relationship between the water level and river channel geometry adjustment in the downstream of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) after the impoundment of the dam. The results highlight the following facts: (1) for the same flow, the low water level decreased, flood water level changed little, lowest water level increased, and highest water level decreased at the hydrological stations in the downstream of the dam; (2) the distribution of erosion and deposition along the river channel changed from “erosion at channels and deposition at bankfulls” to “erosion at both channels and bankfulls;” the ratio of low-water channel erosion to bankfull channel erosion was 95.5% from October 2002 to October 2015, with variations between different impoundment stages; (3) the low water level decrease slowed down during the channel erosion in the Upper Jingjiang reach and reaches upstream but sped up in the Lower Jingjiang reach and reaches downstream; measures should be taken to prevent the decrease in the channel water level; (4) erosion was the basis for channel dimension upscaling in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River; the low water level decrease was smaller than the thalweg decline; both channel water depth and width increased under the combined effects of channel and waterway regulations; and (5) the geometry of the channels above bankfulls did not significantly change; however, the comprehensive channel resistance increased under the combined effects of riverbed coarsening, beach vegetation, and human activities; as a result, the flood water level increased markedly and moderate flood to high water level phenomena occurred, which should be considered. The Three Gorges Reservoir effectively enhances the flood defense capacity of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; however, the superposition effect of tributary floods cannot be ruled out.     

Wood-mediated geomorphic effects of a jökulhlaup in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming

A jökulhlaup burst from the head of Grasshopper Glacier in Wyoming's Wind River Mountains during early September 2003. Five reaches with distinct sedimentation patterns were delineated along the Dinwoody Creek drainage. This paper focuses on a portion of the jökulhlaup route where erosion of the forested banks created 16 large logjams spaced at longitudinal intervals of tens to hundreds of meters. Aggradation within the main channel upstream from each logjam created local sediment wedges, and the jams facilitated overbank deposition during the jökulhlaup. Field surveys during 2004 and 2006 documented logjam characteristics and associated erosional and depositional features, as well as initial modification of the logjams and flood deposits within the normal seasonal high-flow channel. Overbank deposits have not been altered by flows occurring since 2003. Field measurements supported three hypotheses that (i) logjams present along the forested portions of the jökulhlaup route are larger and more closely spaced than those along adjacent, otherwise comparable stream channels that have not recently experienced a jökulhlaup; (ii) logjams are not randomly located along the jökulhlaup route, but instead reflect specific conditions of channel and valley geometry and flood hydraulics; and (iii) the presence of logjams facilitated significant erosional and depositional effects. This paper documents a sequence of events in which outburst floodwaters enhance bank erosion and recruitment of wood into the channel, and thus the formation of large logjams. These logjams sufficiently deflect flow to create substantial overbank deposition in areas of the valley bottom not commonly accessed by normal snowmelt peak discharges, and through this process promote valley-bottom aggradation and sediment storage. Changes in the occurrence of glacier outburst floods thus have the potential to alter the rate and magnitude of valley-bottom dynamics in these environments, which is particularly relevant given predictions of worldwide global warming and glacial retreat. Processes observed at this field site likely occur in other forested catchments with headwater glaciers.     

Effects of large floods on sediment transport and reach morphology in the cobble-bed Sainte Marguerite River

Sediment transport rates were estimated for two flood events on the cobble-bed Sainte Marguerite River in the Saguenay region, Canada. Morphologic methods were used to derive one set of estimates, and a combination of the Meyer-Peter and Muller equation with a dimensionless sediment transport ratio (after Dietrich et al. [Nature 340 (1989) 215]) was used to derive another set of estimates. Both sets of estimates give consistent results for the first event (which had a decade-scale return period), and for the second event (which was the largest flood on record and had a century-scale return period). The transport occurring during the second event was an order of magnitude greater than that occurring during the first event: despite this disparity in the transport intensity of the two events, the channel morphology remained qualitatively similar. The observed degree of channel stability is attributed to a change of channel pattern and the initiation of bed degradation following channel rectification in the 1960s.     

Late Holocene upper bounds of flood magnitudes and twentieth century large floods in the ungauged, hyperarid alluvial Nahal Arava, Israel

The impact of large twentieth century floods on the riparian vegetation and channel morphology of the relatively wide anabranching and braided Nahal Arava, southern Israel, was documented as part of developing tools to (a) identify recent large floods, (b) determine these flood's respective magnitudes in alluvial ungauged streams, and (c) determine long-term upper bounds to flood stages and magnitudes. Along most of its course Nahal Paran, a major tributary that impacts the morphology, floods and sediments of Nahal Arava at the study reach, is a coarse-gravel, braided ephemeral stream. Downstream of the Arava–Paran confluence, aeolian and fluvial sand delivered from eastern Arava valley alters the channel morphology. The sand has accreted up to 2.5 m above the distinct current channels, facilitating the recording of large floods. This sand enhances the establishment of denser riparian vegetation (mainly Tamarix nilotica and Haloxylon persicum) that interacts with floods and affects stream morphology. A temporal association was found between specific floods recorded upstream and tree-ring ages of re-growth of flood-damaged tamarix trees (‘Sigafoos trees’) in the past 30 years. This association can be utilized for developing a twentieth century flood chronology in hyperarid ungauged basins in the region. The minimum magnitude of the largest flood that covered the entire channel width, estimated from flood deposits, is approximately 1700–1800 m³s^− 1. This is a larger magnitude than the largest gauged flood of 1150 m³s^− 1 that occurred in 1970 about 30 km upstream in Nahal Paran. Our estimation agrees with flood magnitude estimated from the regional envelope curve of the largest floods. Based on Holocene alluvial stratigraphy and OSL dating in the study reach we also conclude that flood stages did not reach the late Holocene ( 2.2 ka) surface and therefore we estimate a non-exceedance upper bound of  2000 m³s^− 1 flood magnitudes for Nahal Arava during that interval. This study indicates that in unfavorable areas the combination of hydrology, fluvial morphology and botanic evidence can increase our understanding of ungauged basins and give information crucial for hydrology planning.     

Natural diversion of the ramu river in Papua New Guinea

At present, the Ramu River in Papua New Guinea flows directly into the Bismarck Sea, while the adjacent Keram flows into the Sepik River. There is evidence to suggest that the Ramu previously occupied the existing Keram water course, and has been gradually diverting its discharge into its present channel, probably over the last 4,000 years. The diversion process is not complete yet, and during the wet season flood water still travels across these two rivers. The most direct evidence to support this proposal of river diversion is that there are much larger meander bends on which the existing Keram stream channel is superimposed. The diversion of the Ramu is believed to be a result of relative sea‐level rise in the late Quaternary which altered the gradients of the Keram and Ramu rivers, and may have been facilitated through neo‐tectonic movement of the floodplain.     

Geomorphic context of channel locational probabilities along the Lower Mississippi River, USA

Channel change is an important aspect of geomorphological evolution and habitat dynamics in large alluvial rivers. Planimetric maps of channel locations were used to investigate spatio-temporal alluvial channel changes in a geomorphic context along the Lower Mississippi River (LMR). Analyses were conducted with the aid of a time-weighted locational probability map. The locational probability map was constructed in ArcGIS and covered a period of 205 years. An examination of the pixel data from the probability maps indicates a high occurrence of low probability pixels along the Lower Mississippi River, which is in accordance with the dynamism of alluvial rivers. The northern section of the Lower Mississippi River (Columbus, KY to Memphis, TN) has been much more stable than the southern river segments (Helena, AR to Natchez, MS). Areas of high channel probability (channel stability) were often associated with alluvial channel confinement from a combination of flood-plain deposits, geologic structures and large stable islands. Low channel probability locations were found along sections exhibiting the following geomorphic characteristics: changes in meander amplitude, meander neck and chute cutoffs, meander extensional processes and islands lost in channel migrational processes. The results provide a strong foundation for understanding channel change on the Lower Mississippi River and serves as a valuable instrument for future management and restoration schemes.     

Natural levee deposition during the 2005 flood of the Saskatchewan River

In summer 2005, a controlled flood of the Saskatchewan River (east-central Saskatchewan, Canada) resulted in general floodplain inundation and extensive natural levee deposition along a 60-km reach extending from 40 km below the E.B. Campbell dam to Cumberland Lake. Levee crests along channel banks were inundated for up to 7 weeks in some areas of the floodplain. New deposits on levee crests varied from 0 to 70 cm in thickness, displaying large variations both along reach and in opposing sites across channels. Mean grain sizes, mainly silt and very fine sand, likewise varied considerably among sample sites.Pre- and post-flood surveys of channel cross sections along the flooded reach permitted assessments of relationships between channel-area changes and patterns of levee sedimentation in this system in which virtually all new flood sediment was derived by channel scour. Results show that both net deposition and net erosion occurred within the channel cross sections, but that on average, net channel enlargement of 4.2% prevailed over the entire survey reach when weighted by cross-section size. Over the 60-km flooded reach, zones of thick levee deposition occur at or just downstream of two areas of major channel enlargement, and an intermediate zone of thin levee deposits is associated with an intermediate area of net channel aggradation. This bimodal distribution of flood-deposit thickness is inferred to have resulted from differences in sediment supply produced locally by the different extents of channel-perimeter erosion. Two other factors—(1) position of interfacial zones between clear floodbasin water and turbid channel water, and (2) difference in pre-flood levee heights—contributed to the poor correspondence in thickness and grain size between opposing levees at some sites. Additional features of the new levee deposits, including increases in transverse slopes, abrupt basinward fining, and paucity of deposition in distal areas due to clear floodbasin waters, are characteristic of strong front loading that results when suspended sediment production is restricted to channel erosion processes.     

Cutoffs galore!: occurrence and causes of multiple cutoffs on a meandering river

The creation of cutoffs and of oxbow lakes is a well-known phenomenon of meandering rivers, but views on the extent to which they are inherent in meander behaviour have varied. Assumptions of meander behaviour have shifted from those of stability and equilibrium to recognition of gradual evolution and increased complexity of form. Alternative explanations of cutoff occurrence are discussed here in relation to a remarkable set of cutoffs that occurred in one reach of the River Bollin, UK, for which long-term historical evidence of meander evolution existed and which has been monitored for change and processes over the last 20 years. The cutoffs occurred during the high floods of winter 2000–2001. A series of hypotheses is examined, including the occurrence of floods and effects of hydrological changes. Although the flood events actually caused the cutoffs, the long-term pattern accords with ideas of chaotic behaviour and sinuosity of a river reaching a critical state at which clustering of meander cutoffs takes place. It is suggested that the occurrence of the cutoffs can be explained as inherent in meander behaviour.     

20世纪30年代珠江三角洲平原河网结构重建及最大槽蓄容量

基于1954年美国陆军制图局编制的中国地形图、1930―1934年日军参谋本部所绘中国地形图、广东省水文志和研究区各县县志等历史文图资料,重建研究区20世纪30年代的河网模型,对传统农业末期平原河网水系进行高精度复原,计算其最大槽蓄容量并分析其区域特点。结果表明：1）20世纪30年代珠三角河网（除干流河道）的最大槽蓄容量为6.78亿~20.75亿m³,其极值为20.75亿m³,平均值为13.38万m³/km²。其中1级河道最大槽蓄容量占总量的33.5%~49.1%,对于整个河网的容蓄洪水能力及水资源调度能力影响更大。与现阶段不同,传统农业时代末期（20世纪30年代）珠三角河网的槽蓄容量与河网密度呈正相关,槽蓄容量的大小受河网密度的影响较为明显。2）20世纪30年代珠三角河网的形成与传统时期的农业开发有着密切的关系,当时的河网水系是自然发育与该时期围田业对其开发、围垦的共同结果,围田开发的兴修堤围、挑挖河道等活动对于河网的扩展及其最大槽蓄容量的增加具有客观上的促进作用。     

Human modifications to the sediment regime of the Lower Mississippi River flood plain

The Mississippi River is one of the most regulated rivers in the world. Human modifications constructed mainly after 1920 include dams and reservoirs, artificial levees, dikes, concrete revetments and a series of channel cutoffs. This paper examines some of the effects of these modifications on the channel and sediment budget of the river. In particular, the changes to the thalweg profile and the size of channel bars are examined in detail. It is concluded, that prior to the 1930s, when major modifications were introduced, the Lower Mississippi River was an aggrading meandering river. The role of the flood plain has also changed. Prior to modifications, the flood plain was the major sediment source as the result of bank caving. Today the flood plain provides only a minor amount of sediment. It can be shown that major degradation to the channel including the growth of channel bars has occurred as a result of these engineered modifications. The data also indicates that the different geomorphic regions respond to modifications in different ways.     

Geometric properties of river cross sections and associated hydrodynamic implications in Wuhan–Jiujiang river reach, the Yangtze River

Based on measured hydrological data by using ship-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) instrument, we analyzed shapes of river cross sections of the middle Yangtze River basin (mainly focusing on Makou and Tianjiazhen river reach). Hydrodynamic properties of river channels were also discussed. The research results indicate that nonlinear relationships can be identified between river-width/river-depth ratio (W/D ratio), sizes of cross section and mean flow velocity. Positive relations are detected between W/D ratio and mean flow velocity when W/D<1; and negative relations are observed when W/D>1. Adverse relationships can be obtained between W/D ratio and cross-section area. Geomorphologic and geologic survey indicates different components of river banks in the wider and narrower river reaches respectively. These may be the main driving factors causing unique hydrological properties of river channels in the middle Yangtze River basin. Narrower river cross sections tend to raise water level in the upstream river reach near narrower river channel, giving rise to backwater effects. River knots can cause serious backwater effects, which is harmful for flood mitigation. However river knots will also stabilize river channel and this will be beneficial for river channel management. The results of this paper may be helpful for flood mitigation and river channel management in the middle Yangtze River basin.     

渭河关中段洪水资源化潜力评估

洪水资源化是实施渭河流域关中段流域资源综合管理和实现区域经济可持续发展的必然要求和重要途径。通过对渭河流域关中段来水来沙丰枯变化规律和河道冲淤特性的分析,从有利于输水输沙减少泥沙淤积考虑,确定渭河中游洪峰2000m³/s、渭河下游段3000m³/s为洪水利用起算标准;依据这一标准,计算出林家村—魏家堡河段平均年可利用洪水水量、洪水沙量分别为4.038×10⁷m³、6.83×10⁶t,魏家堡—咸阳河段平均年可利用洪水水量、洪水沙量分别为为9.139×10⁷m³、6.05×10⁶t,咸阳—华县河段平均年可利用洪水水量、洪水沙量分别为1.617×10⁸m³、1.843×10⁷t;流域综合管理过程中,必须引入风险管理机制,利用优化理论寻找平衡机制,实现流域防洪、供水和生态保护兼顾的最佳效益。     

Hydraulic and sedimentary processes causing anastomosing morphology of the upper Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada

The upper Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada, shows typical anastomosing morphology — multiple interconnected channels that enclose floodbasins — and lateral channel stability. We analysed field data on hydraulic and sedimentary processes and show that the anastomosing morphology of the upper Columbia River is caused by sediment (bedload) transport inefficiency, in combination with very limited potential for lateral bank erosion because of very low specific stream power (≤ 2.3 W/m²) and cohesive silty banks. In a diagram of channel type in relation to flow energy and median grain size of the bed material, data points for the straight upper Columbia River channels cluster separately from the data points for braided and meandering channels. Measurements and calculations indicate that bedload transport in the anastomosing reach of the upper Columbia River decreases downstream. Because of lateral channel stability no lateral storage capacity for bedload is created. Therefore, the surplus of bedload leads to channel bed aggradation, which outpaces levee accretion and causes avulsions because of loss of channel flow capacity. This avulsion mechanism applies only to the main channel of the system, which transports 87% of the water and > 90% of the sediment in the cross-valley transect studied. Because of very low sediment transport capacity, the morphological evolution of most secondary channels is slow. Measurements and calculations indicate that much more bedload is sequestered in the relatively steep upper anastomosing reach of the upper Columbia River than in the relatively gentle lower anastomosing reach. With anastomosing morphology and related processes (e.g., crevassing) being best developed in the upper reach, this confirms the notion of upstream rather than downstream control of upper Columbia River anastomosis.     

Hydro-geomorphic hazards and impact of man-made structures during the catastrophic flood of June 2000 in the Upper Guil catchment (Queyras, Southern French Alps)

The Guil River Valley (Queyras, Southern French Alps) is prone to catastrophic floods, as the long historical archives and Holocene sedimentary records demonstrate. In June 2000, the upper part of this valley was affected by a “30-year” recurrence interval (R.I.) flood. Although of lower magnitude and somewhat different nature from that of 1957 (>100-year R.I. flood), the 2000 event induced serious damage to infrastructure and buildings on the valley floor. Use of methods including high-resolution aerial photography, multi-date mapping, hydraulic calculations and field observations made possible the characterisation of the geomorphic impacts on the Guil River and its tributaries. The total rainfall (260 mm in four days) and maximum hourly intensity (17.3 mm h⁻¹), aggravated by pre-existing saturated soils, explain the immediate response of the fluvial system and the subsequent destabilisation of slopes. Abundant water and sediment supply (landsliding, bank erosion), particularly from small catchment basins cut into slaty, schist bedrock, resulted in destructive pulses of debris flow and hyperconcentrated flows. The specific stream power of the Guil and its tributaries was greater than the critical stream power, thus explaining the abundant sediment transport. The Guil discharge was estimated as 180 m³ s⁻¹ at Aiguilles, compared to the annual mean discharge of 6 m³ s⁻¹ and a June mean discharge of 18 m³ s⁻¹. The impacts on the Guil valley floor (flooding, aggradation, generalised bank erosion and changes in the river pattern) were widespread and locally influenced by variations in the floodplain slope and/or channel geometry. The stream partially reoccupied former channels abandoned or modified in their geometry by various structures built during the last four decades, as exemplified by the Aiguilles case study, where the worst damage took place. A comparative study of the geomorphic consequences of both the 1957 and 2000 floods shows that, despite their poor maintenance, the flood control structures built after the 1957 event were relatively efficient, in contrast to unprotected places. The comparison also demonstrates the role of land-use changes (conversion from traditional agro-pastoral life to a ski/hiking-based economy, construction of various structures) in reducing the Guil channel capacity and, more generally, in increasing the vulnerability of the human installations. The efficiency of the measures taken after the 2000 flood (narrowing and digging out of the channel) is also assessed. Final evaluation suggests that, in such high mountainous environments, there is a need to keep most of the 1957 flooded zone clear of buildings and other structures (aside from the existing villages and structures of particular economic interest), in order to enable the river to migrate freely and to adjust to exceptional hydro-geomorphic conditions without causing major damage.     

Modern sedimentation in the Lower Negro River, Amazonas State, Brazil

The Negro River, which flows through the north central Amazon Basin, is one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon. The name “Negro” comes from the colour of its water, which reflects the large quantity of dissolved humic acids and iron oxides that also gives the water its characteristic acid pH. The river is estimated to have the fifth largest water discharge in the world, about 30,000 m³/s. The Negro River is characterized by a high dissolved load but a low energy system. Neotectonics and water quality are the principal factors that control the modern sedimentation in the Lower Negro River. The Lower Negro River is controlled largely by a NW–SE tectonic lineament, that is a segment of a major tectonic transcurrent dextral megasystem of the Amazon Basin. Neotectonism in this area is responsible for the depth of the river and for the occurrence of steep “falésias” (cliffs), along some parts of its borders. It also seems that neotectonics have influenced the origin of the Anavilhanas Islands, which are a series of anastomosed, elongated silty clayey channel bars, with internal round or long narrow lakes. The “igapó”, which is the forested area flooded during part of the year, appears to have a neotectonic origin as well. Igapós are located on intermediate blocks between the high blocks of the “terra firme” and the low blocks of the channel. The absence of clastic sediments carried in suspension is related to the rare appearance of floodplains, which are limited to very thin layers of fine sediments, located on the abrasion shelfs carved in clastic deposits of the Alter do Chão Formation. Sand bars occur in places along the base of the cliffs and along the edges of the channel system. These sand bars are composed of quartz sand, derived from the reworking of the sand of the Alter do Chão Formation.     

黄河上游洮河流域全新世古洪水水文学研究

通过对黄河上游洮河流域详细的野外考察,在临洮段下堡村（XBC）发现保存有全新世古洪水滞流沉积物的地层剖面并对该剖面进行系统采样,综合野外观测和室内理化数据分析确定为古洪水滞流沉积物。结合全新世地层对比、文化遗物分析和释光测年,确定这期古洪水事件发生在300~480 a BP左右,相当于我国"明清小冰期"气候转折阶段。利用ArcGIS耦合HEC-RAS模型,在获取河道水文参数条件下,恢复其洪峰流量介于4 865~6 700 m³·s^-1。保持水文参数不变,对河道糙率系数进行灵敏度测试,给定糙率±25%的变幅,结果误差在-9.12%~6.57%之间。依据2012年洪痕高程,采用HEC-RAS模型恢复其洪峰流量,与实测结果相比较误差仅为-2.9%,说明利用该模型得出的结果是比较可靠的。该研究成果有效延长了黄河上游洪水数据序列,这对于该流域内防洪减灾、水利工程建设和水资源开发利用等具有重要的参考价值。     

Recent large-magnitude floods and their impact on valley-floor environments of northeastern Yellowstone

The Lamar River watershed of northeastern Yellowstone contains some of the most diverse and important habitat in the national park. Broad glacial valley floors feature grassland winter range for ungulates, riparian vegetation that provides food and cover for a variety of species, and alluvial channels that are requisite habitat for native fish. Rapid Neogene uplift and Quaternary climatic change have created a dynamic modern environment in which catastrophic processes exert a major influence on riverine–riparian ecosystems. Uplift and glacial erosion have generated high local relief and extensive cliffs of friable volcaniclastic bedrock. As a result, steep tributary basins produce voluminous runoff and sediment during intense precipitation and rapid snowmelt. Recent major floods on trunk streams deposited extensive overbank gravels that replaced loamy soils on flood plains and allowed conifers to colonize valley-floor meadows. Tree-ring dating identifies major floods in 1918, ca. 1873, and possibly ca. 1790. In 1996 and 1997, discharge during snowmelt runoff on Soda Butte Creek approached the 100-year flood estimated by regional techniques, with substantial local bank erosion and channel widening. Indirect estimates show that peak discharges in 1918 were approximately three times greater than in 1996, with similar duration and much greater flood plain impact. Nonetheless, 1918 peak discharge reconstructions fall well within the range of maximum recorded discharges in relation to basin area in the upper Yellowstone region. The 1873 and 1918 floods produced lasting impacts on the channel form and flood plain of Soda Butte Creek. Channels may still be locally enlarged from flood erosion, and net downcutting has occurred in some reaches, leaving the pre-1790 flood plain abandoned as a terrace. Gravelly overbank deposits raise flood-plain surfaces above levels of frequent inundation and are well drained, therefore flood-plain soils are drier. Noncohesive gravels also reduce bank stability and may have persistent effects on channel form. Overall, floods are part of a suite of catastrophic geomorphic processes that exert a very strong influence on landscape patterns and valley-floor ecosystems in northeastern Yellowstone.