Key drivers of changes in the sediment loads of Chinese rivers discharging to the oceans

The magnitude and variation of the sediment loads transported by rivers have important implications for the functioning of river systems and changes in the sediment loads of rivers are driven by numerous factors. In this paper, the key drivers of changes in the sediment loads of the major rivers of China are identified by reviewing recent studies of changes in their sediment loads. Except for the Songhua River, which presents no clear tendency of change in runoff or sediment load, nearly all the major rivers of China are characterized by an apparent decline in annual sediment load. The total annual sediment load of major Chinese rivers transported to the coast decreased from 2.03 billion t/yr during the period 1955–1968 to 0.50 billion t/yr during the period 1997–2010. The primary drivers of changes in the sediment loads of the rivers are dam construction, implementation of soil and water conservation measures, catchment disturbance, agricultural practices, sand mining and climate change. Examples drawn from Chinese rivers are used to demonstrate the importance of these drivers. Construction of a large number of reservoirs in the Yangtze River basin represents the primary driver for the reduced sediment load of the Yangtze River. The implementation of soil and water conservation programmes is one of the key drivers for the sharp decline in the sediment load of the Yellow River. Catchment disturbance explains why the reduction of the sediment load of the Lancang-Mekong River at the Chiang Saen gauging station was much less than that at the Gajiu gauging station upstream. A reduction in sediment load resulting from the expansion of agricultural production may be the main driver for the reduced sediment load of the Huaihe River. The decrease in the sediment load of the Pearl River has been influenced by sand mining activities. Climate change is one of the key drivers responsible for the greatly reduced sediment load of the rivers in the Haihe River Basin.     

Exploring large wood retention and deposition in contrasting river morphologies linking numerical modelling and field observations

Large wood tends to be deposited in specific geomorphic units within rivers. Nevertheless, predicting the spatial distribution of wood deposits once wood enters a river is still difficult because of the inherent complexity of its dynamics. In addition, the lack of long‐term observations or monitored sites has usually resulted in a rather incomplete understanding of the main factors controlling wood deposition under natural conditions. In this study, the deposition of large wood was investigated in the Czarny Dunajec River, Polish Carpathians, by linking numerical modelling and field observations so as to identify the main factors influencing wood retention in rivers. Results show that wood retention capacity is higher in unmanaged multi‐thread channels than in channelized, single‐thread reaches. We also identify preferential sites for wood deposition based on the probability of deposition under different flood scenarios, and observe different deposition patterns depending on the geomorphic configuration of the study reach. In addition, results indicate that wood is not always deposited in the geomorphic units with the highest roughness, except for low‐magnitude floods. We conclude that wood deposition is controlled by flood magnitude and the elevation of flooded surfaces in relation to the low‐flow water surface. In that sense, the elevation at which wood is deposited in rivers will differ between floods of different magnitude. Therefore, together with the morphology, flood magnitude represents the most significant control on wood deposition in mountain rivers wider than the height of riparian trees. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Decadal changes in distribution and frequency of wood in a free meandering river,the Ain River,France

This study examined the temporal dynamics and longitudinal distribution of wood over a multi‐decadal timescale at the river reach scale (36 km) and a meander bend scale (300–600 m) in the Ain River, a large gravel‐bed river flowing through a forested corridor, and adjusting to regulation and floodplain land‐use change. At the 36 km scale, more wood was recruited by bank erosion in 1991–2000 than since the 1950s. The longitudinal distribution of accumulations was similar between 1989 and 1999, but in both years individual pieces occurred homogeneously throughout the reach, while jam distribution was localized, associated with large concave banks. A relationship between the mean number of pieces and the volume recruited by bank erosion (r² = 0·97) indicated a spatial relationship between areas of wood production and storage. Wood mass stored and produced and channel sinuosity increased from 1993 to 2004 at three meander bends. Sinuosity was related to wood mass recruited by bank erosion during the previous decade (r² = 0·73) and both of these parameters were correlated to the mean mass of wood/plot (r² = 0·98 and 0·69 respectively), appearing to control wood storage and delivery at the bend scale. This suggests a local origin of wood stored in channel, not input from upstream trapped by preferential sites. The increase in wood since 1950 is a response to floodplain afforestation, to a change from braided to meandering channel pattern in response to regulation, and to recent large floods. We observed temporal stability of supply and depositional sectors over a decade (on a reach scale). Meander bends were major storage sites, trapping wood with concave banks, also delivering wood. These results, and the link between sinuosity and wood frequency, establish geomorphology as a dominant wood storage and recruitment control in large gravel‐bed rivers. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wood process domains and wood loads on floodplains

Downed large wood on floodplains creates similar geomorphic and ecological effects as wood in the active channel, but has been the subject of fewer geomorphic studies. I propose floodplain large wood process domains that are distinguished based on recruitment source at the reach to river-length scale. Wood recruited to the floodplain can be autochthonous (individual or mass recruitment from floodplain forest), fluvially transported, or transported from adjacent hillslopes via mass movements that come down the valley side slopes or down the main channel. Fluvially transported wood can be further distinguished as being deposited: within the channel and subsequently accreted to the floodplain; marginal to the channel; on the floodplain during overbank flow; or on tributary fans. The mechanism of wood recruitment to a floodplain influences the spatial distribution of the wood across the floodplain and the proportion of wood pieces within jams, which in turn influences geomorphic and ecological effects of the floodplain wood. Using published studies of floodplain wood load for unmanaged river corridors, I hypothesize that the climate-controlled balance between forest primary productivity and decay rates of downed wood is the first-order control on floodplain large wood loads. Disturbance regime and wood recruitment mechanism are second-order controls on wood load and primary controls on the spatial distribution of large wood. Understanding of floodplain large wood can be applied to quantifying the effect of large wood on river corridors; river restoration; paleoenvironmental inferences; and estimation of organic carbon stock in river corridors. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Post‐European settlement response gradients of river sensitivity and recovery across the upper Hunter catchment,Australia

Most analyses of river adjustment have focused on parts of catchments where metamorphosis has occurred. This provides a non‐representative view of river responses to human‐disturbance. Although many rivers have been subjected to systematic land‐use change and disturbance, significant variability is evident in the form, extent and consequences of adjustment. This study documents the catchment‐wide distribution of river sensitivity and adjustment in the upper Hunter catchment, New South Wales, Australia in the period since European settlement. The spatial distribution and timing of lateral, vertical and wholesale river adjustments are used to assess river sensitivity to change. The type and pattern of rivers, influenced largely by valley setting, have induced a fragmented pattern of river adjustment in the upper Hunter catchment. Adjustments have been largely non‐uniform and localized, reflecting the predominance of bedrock‐controlled rivers which have limited capacity to adjust and are resilient to change. Less than 20% of river courses have experienced metamorphosis. Phases of reach‐scale geomorphic adjustment to human disturbance are characterized as a gradient of primary, secondary and tertiary responses. In general terms, primary responses such as cutoffs or straightening were followed by secondary responses such as channel expansion. These secondary responses occurred between 50–70 years after initial disturbance. A subsequent tertiary phase of river recovery, denoted as a transition from predominantly erosional to predominantly depositional geomorphic processes such as channel contraction, occurred around 70–120 years after initial disturbance. Such responses are ongoing across much of the upper Hunter catchment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A coupled hierarchical modeling approach to simulating the geomorphic response of river systems to anthropogenic climate change

Anthropogenic climate change is expected to change the discharge and sediment transport regime of river systems. Because rivers adjust their channels to accommodate their typical inputs of water and sediment, changes in these variables can potentially alter river morphology. In this study, a hierarchical modeling approach was developed and applied to examine potential changes in reach‐averaged bedload transport and spatial patterns of erosion and deposition for three snowmelt‐dominated gravel‐bed rivers in the interior Pacific Northwest. The modeling hierarchy was based on discharge and suspended‐sediment load from a basin‐scale hydrologic model driven by a range of downscaled climate‐change scenarios. In the field, channel morphology and sediment grain‐size data for all three rivers were collected. Changes in reach‐averaged bedload transport were estimated using the Bedload Assessment of Gravel‐bedded Streams (BAGS) software, and the Cellular Automaton Evolutionary Slope and River (CAESAR) model was used to simulate the spatial pattern of erosion and deposition within each reach to infer potential changes in channel geometry and planform. The duration of critical discharge was found to control bedload transport. Changes in channel geometry were simulated for the two higher‐energy river reaches, but no significant morphological changes were found for a lower‐energy reach with steep, cohesive banks. Changes in sediment transport and river morphology resulting from climate change could affect the management of river systems for human and ecological uses. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of River Water Quality Simulations at a Daily Time Step – Experience with SWAT in the Axe Catchment,UK

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) was established for the protection of surface waters (rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waters) and ground waters in the European Union. The main environmental objective is to achieve and maintain a good status for all waters by the target date of 2015. Models which are able to address the majority of environmental objectives are proposed within the WFD to inform the management changes required to meet current water policy goals. The use of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) catchment model is widespread throughout the world, especially to support river basin management as required by the WFD. This paper provides a critical evaluation of the use of the model by placing model performance in the Axe catchment, UK, in the context of international performance of the model. Within the constraints of the available data, SWAT represents hydrology, sediment and ortho‐phosphorus concentration well for this heterogeneous catchment, but the representation of daily nitrogen concentration dynamics is poor. Temporal aggregation of model outputs from daily to monthly improved the performance metrics for all the river outputs, including nitrate. Wider review of SWAT studies showed widespread reporting of monthly performance metrics within the SWAT studies, despite the model operating at a daily time step. Poor performance for nitrate identified in this current study may be a significant factor in the choice to not report daily results. This demonstrates the importance of ascertaining the reasons for the use of temporal aggregation in modelling studies.     

A field investigation of the sediment transport characteristics of a high sediment load intermittent river in Taiwan

Most rivers in Taiwan are intermittent rivers with relatively steep slopes and carry rapid sediment‐laden flows during typhoon or monsoon seasons. A series of field experiments was conducted to collect suspended load data at the Tzu‐Chiang Bridge hydrological station of the lower Cho‐Shui River, which is a major river with the highest sediment yield in Taiwan. The river reach was aggrading with a high aspect ratio during the 1980s. Because of sand mining and extreme floods, it was incised and has had a relatively narrow main channel in recent years. The experimental results indicated that typical sediment transport equations can correctly predict the bed material load for low or medium sediment transport rates (e.g. less than about 1000 tons/day‐m). However, these equations far underestimate the bed material load for high sediment transport rates. The effects of cross‐sectional geometry change (i.e. river incision) and earthquakes on the sediment load were investigated in this study. An empirical sediment transport equation with consideration of the aspect ratio was also derived using the field data collected before and after river incision. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

TMDL development for the Taihu Lake’s influent rivers,China using variable daily load expressions

Influent river carrying nutrient pollutants from watershed loads makes a great contribution to the eutrophication in river-fed lake. It is scientific standard to make policies on river pollution control based on loading capacity of the river of interest. To control eutrophication in Taihu Lake has been the focal point of “The Twelfth Five-Year Guideline” proposed by Chinese government. The Taigeyunhe, Caoqiaohe and Yincungang Rivers which were the most polluted influent rivers in Taihu Lake Basin were scheduled for nutrient total maximum daily load (TMDL). A variety of mechanistic and empirical models are applied worldwide for TMDL development. However, model selection depends on management objectives, site-specific characteristics and availability of data resource. In this study, based on watershed characteristics and limited data, a nutrient TMDL is developed using flow and temporally variable daily load expressions. The simple and effective approaches specify allowable daily maximum loads for controlling on instantaneous high load and allowable daily median loads for achieving long-term TMDL allocation. For the entire river system, loading capacities are much lower during low flows. The maximum percent load reductions for biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen in spring and total phosphorus in winter can be obtained when pollution source inputs seasonally vary. This study provides local authority with two different alternatives in decision-making for pollution control on influent rivers and then to reduce external loads to the lake.     

Modeling the effects of pulsed versus chronic sand inputs on salmonid spawning habitat in a low‐gradient gravel‐bed river

It is widely recognized that high supplies of fine sediment, largely sand, can negatively impact the aquatic habitat quality of gravel‐bed rivers, but effects of the style of input (chronic vs. pulsed) have not been examined quantitatively. We hypothesize that a continuous (i.e. chronic) supply of sand will be more detrimental to the quality of aquatic habitat than an instantaneous sand pulse equal to the integrated volume of the chronic supply. We investigate this issue by applying a two‐dimensional numerical model to a 1 km long reach of prime salmonid spawning habitat in central Idaho. Results show that in both supply scenarios, sand moves through the study reach as bed load, and that both the movement and depth of sand on the streambed mirrors the hydrograph of this snowmelt‐dominated river. Predictions indicate greater and more persistent mortality of salmonid embryos under chronic supplies than pulse inputs, supporting our hypothesis. However, predicted mortality varies both with salmonid species and location of spawning. We found that the greatest impacts occur closer to the location of the sand input under both supply scenarios. Results also suggest that reach‐scale morphology may modulate the impact of sand loads, and that under conditions of high sand loading climate‐related increases in flow magnitude could increase embryo mortality through sand deposition, rather than streambed scour. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

RAPTOR‐UAV: Real‐time particle tracking in rivers using an unmanned aerial vehicle

River system measurement and mapping using UAVs is both lean and agile, with the added advantage of increased safety for the surveying crew. A common parameter of fluvial geomorphological studies is the flow velocity, which is a major driver of sediment behavior. Advances in fluid mechanics now include metrics describing the presence and interaction of coherent structures within a flow field and along its boundaries. These metrics have proven to be useful in studying the complex turbulent flows but require time‐resolved flow field data, which is normally unavailable in geomorphological studies. Contactless UAV‐based velocity measurement provides a new source of velocity field data for measurements of extreme hydrological events at a safe distance, and could allow for measurements of inaccessible areas. Recent works have successfully applied large‐scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) using UAVs in rivers, focusing predominantly on surficial flow estimation by tracking intensity differences between georeferenced images. The objective of this work is to introduce a methodology for UAV based real‐time particle tracking in rivers (RAPTOR) in a case study along a short test reach of the Brigach River in the German Black Forest. This methodology allows for large‐scale particle tracking velocimetry (LSPTV) using a combination of floating, infrared light‐emitting particles and a programmable embedded color vision sensor in order to simultaneously detect and track the positions of objects. The main advantage of this approach is its ability to rapidly collect and process the position data, which can be done in real time. The disadvantages are that the method requires the use of specialized light‐emitting particles, which in some cases cannot be retrieved from the investigation area, and that the method returns velocity data in unscaled units of px/s. This work introduces the RAPTOR system with its hardware, data processing workflow, and provides an example of unscaled velocity field estimation using the proposed method. First experiences with the method show that the tracking rate of 50 Hz allows for position estimation with sub‐pixel accuracy, even considering UAV self‐motion. A comparison of the unscaled tracks after Savitzky–Golay filtering shows that although the time‐averaged velocities remain virtually the same, the filter reduces the standard deviation by more than 40% and the maxima by 20%. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

What should these rivers look like? Historical range of variability and human impacts in the Colorado Front Range,USA

Historical range of variability (HRV) describes the range of temporal and spatial variations in river variables such as flow regime or channel planform prior to intensive human alteration of the ecosystem. In mountainous river networks, HRV is most usefully applied to spatially differentiated geomorphic process domains with distinctive form and process. Using the Colorado Front Range as an example, three examples of how knowledge of HRV can assist river management and restoration are discussed. The examples involve instream wood load and channel morphology, beaver colonies and valley‐bottom form and process, and flow thresholds in regulated rivers. The question of what a river should look like – that is, what range of process and form the river included prior to intensive human alteration – can be addressed by (i) placing the river within a process domain, (ii) establishing correlations between form parameters that can be remotely sensed and reach‐scale process and form, so that the spatial extent, connectivity, and rarity of process domains within a river network or a region can be quickly assessed, (iii) inferring characteristics of the river prior to intensive alteration by documenting characteristics of the least altered reference rivers and by using proxy indicators of pre‐alteration conditions, and (iv) establishing process thresholds that must be exceeded to maintain form (e.g. flow thresholds to mobilize bed sediment). Once this context has been established, resource managers can better evaluate the options for restoring altered riverine form and function. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of large wood budgets in a watershed and river corridor at interdecadal to interannual scales in a cold‐temperate fluvial system

Large wood (LW) is a ubiquitous feature in rivers of forested watersheds worldwide, and its importance for river diversity has been recognized for several decades. Although the role of LW in fluvial dynamics has been extensively documented, there is a need to better quantify the most significant components of LW budgets at the river scale. The purpose of our study was to quantify each component (input, accumulation, and output) of a LW budget at the reach and watershed scales for different time periods (i.e. a 50‐year period, decadal cycle, and interannual cycle). The LW budget was quantified by measuring the volumes of LW inputs, accumulations, and outputs within river sections that were finally evacuated from the watershed. The study site included three unusually large but natural wood rafts in the delta of the Saint‐Jean River (SJR; Québec, Canada) that have accumulated all LW exported from the watershed for the last 50 years. We observed an increase in fluvial dynamics since 2004, which led to larger LW recruitment and a greater LW volume trapped in the river corridor, suggesting that the system is not in equilibrium in terms of the wood budget but is rather recovering from previous human pressures as well as adjusting to hydroclimatic changes. The results reveal the large variability in the LW budget dynamics during the 50‐year period and allow us to examine the eco‐hydromorphological trajectory that highlights key variables (discharge, erosion rates, bar surface area, sinuosity, wood mobility, and wood retention). Knowledge on the dynamics of these variables improves our understanding of the historical and future trajectories of LW dynamics and fluvial dynamics in gravel‐bed rivers. Extreme events (flood and ice‐melt) significantly contribute to LW dynamics in the SJR river system. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Large wood in central Appalachian headwater streams: controls on and potential changes to wood loads from infestation of hemlock woolly adelgid

Large wood (LW) is an important component of forested headwater streams. The character of LW loads reflects a balance between adjacent valley processes that deliver LW to the channel (herein recruitment processes) and stream channel processes that either retain or transport LW through the reach (herein retention processes). In the central Appalachian Mountains, USA, LW characteristics in headwater streams located in eastern hemlocks (Tsuga candensis) forests are expected to change because of infestation of hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae, HWA), an exotic, invasive insect. We examined LW characteristics in 24 headwater streams ranging from un‐infested to severe infestation, as determined by hemlock canopy health. The objectives of this work were to: (i) quantify wood loads; (ii) assess the relative importance of valley recruitment and in‐stream retention mechanisms in controlling reach‐scale wood loads; and (iii) assess if there was a detectable influence of HWA on LW loads. We hypothesized that LW loads would be similar to other forested streams in eastern USA and dominated by recruitment processes. In addition, higher LW loads would correspond with advanced HWA infestation. Mean wood frequency was 38 pieces/100 m ± 17 (standard deviation); mean wood volume was 3.69 m³/100 m ± 2.76. In general, LW load characteristics were influenced by both recruitment and retention parameters; jam (accumulations ≥ 3 pieces) characteristics were dominated by retention parameters. Results suggest that adjacent stand basal area influences LW loads and once LW is recruited to the channel, streams lack sufficient hydraulic driving forces, despite having lower resistance structures, to transport LW out of the reach. Sites in moderate decline had higher proportions of short (1–2 m and 1–4 m) and very long (>10 m) LW with higher frequency of jams that were low in volume. We present a hypothesized conceptual model of expected changes to LW loads associated with HWA infestation and hemlock mortality. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of intermediate fine sediment storage in a braided river reach (southern French Prealps)

This paper presents a field investigation on river channel storage of fine sediments in an unglaciated braided river, the Bès River, located in a mountainous region in the southern French Prealps. Braided rivers transport a very large quantity of bedload and suspended sediment load because they are generally located in the vicinity of highly erosive hillslopes. Consequently, these rivers play an important role because they supply and control the sediment load of the entire downstream fluvial network. Field measurements and aerial photograph analyses were considered together to evaluate the variability of fine sediment quantity stored in a 2·5‐km‐long river reach. This study found very large quantities of fine sediment stored in this reach: 1100 t per unit depth (1 dm). Given that this reach accounts for 17% of the braided channel surface area of the river basin, the quantities of fine sediment stored in the river network were found to be approximately 80% of the mean annual suspended sediment yields (SSYs) (66 200 t year^?1), comparable to the SSYs at the flood event scale: from 1000 t to 12 000 t depending on the flood event magnitude. These results could explain the clockwise hysteretic relationships between suspended sediment concentrations and discharges for 80% of floods. This pattern is associated with the rapid availability of the fine sediments stored in the river channel. This study shows the need to focus on not only the mechanisms of fine sediment production from hillslope erosion but also the spatiotemporal dynamics of fine sediment transfer in braided rivers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating fluvial wood discharge using time‐lapse photography with varying sampling intervals

Monitoring large wood (LW: width > 10 cm, length > 1 m) in transport within rivers is a necessary next step in the development and refinement of wood budgets and is essential to a better understanding of basin‐wide controls and patterns of LW flux and loads. Monitoring LW transport with coarse interval (≥ 1 min) time‐lapse photography enables the deployment of monitoring cameras at large spatial and long temporal scales. Although less precise than continuous sampling with video, it allows investigators to answer broad questions about basin connectivity, compare drainages and years,and identify transport relationships and thresholds. This paper describes methods to: (i) construct fluvial wood flux curves; (ii) analyze the effects of sample interval lengths on transport estimates; and (iii) estimate total wood loads within a specified time period using coarse‐interval time‐lapse photography. Applying these methods to the Slave River, a large‐volume (10³ m³ s^‐1), low‐gradient (10^{? 2} m km^{? 1}) river in the subarctic (60^° N), yielded the following results. A threshold relationship for wood mobility was located around 4500 m³ s^‐1. More wood is transported on the rising limb of the hydrograph because wood flux declines rapidly on the falling limb. Five‐ and ten‐minute sampling intervals provided unbiased equal variance estimates of 1 min sampling, whereas 15 min intervals were biased towards underestimation by 5–6%, possibly due to periodicity in wood flux. Total LW loads estimated from the 1 min dataset and adjusted for a 15% misdetection rate from 13 July to 13 August are: 1600 ± 200 # pieces, 600 ± 200 m³ and of the order of 1.3 × 10⁵ kg carbon. The total wood load for the entire summer season is probably at least double this estimate because only the second half of the summer was monitored and a large early summer peak freshet was missed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of longitudinal variations in valley geometry and wood load on flood response

We use field measurements and airborne LiDAR data to quantify the potential effects of valley geometry and large wood on channel erosional and depositional response to a large flood (estimated 150-year recurrence interval) in 2011 along a mountain stream. Topographic data along 3 km of Biscuit Brook in the Catskill Mountains, New York, USA reveal repeated downstream alternations between steep, narrow bedrock reaches and alluvial reaches that retain large wood, with wood loads as high as 1261 m³ ha⁻¹. We hypothesized that, within alluvial reaches, geomorphic response to the flood, in the form of changes in bed elevation, net volume of sediment eroded or aggraded, and grain size, correlates with wood load. We hypothesized that greater wood load corresponds to lower modelled average velocity and less channel-bed erosion during the flood, and finer median bed grain size and a lower gradation coefficient of bed sediment. The results partly support this hypothesis. Wood results in lower reach-average modelled velocity for the 2011 flood, but the magnitude of change in channel-bed elevation after the 2011 flood among alluvial and bedrock reaches does not correlate with wood load. Wood load does correlate with changes in sediment volume and bed substrate, with finer grain size and smaller sediment gradation in reaches with more wood. The proportion of wood in jams is a stronger predictor of bed grain-size characteristics than is total wood load. We also see evidence of a threshold: greater wood load correlates with channel aggradation at wood loads exceeding approximately 200 m³ ha⁻¹. In this mountain stream, abundant large wood in channel reaches with alluvial substrate creates lower velocity that results in finer bed material and, when wood load exceeds a threshold, reach scale increases in aggradation. This suggests that reintroducing small amounts of wood or one logjam for river restoration will have limited geomorphic effects. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

River ice cover influence on sediment transportation at present and under projected hydroclimatic conditions

A large number of rivers are frozen annually, and the river ice cover has an influence on the geomorphological processes. These processes in cohesive sediment rivers are not fully understood. Therefore, this paper demonstrates the impact of river ice cover on sediment transport, i.e. turbidity, suspended sediment loads and erosion potential, compared with a river with ice‐free flow conditions. The present sediment transportation conditions during the annual cycle are analysed, and the implications of climate change on wintertime geomorphological processes are estimated. A one‐dimensional hydrodynamic model has been applied to the Kokemäenjoki River in Southwest Finland. The shear stress forces directed to the river bed are simulated with present and projected hydroclimatic conditions. The results of shear stress simulations indicate that a thermally formed smooth ice cover diminishes river bed erosion, compared with an ice‐free river with similar discharges. Based on long‐term field data, the river ice cover reduces turbidity statistically significantly. Furthermore, suspended sediment concentrations measured in ice‐free and ice‐covered river water reveal a diminishing effect of ice cover on riverine sediment load. The hydrodynamic simulations suggest that the influence of rippled ice cover on shear stress is varying. Climate change is projected to increase the winter discharges by 27–77% on average by 2070–2099. Thus, the increasing winter discharges and possible diminishing ice cover periods both increase the erosion potential of the river bed. Hence, the wintertime sediment load of the river is expected to become larger in the future. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dissolution in a variably confined carbonate platform: effects of allogenic runoff,hydraulic damming of groundwater inputs,and surface–groundwater exchange at the basin scale

In variably confined carbonate platforms, impermeable confining units collect rainfall over large areas and deliver runoff to rivers or conduits in unconfined portions of platforms. Runoff can increase river stage or conduit heads in unconfined portions of platforms faster than local infiltration of rainfall can increase groundwater heads, causing hydraulic gradients between rivers, conduits and the aquifer to reverse. Gradient reversals cause flood waters to flow from rivers and conduits into the aquifer where they can dissolve limestone. Previous work on impacts of gradient reversals on dissolution has primarily emphasized individual caves and little research has been conducted at basin scales. To address this gap in knowledge, we used legacy data to assess how a gradient of aquifer confinement across the Suwannee River Basin, north‐central Florida affected locations, magnitudes and processes of dissolution during 2005–2007, a period with extreme ranges of discharge. During intense rain events, runoff from the confining unit increased river stage above groundwater heads in unconfined portions of the platform, hydraulically damming inputs of groundwater along a 200 km reach of river. Hydraulic damming allowed allogenic runoff with SI_CAL < ?4 to fill the entire river channel and flow into the aquifer via reversing springs. Storage of runoff in the aquifer decreased peak river discharges downstream and contributed to dissolution within the aquifer. Temporary storage of allogenic runoff in karst aquifers represents hyporheic exchange at a scale that is larger than found in streams flowing over non‐karst aquifers because conduits in karst aquifers extend the area available for exchange beyond river beds deep into aquifers. Post‐depositional porosity in variably confined carbonate platforms should thus be enhanced along rivers that originate on confining units. This distribution should be considered in models of porosity distribution used to manage water and hydrocarbon resources in carbonate rocks. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wood and sediment storage and dynamics in river corridors

Large wood along rivers influences entrainment, transport, and storage of mineral sediment and particulate organic matter. We review how wood alters sediment dynamics and explore patterns among volumes of in‐stream wood, sediment storage, and residual pools for dispersed pieces of wood, logjams, and beaver dams. We hypothesized that: volume of sediment per unit area of channel stored in association with wood is inversely proportional to drainage area; the form of sediment storage changes downstream; sediment storage correlates with wood load; the residual volume of pools created in association with wood correlates inversely with drainage area; and volume of sediment stored behind beaver dams correlates with pond area. Lack of data from larger drainage areas limits tests of these hypotheses, but the analyses suggest that sediment volume correlates positively with drainage area and wood volume. The form of sediment storage in relation to wood appears to change downstream, with wedges of sediment upstream from jammed steps most prevalent in small, steep channels and more dispersed sediment storage in lower gradient channels. Pool volume correlates positively with wood volume and negatively with channel gradient. Sediment volume correlates well with beaver pond area. More abundant in‐stream wood and beaver populations present historically equated to greater sediment storage within river corridors and greater residual pool volume. One implication of these changes is that protecting and re‐introducing wood and beavers can be used to restore rivers. This review of the existing literature on wood and sediment dynamics highlights the lack of studies on larger rivers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.