Prediction of alluvial channel pattern of perennial rivers

Purely braided, meandering and straight channels can be considered as end-members of a continuum of alluvial channel patterns. Several researchers have succeeded in separating channel patterns in fields defined by flow related parameters. However, the discriminators of the principal channel patterns derived from these diagrams all require some a priori knowledge of the channel geometry. In this paper a method is presented which enables prediction of the equilibrium conditions for the occurrence of braided and high sinuosity meandering rivers in unconfined alluvial floodplains. The method is based on two, almost channel pattern independent, boundary conditions: median grain size of the river bed material, and a potential specific stream power parameter related to bankfull discharge or mean annual flood and valley gradient. This can be regarded as a potential maximum of the available flow energy corresponding to the minimum sinuosity condition, P = 1. Based on an analysis of 228 datasets of measurement sites along rivers from many parts of the world an independent discriminating function was found that separates the occurrence of braided rivers and meandering rivers with P > 1.5. The function applies to equilibrium conditions of rivers that neither incise nor show rapid aggradation, with a bankfull or mean annual flood discharge above 10 m³/s and a median bed material grain size between 0.1 and 100 mm.     

The braided Milk River, northern Montana, fails the Leopold–Wolman discharge-gradient test

The Milk River, the northernmost tributary to the Missouri–Mississippi River system, exhibits an anomalous sand-bed braiding reach in an otherwise meandering system. Shortly after leaving Alberta and entering Montana the river suddenly changes to braiding and maintains this pattern for 47 km before entering Fresno Reservoir. Measured stream gradient and bankfull discharge in the braiding reach severely fail the Leopold and Wolman [U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 282B (1957) 39] slope–discharge test for differentiating channel patterns. While channel slope has long been regarded as one of the primary variables associated with braiding, our data from the sand-bed Milk River do not support this relationship. Instead, the data show that the braiding reach has a lower channel slope (0.00047) than the meandering reach (0.00055). Coupled with a constant discharge the unit length stream power is comparable between the two reaches. At the morphologic transition between meandering and braiding, a dramatic reduction in channel bank strength occurs where the sampled silt–clay content declines from 65% in the meandering reach to 18% in the braiding. This enables channel widening which is reflected in a 60% reduction in unit area stream power in the braiding reach. Thus, sediment transport capacity declines and channel bars are deposited. During waning flows, these bars are dissected, producing a braiding morphology. We suggest that for sand-bed braiding rivers the silt–clay percentage in the channel banks may be more important than slope. A review of the original Leopold and Wolman [U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 282B (1957) 39] dataset, and many subsequent analyses, reveals that most braided rivers studied were gravel-bed. As a result, causal variables associated with braiding in sand-bed environments may need a thorough evaluation.     

Bankfull width and morphological units in an alpine stream of the dolomites (Northern Italy)

This research examines variations in bankfull cross-sections along a steep stream of the Dolomites (Cordevole stream, Belluno, Northern Italy). Field measurements were conducted to determine variations in the channel top-width at bankfull stage in relation to the drainage area and to the length of the flow path. After grouping the bed morphologies according to the Montgomery and Buffington [Montgomery, D.R., Buffington, J.M., 1997. Channel-reach morphology in mountain drainage basins. Geol. Soc. of Am. Bull. 109 (5) 596–611.] classification, we analyzed the increase in bankfull width for the dominant stream units (cascades, step pools, isolated pools and colluvial reaches at the head of the basin). We observed that the morphologies more related to the drainage area are colluvial reaches and pools; the less adaptable are steps and cascades. These differences likely result from the absence of lateral constriction in the colluvial reaches and pools, whereas the presence of coarser sediments in the bed can affect the transverse adjustments in steps and reaches dominated by cascades. Linkages between cross-section geometry and parameters related to flow (i.e. drainage area and stream power) have been analyzed together with the distribution of surface grain sizes and its coarsening pattern. The existence of distinctive bankfull widths between different morphological units points out the degree of susceptibility to be modeled according to the channel slope, reference diameter (D₉₀), and contributing area.     

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

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

Morphodynamics of a pseudomeandering gravel bar reach

A large number of rivers in Tuscany have channel planforms, which are neither straight nor what is usually understood as meandering. In the typical case, they consist of an almost straight, slightly incised main channel fringed with large lateral bars and lunate-shaped embayments eroded into the former flood plain. In the past, these rivers have not been recognised as an individual category and have often been considered to be either braided or meandering. It is suggested here that this type of river planform be termed pseudomeandering.A typical pseudomeandering river (the Cecina River) is described and analysed to investigate the main factors responsible for producing this channel pattern. A study reach (100×300 m) was surveyed in detail and related to data on discharge, channel changes after floods and grain-size distribution of bed sediments. During 18 months of topographic monitoring, the inner lateral bar in the study reach expanded and migrated towards the concave outer bank which, concurrently, retreated by as much as 25 m. A sediment balance was constructed to analyse bar growth and bank retreat in relation to sediment supply and channel morphology. The conditions necessary to maintain the pseudomeandering morphology of these rivers by preventing them from developing a meandering planform, are discussed and interpreted as a combination of a few main factors such as the flashy character of floods, sediment supply (influenced by both natural processes and human impact), the morphological effects of discharges with contrasting return intervals and the short duration of flood events. Finally, the channel response to floods with variable sediment transport capacity (represented by bed shear stress) is analysed using a simple model. It is demonstrated that bend migration is associated with moderate floods while major floods are responsible for the development of chute channels, which act to suppress bend growth and maintain the low sinuosity configuration of the river.     

Analysis of controls upon channel planform at the First Great Bend of the Upper Yellow River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The 270 km long section of the Upper Yellow River at the First Great Bend is comprised of single channel and multiple channel systems that alternate among anastomosing, anabranching, meandering and braided reaches. The sequence of downstream pattern changes is characterized as： anastomosing-anabranching, anabranching-meandering, meandering-braided and braided-meandering. Remote sensing images, DEM data and field investigations are used to assess ahd interpret controls on these reach transitions. Channel slope and bed sediment size are key determinants of transitions in channel planform. Anas- tomosing reaches have a relatively high bed slope （0.86‰） and coarser sediment bed material （d50 = 3.5 mm）. In contrast, meandering reaches have a low slope （0.30‰） and fine sediment bed material （d50 = 0.036 mm）. The transition from a meandering to braided pattern is characterized by an increase in channel width-depth ratio, indicating the important role of bank strength （i.e. cohesive versus non-cohesive versus channel boundaries）. Interestingly, the braided-meandering and meandering-braided transitions are coincident with variable flow inputs from tributary rivers （Baihe and Heihe rivers respectively）. Theoretical analysis of the meandering-braided transition highlights the key control of channel width-depth ratio as a determinant of channel planform.     

黄河内蒙古不同河型段对洪水过程的响应特征

黄河内蒙古河段的河道淤积近年来有所加重,一些人寄望于人造洪峰冲沙来降低河床。本文根据典型年份的最大洪水的流量—水位过程线变化特征,揭示黄河内蒙古不同河型段对这些洪水的响应机制,得出黄河内蒙古河段洪水的流量—水位过程线类型有线形、顺时针环线、逆时针环线3类单一关系和线形+逆时针环线、逆时针环线+线形、"8"字形+线形、嵌套状逆时针环线以及交叉线形5类复合关系。这些关系总体上可以反映洪水过程中河床是侵蚀还是沉积、何时侵蚀何时沉积、以及冲淤是否具有反复性。黄河内蒙古冲积性河段的河道对同一次洪水过程的响应沿程表现出分化现象,其中辫状河段以河床侵蚀下降为特征,弯曲河段以河床明显沉积升高为特征,而顺直河段以少量沉积或冲淤平衡为特征。不同河型段的河道对洪水的响应趋势与洪水动能的沿程减小相适应,洪峰含沙量沿程减小是该趋势的具体体现。人造洪峰冲沙难以逆转上述淤积趋势,对防治洪灾帮助有限。     

河漫滩地生态系统影响下的河型转化—以红山水库上游河道为例

将地生态学概念与方法用于水库修建后河床调整过程的研究，以老哈河红山水库上游为例阐述了河漫滩地生态系统影响下的河型转化过程，由于水库上游河漫滩地生态系统的变化，导致了河漫滩淤积过程的改变，使河岸组成物质变细，抗冲性增强，因而促使建库前的游荡河型逐渐转化为曲型。     

基于对Leopold-Wolman关系修正的河床河型判别

在广泛收集中国和世界上冲积河流资料的基础上,以近200条河流的大样本对著名的、国际上沿用40余年的 Leopold-Wolman关系,即用于河型判别的比降-流量关系进行了检验。结果发现,该关系不能用于包括砾石与砂质河床在内的河型判别。这是由于比降-流量关系主要反映砾石河床与砂质河床之间差异,其次才反映分汊与弯曲河型之间的差异。为此,对于Leopold-Wolman关系进行了改进,提出了以比降和河宽来判别河型的新关系。这一关系综合反映了河流在纵向上的能耗、阻力与输沙特性与在横向上的流场与环流分布特性的组合关系,因而具有更好的河型判别效果,可以用于包括砾石与砂质河床在内的河型判别。     

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.     

黄河流域河型转化现象初探

黄河以其高含沙水流以及下游河道的高沉积速率而著称于世。迄今的研究, 主要针对黄河中下游流域的 侵蚀、水文泥沙和河床演变方面的研究, 而对黄河流域主支流发生河型转化的现象关注不够。在黄河的不同河段, 河型的变化频繁, 类型多样, 现象复杂, 是研究者不可回避的科学问题。本文选取黄河上游第一弯的玛曲河段、黄河 上游末段托克托附近河段及黄河下游高村上下河段来研究河型转化的形式及影响因素。玛曲河段沿流向发生网状 河型→弯曲河型→辫状河型的转化现象, 该系列转化呈现出由极稳定河型向极不稳定河型的转化, 这与世界上通 常可以观察到的沿流向不稳定河型向稳定河型转化的情况完全相反。这主要受到地壳的抬升、上下峡谷卡口、水动 力特征、边界沉积物特征及植被的区域分布等因素的控制。托克托附近沿流向发生了弯曲河型→顺直河型转化的 现象, 这是较稳定河型向极稳定河型的转化, 主要受到边界沉积物、水动力等因素的控制。高村上下河段沿流向发 生的辫状河型→弯曲河型转化的现象, 是由极不稳定河型向较稳定河型转化的现象, 河道边界沉积物及水动力是 其主要控制因素, 人工大堤只是限制了河道摆动的最大幅度, 对河型的性质影响不大, 但其上游河段修筑的水库导 致下泻的水流在辫状河段的侵蚀能力增强而使其边界沉积物粗化, 并将泥质物大量沉积在弯曲河段, 客观上促进 了河型的转化。     

Reach-scale channel geometry of mountain streams

The basic patterns and processes of steep channels remain poorly known relative to lower-gradient channels. In this analysis, characteristics of step-pool, plane-bed, and pool-riffle channels are examined using a data set of 335 channel reaches from the western United States, Nepal, New Zealand, and Panama. We analyzed differences among the three channel types with respect to hydraulics, channel geometry, boundary roughness, and bedforms. Step-pool channels have significantly steeper gradients, coarser substrate, higher values of shear stress and stream power for a given discharge, and larger ratios of bedform amplitude/wavelength (H/L). Pool-riffle channels have greater width/depth ratios and relative grain submergence (R/D₈₄) than the other channel types. Plane-bed channels tend to have intermediate values for most variables examined. Relative form submergence (R/H) is statistically similar for step-pool and pool-riffle channels. Despite the lesser relative grain submergence and greater bedform amplitude of step-pool channels, mean values of Darcy–Weisbach friction factor do not change in response to changes in relative grain submergence. These patterns suggest that adjustments along mountain streams effectively maximize resistance to flow and minimize downstream variability in resistance among the different channel types.     

Logistic analysis of channel pattern thresholds: meandering, braiding, and incising

A large and geographically diverse data set consisting of meandering, braiding, incising, and post-incision equilibrium streams was used in conjunction with logistic regression analysis to develop a probabilistic approach to predicting thresholds of channel pattern and instability. An energy-based index was developed for estimating the risk of channel instability associated with specific stream power relative to sedimentary characteristics. The strong significance of the 74 statistical models examined suggests that logistic regression analysis is an appropriate and effective technique for associating basic hydraulic data with various channel forms. The probabilistic diagrams resulting from these analyses depict a more realistic assessment of the uncertainty associated with previously identified thresholds of channel form and instability and provide a means of gauging channel sensitivity to changes in controlling variables.     

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

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

Recent morphological evolution of the Lower Mississippi River

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

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

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

黄河下游河槽横断面调整规律及治理方式探讨

通过对影响河槽挟沙能力诸因素的分析,作者认为目前黄河下游只有河槽形态是一个人为可调节的控制河道淤积的要素。分析黄河下游河道横剖面形态的特征及其调整规律,考虑来沙组成变化、河槽综合阻力变化,计算得到黄河下游典型断面的实际挟沙能力及平均水沙条件下河槽平衡输沙横剖面,经与实际断面形态对比,得出必须以多级河槽方式缩窄7000m³/s流量以下即中、小水期的河槽,方能显着减少黄河下游河槽中的淤积的结论。这样才能真正实现潘季驯的“束水攻沙”的治黄方略。     

Fluvial process and the establishment of bottomland trees

The effects of river regulation on bottomland tree communities in western North America have generated substantial concern because of the important habitat and aesthetic values of these communities. Consideration of such effects in water management decisions has been hampered by the apparent variability of responses of bottomland tree communities to flow alteration. When the relation between streamflow and tree establishment is placed in a geomorphic context, however, much of that variability is explained, and prediction of changes in the tree community is improved.The relation between streamflow and establishment of bottomland trees is conditioned by the dominant fluvial process or processes acting along a stream. For successful establishment, cottonwoods, poplars, and willows require bare, moist surfaces protected from disturbance. Channel narrowing, channel meandering, and flood deposition promote different spatial and temporal patterns of establishment. During channel narrowing, the site requirements are met on portions of the bed abandoned by the stream, and establishment is associated with a period of low flow lasting one to several years. During channel meandering, the requirements are met on point bars following moderate or higher peak flows. Following flood deposition, the requirements are met on flood deposits ;high above the channel bed. Flood deposition can occur along most streams, but where a channel is constrained by a narrow valley, this process may be the only mechanism that can produce a bare, moist surface high enough to be safe from future disturbance. Because of differences in local bedrock, tributary influence, or geologic history, two nearby reaches of the same stream may be dominated by different fluvial processes and have different spatial and temporal patterns of trees. We illustrate this phenomenon with examples from forests of plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. monilifera) along meandering and constrained reaches of the Missouri River in Montana.     

黄河下游河相关系与平滩流量特征关系的随机演化模拟

Extreme weather is an important noise factor in affecting dynamic access to river morphology information.The response characteristics of river channel on climate disturbances draw us to develop a method to investigate the dynamic evolution of bankfull channel geometries(including the hydraulic geometry variables and bankfull discharges)with stochastic differential equations in this study.Three different forms of random inputs,including single Gaussian white noise and compound Gaussian/Fractional white noise plus Poisson noise,are explored respectively on the basis of the classical deterministic models.The model parameters are consistently estimated by applying a composite nonparametric maximum likelihood estimation(MLE)method.Results of the model application in the Lower Yellow River reveal the potential responses of bankfull channel geometries to climate disturbances in a probabilistic way,and,the calculated average trends mainly run to synchronize with the measured values.Comparisons among the three models confirm the advantage of Fractional jump-diffusion model,and through further discussion,stream power based on such a model is concluded as a better systematic measure of river dynamics.The proposed method helps to offer an effective tool for analyzing fluvial relationships and improves the ability of crisis management of river system under varying environment conditions.