Holocene evolution of meander bends in lowland river valley formed in complex geological conditions (the Obra River,Poland)

Ground‐penetrating radar surveys, coring and the analyses of satellite and aerial images have been carried out to study differences in the evolution of meander bends formed in various geological conditions. The research was conducted in the lower course of the Obra River (western Poland) characterized by a complex geology: particular sections of the valley were formed in glacial, stagnant water and fluvioglacial deposits. The research was conducted in four detailed study sites representing different formation conditions for the meander bends. Four types of meanders were distinguished: laterally migrating bends characterized by frequent changes of migration direction accompanied by river bed avulsions and cutoffs; bends with traces of continuous migration limited by stagnant water basin deposits; confined meanders in a narrow valley formed in glacial till characterized by the occurrence of mid‐channel islands; and meanders with traces of complex changes of the river bed migration influenced by anthropogenic intervention followed by intensive overbank deposition. Moreover, traces of an early development of the Obra valley and remains of multi‐channel pattern were discovered. The results also show that despite being formed in different geological conditions, a similar number of the meander migration phases were recorded in the floodplain architecture during the last 7000 years at each of the sites. It is also found that the development of the studied meanders was slow compared with cases of actively migrating meandering rivers.     

CHANGES OF RIVER BED PATTERN OF A LOWLAND RIVER: EFFECT OF NATURAL PROCESSES OR ANTHROPOGENIC INTERVENTION?

GPR and aerial surveys were conducted to study changes of channel pattern in the lower course of the Obra River (western Poland). The river is an example of an intensive anthropogenic transformation, however, the origin of the river pattern changes in its lower course is not obvious. The GPR measurements were done using a georadar MALÅ ProEx equipped with a shielded 250 MHz antenna. A 3D analysis of the GPR data supported with lithologic information indicated traces of a multi‐channel pattern. A variable orientation of sediment layering within channel bars and differences in channels depth and width pointed to changes of direction of the river bed migration. Analysis of aerial photographs and a satellite image indicated that only a few of the channels inferred from GPR could be discerned. The reason could be the more than 1 m thick fine sands layer covering all the alluvial structures. Analysis of historical maps from the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries showed that 250 years ago the Obra was a meandering river. The maps illustrate also several meander cutoffs and decreased wetlands surface. The following transformations of the river bed pattern were discerned: 1. From braided to meandering channel pattern which could be a natural process caused by climatic and sediment transport rate changes that was also observed in case of other lowland rivers. 2. From meandering to sinuous pattern with channel islands and then to sinuous with oxbow lakes. However, further research is needed to study reasons and timing of the observed changes.     

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。     

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.     

黄河玛曲砾质网状河段河间湿地形态特征及发育程度（英文）

Both interchannel wetlands and multi-channels are crucial geomorphologic units in an anastomosing river system. Planform characteristics and development of interchannel wetlands and multi-channels control the characteristics of anastomosing rivers. To understand the role that interchannel wetlands play in the development of anastomosing rivers, a study was conducted on the Maqu Reach of the Upper Yellow River(MRUYR), a gravel-bed anastomosing river characterized by highly developed interchannel wetlands and anabranches. Geomorphologic units in the studied reach were extracted from high resolution satellite imagery in Google Earth. The size distributions of interchannel wetlands and interchannel wetland clusters(IWCs), a special combination of interchannel wetlands and anabranches, were investigated. Geomorphologic parameters, including the ratio of interchannel wetland area to IWC area(P), shoreline density(D_l), and node density(D_n) were used to analyze planform characteristics of IWCs and the development of multi-channels in the studied reach. The results suggest that small or middle sized interchannel wetlands and large or mega sized IWCs are more common at the study site. The area of IWC(S_u) is highly correlated with other geomorphologic parameters. P increases with increasing S_u, and the upper limit is about 80%, which indicates that the development of interchannel wetlands and anabranches in the IWC is in the equilibrium stage. In contrast, D_l and D_n show a tendency to decrease with increasing S u due to diverse evolution processes in IWCs with different sizes. There are three main reasons leading to the formation of IWCs: varying stream power due to the meandering principal channel; development of the river corridor due to the weakening of geologic structure control; and high stability of interchannel wetlands due to conservation by shoreline vegetation.     

网状河流研究进展述评

网状河流作为一种新的冲积河流类型已经引起地貌学家、水利学家和沉积学家的关注 ,成为河流地貌领域、河流沉积领域以及河流水动力领域的研究热点之一。本文在介绍网状河流基本概念的基础上 ,综合国内外的研究成果 ,从河流的平面形态、边界条件、沉积特征、水动力条件以及在河型演化序列中的位置等方面 ,对网状河流的研究进展作一较全面的述评 ,并指出目前研究的薄弱环节 ,以利于研究者把握网状河流的研究现状 ,并推动对网状河流的进一步探讨。     

Planform characteristics and development of interchannel wetlands in a gravel-bed anastomosing river,Maqu Reach of the Upper Yellow River

Both interchannel wetlands and multi-channels are crucial geomorphologic units in an anastomosing river system. Planform characteristics and development of interchannel wetlands and multi-channels control the characteristics of anastomosing rivers. To understand the role that interchannel wetlands play in the development of anastomosing rivers, a study was conducted on the Maqu Reach of the Upper Yellow River (MRUYR), a gravel-bed anastomosing river characterized by highly developed interchannel wetlands and anabranches. Geomorphologic units in the studied reach were extracted from high resolution satellite imagery in Google Earth. The size distributions of interchannel wetlands and interchannel wetland clusters (IWCs), a special combination of interchannel wetlands and anabranches, were investigated. Geomorphologic parameters, including the ratio of interchannel wetland area to IWC area (P), shoreline density (D_l), and node density (D_n) were used to analyze planform characteristics of IWCs and the development of multi-channels in the studied reach. The results suggest that small or middle sized interchannel wetlands and large or mega sized IWCs are more common at the study site. The area of IWC (S_u) is highly correlated with other geomorphologic parameters. P increases with increasing S_u, and the upper limit is about 80%, which indicates that the development of interchannel wetlands and anabranches in the IWC is in the equilibrium stage. In contrast, D_l and D_n show a tendency to decrease with increasing S_u due to diverse evolution processes in IWCs with different sizes. There are three main reasons leading to the formation of IWCs: varying stream power due to the meandering principal channel; development of the river corridor due to the weakening of geologic structure control; and high stability of interchannel wetlands due to conservation by shoreline vegetation.     

1990年以来黄河第一湾齐哈玛河段砾质网状河的演变特征

黄河第一湾的网状河型因其砾石质的河床质而与砂床质网状河明显不同,但是其具体的冲淤特性、河道与河间地的稳定性等是否与砂质网状河具有相似之处,尚待揭示。以齐哈玛乡主河道长约为12 km的砾石质网状河段为研究对象,利用1990年、2001年、2013年和2016年共4期Landsat遥感影像数据和2011年与2013年两期Google Earth高分辨率图像数据,结合野外采样观测分析其1990-2016年间的平面形态变化与沉积特征。结果表明：砾石质网状河整体具有很高的稳定性,众多分支河道与河间地无明显冲淤现象。网状带面积仅增加2.43%,陆地与水体面积比例接近1∶1;网状带部分小型河间湿地及河间岛屿呈现碎片化现象,导致河间湿地个数逐渐增加,最大增加率为62.16%。河道主流线长期左右迁移交替变化,且变化率相对稳定,受主流线迁移的影响,主河道内部河间岛屿形态变化较大,其河岸变化率为5 m/a。网状河众多支河道非常稳定,平均河宽变化率仅为1 m/a左右。河岸沉积物以细砂或粉砂为主,黏土含量较高,粒度分布曲线呈现多峰,这与砂质网状河流河岸以泥质沉积物为主略有不同,但河岸及河间湿地茂密的植被保护了众多分支河道免受侵蚀、维持了河道的稳定性,这也是砾石质网状河流体系具有高稳定性的重要原因。     

黄河青藏高原网状河段不同流量下活动河道的分布规律

以黄河青藏高原阿万仓和采日玛两段主河道50 km与65 km长的网状河段为研究对象,利用2013年3期遥感影像绘制了不同流量下（176 m³/s,978 m³/s,1 610 m³/s）网状河段活动河道的分布变化图,结合DEM数据分析了现有河道在流量增加过程中的空间分布格局和潜在定量关系。研究结果表明：根据流量大小划分出的3类活动河道,其分布规律基本是后者位于前者的两侧,据此可以推断,网状河分支河道基本是从主河道向两侧逐渐发展的。对于阿万仓河段,在河谷和河间地相对宽阔处,每个河道断面上3类活动河道数的比值为1:1.67:2.25;而在河谷较窄的地方,该比值为1:1.22:1.33。在采日玛河段,该比值分别为1:1.3:1.4和1:0.95:1.16。在宽阔的草原湿地河段,当网状河的主河道发生弯曲时,弯道内侧的活动河道数要大于弯道外侧的活动河道数。在平坦开阔的河谷地带,断面上的活动河道线密度与河谷宽度之间呈现出极好的线性负相关关系;而峡谷地带由于两侧高地形的限制,河谷宽窄不一,活动河道的线密度相对较大、且差别也较大。     

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.     

不同气候带的河道与沙丘分布格局及其类型划分

风水交互作用是干旱区常见的地貌现象和重要的地表过程,干旱区河流通过提供物源和场所控制沙漠分布的格局,沙漠分布与风沙活动制约河道发育和泥沙输移,在不同时空尺度表现不一,但关于二者交互作用的分类处于探索阶段,尚未形成分类体系,尤其在地貌格局分类上多为定性描述。因此,自西向东选择位于3个气候带的中国西部克里雅河、中部毛不拉格孔兑以及东部西拉木伦河,利用遥感影像解译获取河道与沙丘信息,探讨近源沙丘的分布与河型之间的组合关系。结果表明：河型、河流流向与风向之间的关系、水文以及距离河道的远近影响河道与沙丘组合的地貌格局;在河道-沙丘尺度上,划分为弯曲河道-对称式边滩沙丘、顺直河道-边滩沙丘、分汊河道-心滩式沙丘、网状河道-格状镶嵌式沙丘4种类型。     

Geomorphic Controls on Historical Channel Planform Changes on the Lower Pages River,Hunter Valley,Australia

Historical planform changes in a 14.7 km reach of the lower Pages River were determined to assess whether they were autogenic (inherent in the river regime) or allogenic (driven by external changes) in nature so as to better focus river management activities and river restoration works. A pattern metamorphosis or complete change in river morphology occurred during the February 1955 flood. The peak discharge of this event exceeded the slope and grain size (intrinsic) threshold for braiding, converting the narrow, slightly sinuous stream to a wide, braided-like river. Five subsequent intrinsic threshold-exceeding floods did not cause further bar development because an over-widened channel already existed. Autogenic channel planform changes included sinuosity variations due to lateral migration and pattern metamorphosis due to the exceedance of a discharge–slope–grain size geomorphic threshold. Allogenic channel planform changes included: (1) realignment/channel straightening and artificial cutoffs by river training works; (2) lateral migration by increased bank erodibility due to riparian vegetation clearing; (3) lateral migration by the operation of a transitive geomorphic threshold involving the onset of a flood-dominated regime after 1946 and increased catchment runoff after 1830 due to large-scale clearing of catchment vegetation; and (4) the occurrence of a large flood in February 1955. Multiple forcing factors have clearly caused historical channel planform changes of the lower Pages River, making the design of river management and restoration works a complex matter outside the scope of simple formulaic protocols.     

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.     

The influence of river training on mountain channel changes (Polish Carpathian Mountains)

The purpose of this paper is to explain the influence of river training on channel changes in mountain rivers. Also considered are the causes of failure of different training schemes. The research was conducted on the regulated Mszanka and Porębianka Rivers, belonging to the Raba River drainage basin in the Polish Flysh Carpathian Mountains. Channel mapping carried out in 2004 drew attention to the contemporary morphology of the channels and the development of their dynamic typology. General changes in channel morphometry and land cover were identified by comparing cartographic sources from various years. Archive material from Cracow's Regional Water Management Authority (RZGW) was used to analyse the detailed channel changes caused by each regulation structure. The material consisted of technical designs of individual training works, as well as plans, longitudinal profiles and cross-sections of trained channel reaches. A series of minimum annual water stages at the Mszana Dolna gauging station was used to determine the tendency of channel bed degradation over 53 years. During the first half of the 20th century, the middle and lower courses of the Mszanka and Porębianka Rivers had braided patterns. The slopes, mostly covered with crops, were an important source of sediment delivery to the river channels. Today, both channels are single-threaded, narrow and sinuous. Downcutting is the leading process transforming the channels. They cut down to bedrock along about 60% of their lengths. The main type of channel is an erosion channel, which occurs also in the middle and lower courses of the rivers. The channel sediment deficit is an important cause for river incision. Sediment supply to the channels was reduced after a replacement of crops on the slopes by meadows or forests. Gravel mining has also caused channel downcutting. The rapid channel changes began after 1959, as systematic training was introduced. Channel regulation seems therefore to be a major factor determining channel adjustment. Debris dams and groynes were built before 1980 and these caused the greatest change of channel pattern, increase of channel gradient and magnitude of river incision. After that date the measures mostly involved drop structures. From then on, the rate of downcutting decreased considerably, but has not ceased. The rivers continued to incise until bedrock was exposed or training structures were destroyed. After that, a tendency to lateral migration and local braiding were observed in the deepened channel. The channels displayed a tendency to return to their morphology and dynamic from before the training. The results demonstrate that river training distorts the equilibrium of channel systems. A channel becomes divided into artificial reaches, which later follow different evolutionary patterns. Most training schemes on mountain channels are ineffective in the long term, as river managers seem to consider a channel at a reach scale only. Individual channel reaches, however, are not independent but rather form a system that must be managed at the entire channel scale.     

赣江入湖三角洲上的网状河流体系研究

中国南方的冲积河流有许多属于分汊河流，这已被许多研究者进行过比较深入的分析研究，但赣江在其入湖三角洲上的多河道体系与分汊河道有着明显的不同，它的形成是河流自发调整的结果，而不象分汊河流那样由节点控制。它具有网状河流所具有的地貌和沉积物特征，属于典型的网状河流体系。虽然是低含沙河流，但由于其水动力较弱及汛期基准面的上升，洪泛频繁，可输入河间地以大量的泥沙并在低能环境中发生沉积，使河道及河间地能够协调加积升高，并维持多河道体系的稳定性。     

黄河玛曲砾质网状河段河间湿地形态特征及发育程度

河间湿地是网状河流体系中与多河道系统同等重要的地貌单元,其特征和发育程度与河道系统共同决定着网状河流的特性。本文以黄河玛曲网状河段作为研究对象,利用高分辨率Google Earth影像对研究河段河道与河间湿地等微地貌单元进行提取,利用湿地面积与湿地数对河间湿地的组成进行了分析,利用河间湿地面积占比、岸线密度、分汊点密度3个地貌参数,对河间湿地群体（河间湿地与分支河道特定组合体）的平面形态及多河道发育程度进行了研究。结果表明,河间湿地个体以中小型的为主,河间湿地群体则以大型和巨型的为主。河间湿地群体的发育程度与河间湿地群体面积（S_u）明显相关,河间湿地面积占比（P）随S_u的增大而增大,P值70%是河间湿地发育成熟的指标,而P值80%基本是河间湿地发育的上限值,此时河间湿地与分支河道基本达到动态平衡态。岸线密度、分汊点密度随S_u的增加呈减小趋势,这种变化主要是由于不同大小河间湿地群体中河道发育过程差异导致。黄河玛曲段河间湿地群体的形成在于弯曲主河道的主导作用、地形限制因素削弱导致的河道带的发育,以及植被维护的河岸使得河间湿地群体得以较长时间保存。     

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.     

A model for the active origin and development of source-bordering dunefields on a semiarid fluvial plain: A case study from the Xiliaohe Plain, Northeast China

Source-bordering dunefields have been reported in some drylands of the planet, but scarcely in China where there are extensive drylands. This article reports them in China for the first time, and presents a model for their active origin and development on a semiarid fluvial plain by means of satellite image analyses and field investigations. Local- and regional-scale examples are chosen to analyze the spatial patterns of dunefields, as well as the relationships with the fluvial systems in the central part of Naiman Banner where the Jiaolai River runs, and the lower Laoha River, and the middle and lower Ulijimulun River (principal tributaries of the Xiliaohe River). The active origin and development of source-bordering dunefields can be divided into four stages in terms of the spatial patterns of dunefields and channel dynamics: Stage I — individual dunes on the downwind margins of river valleys where running water constantly erodes the steep slopes of valley and where the downwind slopes orient to local dominant winds; Stage II — individual local-scale dunefields formed by deflation of the steep valley slopes and extending antecedent dunes downwind, together with the downstream displacement of meanders; Stage III — individual large-scale dunefield belts along the downwind margins of river valleys formed through frequent lateral migrations of channel; Stage IV — regional-scale dunefields formed mainly by river diversions due to climatic changes or tectonic movements. On the one hand, it is the running water's lateral migration, especially meandering, that prepares suitable places for aeolian systems in terms of both wind flow fields and sand sources, and subsequently it can further cause separate local-scale source-bordering dunefields to link together as a regional-scale dunefield belt given sufficient time. On the other hand, diversions of the river are bound to occur following changing hydrologic regimes resulting from tectonic movements or significant climate change (at regional and millennium scales). As a result, when some dunefield belts as well as the adjacent channels are abandoned, new channels work elsewhere in the same way to actively form new source-bordering dunefields and even dunefield belts at a regional scale.     

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.     

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。