FLOW DISTURBANCE CAUSED BY CROSS-STREAM COARSE WOODY DEBRIS

Coarse woody debris affects many streams in forested regions throughout the world. These effects include lateral channel migration, bank slumping, and aggradational or erosional features related to flow redirection. The extent of effect is dependent on the ability of the system to resist the new forces derived from flow redirection. This study on the Pine River, Ontario, looks at how obstructions that are perpendicular to downstream flow modify fluid behavior. Results show that fluctuations in speed and approach azimuth vary considerably depending on the position of the sample relative to the obstruction. The use of time-averaged (1 sec., 30 sec.) recordings of fluid speed and azimuth at selected channel locations shows how flow adjusts to external controls as it moves away from the obstruction zone, giving an indication of the spatial extent of the obstruction influence. These data are represented as a function of the diameter of the obstruction relative to the surrounding flow depth (obstruction ratio), and then are compared to results found in other debris obstructions on the Pine River and Wilmot Creek. Flow obstruction dimensions in the study site equal 26.5 trunk diameters (the average diameter of the tree trunk measured five times along its length), and range between 16.9 and 56.7 trunk diameters on the Pine River (n = 48) and between 7.4 and 63.5 trunk diameters on Wilmot Creek (n = 1066). Knowledge of these spatial relationships may allow for better management of woody debris in streams, primarily from the perspective of aquatic habitat. Multiquadric interpolation formed the basis for plotting fluid vector fields, showing the behavior of flow as it approached and moved through the obstruction zone. This is compared to studies of flow in unobstructed meanders in an attempt to quantify obstruction influence, and is used to provide a depiction of flow under these circumstances. [Key words: flow patterns, woody debris, influence zones, stream management.]     

Fluvial diversity in relation to valley setting in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers

The spatial distribution of valley setting （laterally-unconfined, partly-confined, or confined） and fluvial morphology in the source region of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers is contrasted and analyzed. The source region of the Yangtze River is divided into 3 broad sections （I, II and III） based on valley setting and channel gradient, with the upstream and downstream sections being characterized by confined （some reaches partly-confined） valleys while the middle section is characterized with wide and shallow, laterally-unconfined valleys. Gorges are prominent in sections I and III, while braided channel patterns dominate section II. By contrast, the source region of the Yellow River is divided into 5 broad sections （sections I-V） based on valley characteristics and channel gradient. Sections I, II and IV are alluvial reaches with mainly laterally-unconfined （some short reaches partly-confined） valleys. Sections III and V are mainly confined or partly-confined. Greater morphological diversity is evident in the source region of the Yellow River relative to the upper Yangtze River. This includes braided, anabranching, anastomosing, meandering and straight alluvial patterns, with gorges in confined reaches. The macro-relief （elevation, gradient, aspect, valley alignment and confinement） of the region, linked directly to tectonic movement of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, tied to climatic, hydrologic and biotic considerations, are primary controls upon the patterns of river diversity in the region.     

Environmental factors and pattern of riparian vegetation along the downstream sections of the Lower Ogun River,Nigeria

The River Continuum Concept (RCC) is an existing theory regarding the distribution of plant communities along riverbanks. This study is concerned with the pattern of riparian vegetation along the Lower Ogun River (LOR) in relation to the observed downstream variation of various environmental factors (bank height, width, gradient, distance, cross‐sectional area and particle size). The LOR transits between undisturbed and disturbed sections. Forty‐eight cross sections were established at bankfull stage along the river channel stretch of about 90 km. Environmental variables distribution were determined using standard field procedures. Gradient was estimated from a 1:50 000 topographical map. At each corridor along the study sites, a 0.1 ha sampling site was chosen, in which 10 transects of 100 m² were demarcated. In all, 332 individuals stratified under 80 species were recorded across the transects. The study revealed that total species richness (TSR) downstream decreases exponentially. TSR is significantly correlated with channel width, suggesting that hydraulic variable contributes more to the variation in TSR. The downstream total environmental factors revealed that width is inversely significant with downstream distance, suggesting that the river channel is narrower downstream. This affects plant life form distribution downstream and confirms why there is appearance of anthropogenic induced species downstream as against those in the upper course.     

黄河下游清水冲刷阶段河床的调整及其对基准面变化的反应

本文采用黄河下游的实测资料,分析了三门峡水库下洩清水阶段,河床的调整及其对基准面的反应。认为在来水来沙条件变化的情况下,河床纵剖面以近于平行的方式调整;横断面形态向窄深式发展;河型的转化主要取决于地貌临界值和粉沙—粘土含量。从长时间看,下游的淤积特性不会发生根本性的变化。     

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.     

Mapping the spatial and temporal distributions of woody debris in streams of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA

The objectives of this study were: (1) to document spatial and temporal distributions of large woody debris (LWD) at watershed scales and investigate some of the controlling processes; and (2) to judge the potential for mapping LWD accumulations with airborne multispectral imagery. Field surveys were conducted on the Snake River, Soda Butte Creek, and Cache Creek in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA. The amount of woody debris per kilometer is highest in 2nd order streams, widely variable in 3rd and 4th order streams, and relatively low in the 6th order system. Floods led to increases in woody debris in 2nd order streams. Floods redistributed the wood in 3rd and 4th order streams, removing it from the channel and stranding it on bars, but appeared to generate little change in the total amount of wood throughout the channel system. The movement of woody debris suggests a system that is the reverse of most sediment transport systems in mountains. In 1st and 2nd order tributaries, the wood is too large to be moved and the system is transport-limited, with floods introducing new material through undercutting, but not removing wood through downstream transport. In the intermediate 3rd and 4th order channels, the system displays characteristics of dynamic equilibrium, where the channel is able remove the debris at approximately the same rate that it is introduced. The spatial distribution and quantity of wood in 3rd and 4th order reaches varies widely, however, as wood is alternatively stranded on gravel bars or moved downstream during periods of bar mobilization. In the 6th order and larger channels, the system becomes supply-limited, where almost all material in the main stream can be transported out of the central channel by normal stream flows and deposition occurs primarily on banks or in eddy pool environments. Attempts to map woody debris with 1-m resolution digital four-band imagery were generally unsuccessful, primarily because the imagery could not distinguish the narrow logs within a pixel from the surrounding sand and gravel background and due to problems in precisely coregistering imagery and field maps.     

Woody vegetation and channel morphogenesis in low-gradient, gravel-bed streams in the Ozark Plateaus, Missouri and Arkansas

Woody vegetation affects channel morphogenesis in Ozark streams of Missouri and Arkansas by increasing local roughness, increasing bank strength, providing sedimentation sites, and creating obstructions to flow. Variations in physiographic controls on channel morphology result in systematic changes in vegetation patterns and geomorphic functions with increasing drainage basin area. In upstream reaches, streams have abundant bedrock control and bank heights that typically are less than or equal to the rooting depth of trees. In downstream reaches where valleys are wider and alluvial banks are higher vegetation has different geomorphic functions. At drainage areas of greater than 100–200 kM², Ozarks streams are characterized by longitudinally juxtaposed reaches of high and low lateral channel migration rates, referred to as disturbance reaches and stable reaches, respectively. Whereas stable reaches can develop stable forested floodplains (if they are not farmed), disturbance reaches are characterized by dynamic vegetation communities that interact with erosion and deposition processes.Disturbance reaches can be subdivided into low-gradient and high-gradient longitudinal zones. Low-energy zones are characterized by incremental, unidirectional lateral channel migration and deposition of gravel and sand bars. The bars are characterized by prominent bands of woody vegetation and ridge and swale topography. Channel monitoring data indicate that densely vegetated bands of woody vegetation formed depositional sites during bedload-transporting events. The same floods caused up to 20 m of erosion of adjacent cutbanks, scoured non-vegetated areas between vegetation bands, and increased thalweg depth and definition. In high-energy (or riffle) zones, channel movement is dominantly by avulsion. In these zones, vegetation creates areas of erosional resistance that become temporary islands as the channel avulses around or through them. Woody vegetation on islands creates steep, root-defended banks that contribute to narrow channels with high velocities.Calculation of hydraulic roughness from density and average diameter of woody vegetation groups of different ages indicates that flow resistance provided by vegetation decreases systematically with group age, mainly through decreasing stem density. If all other factors remain constant, the stabilizing effect of a group of woody vegetation on a gravel bar decreases with vegetation age.     

Valley confinement as a factor of braided river pattern for the Platte River

The Platte River in Nebraska has evolved in the twentieth century from a predominantly braided river pattern to a mélange of meandering, wandering, anastomosed, island braided, and fully braided reaches. Identifying the factors that determine the occurrence of a fully braided main channel was the objective of this study. Aerial photography, gage flow data, ground-surveyed cross sections, bed material samples, and the results of sediment transport modeling were used to examine factors that control spatial change in main river pattern of the central Platte River. Valley confinement is identified as the determining factor of braided river in nine of eleven divisions of the central Platte River. Flow reduction and the interruption of sediment supply are identified as determining factors preventing fully braided river in the remaining two of eleven reaches.Valley confinement, the topography which limits the width of the floodplain, was initially measured as width between historical banks (predevelopment river banks). This metric was later refined to width between confining features (historical banks, remnant bars, bridge abutments, protected banks and levees). Under existing conditions, the main channel of the central Platte River is fully braided when valley confinement (width between confining features) is 600 m or less and begins to divide into the multiple channels of an anastomosed pattern when valley confinement (width between confining features) exceeds 600 m When Platte River flow is divided between two to four major anabranches, a fully braided pattern in the main channel of the main anabranch requires a more confined valley of 400 m or less.Valley confinement is demonstrated to be the dominant factor in determining river pattern in the central Platte River, although this factor is not normally considered in the continuum of channel pattern model. Conclusions from this study can be used to increase the occurrence of fully braided main channel in the central Platte River, to aid habitat recovery for endangered or threatened bird species that favor this river pattern. Consideration of valley confinement with river continuum factors can aid river managers by improving predictions of river pattern in response to management actions.     

High-Resolution Analysis of Debris Flow–Induced Channel Changes in a Headwater Stream,Ashio Mountains,Japan∗

Coupled hillslope and channel processes in headwater streams (HWS) lead to rapid changes in channel dimensions. Changes in channel size and shape caused by a debris flow event along the length of a headwater stream in the Ashio Mountains, Japan, were captured with the aid of repeat high-definition surveys using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques. The HWS was classified into three distinct reaches below the debris flow initiation zone. A large knickpoint separated an upper bedrock reach from a colluvial reach along the midsection of the drainage. The colluvial reach transitioned to a lower bedrock reach that terminated at the master stream. Cross-sectional and morphometric analyses revealed no statistically significant changes in channel size or shape along the upper bedrock reach. Debris flow erosion generated significant differences in channel size and shape along a colluvial reach. Sediment bulking associated with erosion along the colluvial reach led to increases in channel size along the lower bedrock reach, but no statistical differences in channel shape. Morphometric analyses from the TLS point cloud revealed that debris flow erosion produced a distinct nonlinear change in channel dimensions in the downstream direction within the HWS. Variations in channel substrate along the length of HWS contributed directly to this nonlinear response. The episodic nature and nonlinearity of erosion associated with the current debris flow event highlights the importance of debris flows in general in understanding the transport of sediment, coarse to fine particulate organic material, and large woody debris, which are critical to the long-term management of riverine environments. TLS sampling methods show promise as one component of a multianalytical approach needed to continuously monitor and manage the dynamics of HWS.     

Riparian plant species richness along lateral and longitudinal gradients of water stress and flood disturbance, San Pedro River, Arizona, USA

Diversity theory predicts that species numbers should be highest at intermediate levels of both disturbance and environmental stress. We examined woody and herbaceous plant species richness and cover in the San Pedro River flood plain, along lateral gradients of water availability (ground-water depth), flood disturbance (inundation frequency), and distance from and elevation above the channel, and along longitudinal gradients of water availability (ground-water depth, surface flow permanence, and rainfall) and flood disturbance (total stream power). Herbaceous species were recorded during four sampling periods, and spatial patterns for this group were time-dependent, reflecting temporal variation in limiting factors. During the summer dry season of a dry year, when overall richness was low, richness and cover of herbaceous species declined laterally from the stream channel with increasing ground-water depth, consistent with the idea that low resource levels can limit species richness. Following the summer monsoon rains and floods, when water was less limiting and annuals were seasonally abundant, lateral patterns shifted such that herbaceous species richness and cover increased with increasing plot location above or from the channel. The relationship of herbaceous species richness with tree canopy cover also varied seasonally, shifting from positive (greater richness under canopy) in dry seasons to negative (lesser richness under canopy) in wet seasons. Longitudinally, herbaceous species richness and cover were limited primarily by stream flow and/or ground-water availability during the summer dry season of a dry year. Following the summer monsoon rains and floods, patterns were weighted by the seasonally abundant annuals, and richness increased among sites primarily with distance upstream (and related rainfall gradients). Richness and cover patterns also varied between years with different flood conditions. During the two sampling seasons in the year following a large flood, herbaceous species richness increased with flood disturbance intensity but declined at the few most intensely disturbed sites, consistent with intermediate disturbance theory.For woody species, richness within plant functional groups varied in opposing ways along the lateral gradients: hydromesic pioneer species decreased and hydromesic and xeric competitors increased with distance from or above the channel, with no overall change in species richness. Among sites, woody species richness patterns were related to water availability, but not to flood disturbance. However, richness of woody hydromesic pioneer species increased with both increasing site moisture and flood disturbance. Woody and herbaceous species richness both increased among sites as a function of increasing flood-plain width, likely due to species–area effects. Overall, results indicate that flood disturbance and water availability both influence species richness of riparian plants in the flood plain of this semi-arid region river, with the relative influence of each factor varying among plant groups and over time.     

Complex channel responses to changes in stream flow and sediment supply on the lower Duchesne River, Utah

Channel responses to flow depletions in the lower Duchesne River over the past 100 years have been highly complex and variable in space and time. In general, sand-bed reaches adjusted to all perturbations with bed-level changes, whereas the gravel-bed reaches adjusted primarily through width changes. Gravel-bed reaches aggraded only when gravel was supplied to the channel through local bank erosion and degraded only during extreme flood events.A 50% reduction in stream flow and an increase in fine sediment supply to the study area occurred in the first third of the 20th century. The gravel-bed reach responded primarily with channel narrowing, whereas bed aggradation and four large-scale avulsions occurred in the sand-bed reaches. These avulsions almost completely replaced a section of sinuous channel about 14 km long with a straighter section about 7 km long. The most upstream avulsion, located near a break in valley slope and the transition from a gravel bed upstream and a sand bed downstream, transformed a sinuous sand-bed reach into a braided gravel-bed reach and eventually into a meandering gravel-bed reach over a 30-year period. Later, an increase in flood magnitudes and durations caused widening and secondary bed aggradation in the gravel-bed reaches, whereas the sand-bed reaches incised and narrowed. Water diversions since the 1950s have progressively eliminated moderate flood events, whereas larger floods have been less affected. The loss of frequent flooding has increased the duration and severity of drought periods during which riparian vegetation can establish along the channel margins. As a result, the channel has gradually narrowed throughout the study area since the late 1960s, despite the occasional occurrence of large floods. No tributaries enter the Duchesne River within the study area, so all reaches have experienced identical changes in stream flow and upstream sediment supply.     

HYDROLOGY AND GEOMORPHIC EFFECTS OF A HIGH-MAGNITUDE FLOOD IN AN ALPINE RIVER

The catchment of the River Partnach, a torrent situated in a glacial valley in the Northern Calcareous Alps of Bavaria/Germany, was affected by a high‐magnitude flood on 22/23 August 2005 with a peak discharge of more than 16 m³s^‐1 at the spring and about 50 m³s^‐1 at the catchment outlet. This flood was caused by a long period of intense rainfall with a maximum intensity of 230 mm per day. During this event, a landslide dam, which previously held a small lake, failed. The flood wave originating from the dam breach transported a large volume of sediment (more than 50 000 m³) derived from bank erosion and the massive undercutting of a talus cone. This caused a fundamental transformation of the downstream channel system including the redistribution of large woody debris and channel switching. Using terrestrial survey and aerial photography, erosional and depositional consequences of the event were mapped, pre‐ and post‐event surfaces were compared and the sediment budget of the event calculated for ten consecutive channel reaches downstream of the former lake. According to the calculations more than 100 000 tonnes of sediment were eroded, 75% of which was redeposited within the channel and the proximal floodplain. A previous large flood which occurred a few weeks prior to the August 2005 event had a significant effect on controlling the impact of this event.     

Riparian reforestation and channel change: A case study of two small tributaries to Sleepers River, northeastern Vermont, USA

Measurements of two small streams in northeastern Vermont, collected in 1966 and 2004–2005, document considerable change in channel width following a period of passive reforestation. Channel widths of several tributaries to Sleepers River in Danville, VT, USA, were previously measured in 1966 when the area had a diverse patchwork of forested and nonforested riparian vegetation. Nearly 40 years later, we remeasured bed widths and surveyed large woody debris (LWD) in two of these tributaries, along 500 m of upper Pope Brook and along nearly the entire length (3 km) of an unnamed tributary (W12). Following the longitudinal survey, we collected detailed channel and riparian information for nine reaches along the same two streams. Four reaches had reforested since 1966; two reaches remained nonforested. The other three reaches have been forested since at least the 1940s. Results show that reforested reaches were significantly wider than as measured in 1966, and they are more incised than all other forested and nonforested reaches. Visual observations, cross-sectional surveys, and LWD characteristics indicate that reforested reaches continue to change in response to riparian reforestation. The three reaches with the oldest forest were widest for a given drainage area, and the nonforested reaches were substantially narrower. Our observations culminated in a conceptual model that describes a multiphase process of incision, widening, and recovery following riparian reforestation of nonforested areas. Results from this case study may help inform stream restoration efforts by providing insight into potentially unanticipated changes in channel size associated with the replanting of forested riparian buffers adjacent to small streams.     

Effects of Woody Debris on Channel Morphology and Sediment Storage in Headwater Streams in the Great Smoky Mountains,Tennessee-North Carolina

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important component of headwater streams, however, few studies have investigated the geomorphic effects of CWD in the southern Appalachians. In the Great Smoky Mountains, debris slides supply large volumes of CWD and sediment to low-order streams. This study investigates the effect of CWD on bankfull channel dimensions and in-channel sediment storage along second-order streams. Comparisons are made between streams that have experienced recent debris slides and those that have not. CWD channel obstructions are larger but less frequent along debris-slide-affected streams. Dendrochronological evidence indicates that CWD can remain in channels for over 100 yr. Relatively short residence times of CWD along debris-slide-affected streams suggest that logs are frequently flushed through these streams. CWD causes channel widening along all study streams, but the volume of sediment stored in the channel behind CWD obstructions is up to four times greater than the volume of sediment represented by bank erosion associated with CWD. Two large log jams formed by debris slides at tributary junctions stored approximately 4000 m³ of sediment. Sediment stored by CWD was finer than mean bed particle size, and thus represents a significant sediment source when CWD obstructions are breached.     

Streamflow regulation and multi-level flood plain formation: channel narrowing on the aggrading Green River in the eastern Uinta Mountains, Colorado and Utah

The style and degree of channel narrowing in aggrading reaches downstream from large dams is dependent upon the dominant geomorphic processes of the affected river, the magnitude of streamflow regulation, and the post-dam sediment transport regime. We measured different magnitudes of channel adjustment on the Green River downstream from Flaming Gorge Dam, UT, USA, that are related to these three factors. Bankfull channel width decreased by an average of about 20% in the study area. In reaches with abundant debris fans and eddy deposited sand bars, the amount of channel narrowing was proportional to the decrease in specific stream power. The fan–eddy-dominated reach with the greatest decrease in stream power narrowed by 22% while the reach with the least decrease in stream power narrowed by 11%. In reaches with the same magnitude of peak flow reduction, meandering reaches narrowed by 15% to 22% and fan–eddy-dominated reaches narrowed by 11% to 12%. Specific stream power was not significantly affected by flow regulation in the meandering reaches.In the diverse array of reach characteristics and deposit types found in the study area, all pre- and post-dam deposits are part of a suite of topographic surfaces that includes a terrace that was inundated by rare pre-dam floods, an intermediate bench that was inundated by rare post-dam floods, and a post-dam floodplain that was inundated by the post-dam mean annual flood. Analysis of historical photographs and tree-ring dating of Tamarix sp. shows that the intermediate bench and post-dam floodplain are post-dam landforms in each reach type. Although these two surfaces occur at different levels, they are forming simultaneously during flows of different magnitude. And while the relative elevation and sedimentologic characteristics of the deposits differ between meandering reaches and reaches with abundant debris fans and eddies, both reach types contain deposits at all of these topographic levels.The process of channel narrowing varied between fan–eddy-dominated and meandering reaches. In the meandering reaches, where stream power has not changed, narrowing was accomplished by essentially the same depositional processes that operated prior to regulation. In fan–eddy-dominated reaches, where significant reductions in stream power have occurred, channel narrowing has been accompanied by a change in dominant depositional processes. Mid-channel sand deposits are aggrading on deposits that, in the pre-dam era, were active gravel bars. These deposits are creating new islands and decreasing the presence of open-framework gravel bars. In eddies, bare sand bars are replaced with vegetated bars that have a simpler topography than the pre-dam deposits.     

EQUILIBRIUM AND NONEQUILIBRIUM CONDITIONS IN DRYLAND RIVERS

Rivers in drylands typically are characterized by extreme flow variability, with long periods of little or no flow interspersed with occasional large, sometimes extreme, floods. Complete adjustment of river form and process is sometimes inhibited, resulting in a common assumption that equilibrium conditions may rarely, if ever, exist in dryland rivers, and that transient and unstable (nonequilibrium) behavior is the norm. Examples from the Channel Country and the Northern Plains in central Australia challenge that notion. Along the middle reaches of these intermediate and large, low-gradient rivers, where long duration floods generate moderate to low unit stream powers and boundary resistance is high as a result of indurated alluvial terraces, cohesive muds or riparian vegetation, there is evidence that: (1) channels have remained essentially stable despite large floods; (2) sediment transport discontinuities, while present at a catchment scale, are largely insignificant for channel form and process in individual reaches; (3) there are strong correlations between many channel form and process variables; and (4) many rivers appear to be adjusted to maximum sediment transport efficiency under conditions of low gradient, abundant within-channel vegetation and declining downstream discharge. In these middle reaches, rivers are characterized by equilibrium conditions. However, in the aggradational lower reaches of rivers on the Northern Plains, where upstream terraces are buried by younger sediments and channels are less confined, nonequilibrium conditions prevail. Here, channels sometimes undergo sudden and substantial changes in form during large floods, sediment transport discontinuities are readily apparent, and landforms such as splays remain out-of-balance with normal flows. Hence, dryland rivers can exhibit both equilibrium and nonequilibrium conditions, depending on factors such as catchment size, channel gradient, flood duration, unit stream power, channel confinement, sediment cohesion, and bank strength. [Key words: dryland rivers, floods, equilibrium, nonequilibrium, central Australia.]     

Vegetation characteristics and butterfly use of unlined and PVC-lined reaches of an irrigation delivery canal, Government Highline Canal, Colorado, U.S.A.

Vegetation growing in irrigation canals has been postulated to furnish an important mesic habitat within arid landscapes. Some canal designs now incorporate plastic (PVC) liners to reduce seepage, and vegetation could be incidentally affected. We tested the hypothesis that PVC lining has no long-term effect on bank vegetation by comparing vegetation on interior banks of a reach of an 88-km long irrigation canal (47 m³s⁻¹capacity) lined 6–8 years earlier, with vegetation along unlined reaches of the same canal. The lined reach generally had lower values for cover, biomass, and richness than unlined reaches to the east. However, an east–west gradient in biomass noted within a 32-km long unlined reach suggested that the lower values of the lined-reach were at least partially due to factors unrelated to lining. Butterfly communities using the sampled reaches were surveyed to assess habitat quality. No significant differences were detected among the reaches, although the butterfly assemblage in the westmost lined reach tended to differ from those in unlined reaches. Pre- and post-lining surveys conducted on the same reach, as well as natural history data, indicated that canal butterflies were derived from surrounding habitats, rather than the canal itself. Vegetation management practices (e.g. periodic burning) limit the study canal's value as a habitat for butterflies and probably other species.     

长江中下游阻隔性河段作用机理

阻隔性河段能够阻隔上游河势调整向下游的传递,对稳定河势起到关键性作用。本文以长江中下游34个单一河段为研究对象,在系统总结长江中下游河道演变规律的基础上,归纳出阻隔性河段控制要素包括：单一微弯的河道平面形态、河段中上部无挑流节点;河相系数小于4;河道纵比降大于1.2?;凹岸黏粒含量高于9.5%;床沙中值粒径大于0.158 mm等。从Navier-Stokes方程出发,推导出河湾水流动力轴线弯曲半径的表达式,进而分析了各控制要素对水流动力轴线摆动及阻隔性河段形成的作用。阻隔性河段的判别条件为：不同流量级下水流动力轴线摆动力与河道边界条件约束力的比值始终小于1;阻隔性河段作用机理在于：即便上游河势发生调整,本河段的河道边界始终能约束主流摆动幅度,归顺上游不同河势条件下的主流平面位置,为下游河道提供了相对稳定的入流条件,从而阻隔上游河势调整向下游传递。     

The mechanism of barrier river reaches in the middle and lower Yangtze River

Alluvial channel has always adjusted itself to the equilibrium state of sediment transport after it was artificially or naturally disturbed. How to maintain the equilibrium state of sediment transport and keep the river regime stable has always been the concerns of fluvial geomorphologists. The channel in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is characterized by the staggered distribution of the bifurcated river and the single-thread river. The change of river regime is more violently in the bifurcated river than in the single-thread river. Whether the adjustment of the river regime in the bifurcated river can pass through the single-thread river and propagate to the downstream reaches affects the stabilities of the overall river regime. Studies show that the barrier river reach can block the upstream channel adjustment from propagating to the downstream reaches; therefore, it plays a key role in stabilizing the river regime. This study investigates 34 single-thread river reaches in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. On the basis of the systematic summarization of the fluvial process of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the control factors of barrier river reach are summarized and extracted: the planar morphology of single-thread and meandering; with no flow deflecting node distributed in the upper or middle part of the river reach; the hydraulic geometric coefficient is less than 4; the longitudinal gradient is greater than 12‰, the clay content of the concave bank is greater than 9.5%, and the median diameter of the bed sediment is greater than 0.158 mm. From the Navier-Stokes equation, the calculation formula of the bending radius of flow dynamic axis is deduced, and then the roles of these control factors on restricting the migration of the flow dynamic axis and the formation of the barrier river reach are analyzed. The barrier river reach is considered as such when the ratio of the migration force of the flow dynamic axis to the constraint force of the channel boundary is less than 1 under different flow levels. The mechanism of the barrier river reach is such that even when the upstream river regime adjusts, the channel boundary of this reach can always constrain the migration amplitude of the flow dynamic axis and centralize the planar position of the main stream line under different upstream river regime conditions, providing a relatively stable incoming flow conditions for the downstream reaches, thereby blocking the upstream river regime adjustment from propagating to the downstream reaches.     

长江岸线的空间功能、开发问题及管理对策

基于长江岸线空间功能的理念,从历史演变的角度梳理了长江岸线开发功能分异的过程,总结了岸线开发功能定位的科学依据,并剖析了长江岸线开发的区域功能。归纳了长江岸线开发条件评估的技术体系,并综合分析了长江干流（宜宾以下）岸线的开发条件状况及利用现状,提出了长江岸线资源利用中存在的缺少科学的开发时序安排、资源潜力没有得到充分发挥、功能布局不合理、不当开发易造成生态破坏、缺少有效的管理机制等问题。最后,从推进法制建设,破除行政壁垒,建立有偿使用机制,促进功能协调等方面提出加强岸线资源管理的对策,以期为长江岸线科学有效管理与保护提供借鉴。