Muskingum equation based downstream sediment flow simulation models for a river system

Applications of sediment transport and water flow characteristics based sediment transport simulation models for a river system are presented in this study. An existing water–sediment model and a new sediment–water model are used to formulate the simulation models representing water and sediment movement in a river system. The sediment–water model parameters account for water flow characteristics embodying sediment transport properties of a section. The models are revised formulations of the multiple water inflows model describing water movement through a river system as given by the Muskingum principle. The models are applied to a river system in Mississippi River basin to estimate downstream sediment concentration, sediment discharge, and water discharge. River system and the river section parameters are estimated using a revised and the original multiple water inflows models by applying the genetic algorithm. The models estimate downstream sediment transport rates on the basis of upstream sediment/water flow rates to a system. Model performance is evaluated by using standard statistical criteria;downstream water discharge resulting from the original multiple water inflows model using the estimated river system parameters indicate that the revised models satisfactorily describe water movement through a river system. Results obtained in the study demonstrate the applicability of the sediment transport and water flow characteristics-based simulation models in predicting downstream sediment transport and water flow rates in a river system.     

A flume experiment on wood storage and remobilization in braided river systems

This work investigates wood dynamics in braided streams through physical modelling in a mobile bed laboratory flume, with the specific objective to characterize wood storage and turnover as a function of wood input rate and of wood element type. Three parallel channels (1.7 m wide, 10 m long) filled with uniform sand were used to reproduce braided networks with constant water discharge and sediment feeding. Wood dowels with and without simplified root wads were regularly added at the upstream end of each flume at different input rates, with a 1:2:3 ratio between the three flumes. Temporal evolution of wood deposition patterns and remobilization rates were monitored by a series of vertical images that permitted the recognition of individual logs. Results show that wood tends to disperse in generally small accumulations (< 5 logs), with higher spatial density on top of sediment bars, and is frequently remobilized due to the intense morphological changes. The amount of wood stored in the channel depends on log input rate through a non‐linear relationship, and input rates exceeding approximately 100 logs/hour determine a sharp change in wood dynamics, with higher storage volume and augmented formation of large jams (> 10 elements) that are less prone to remobilization. Presence of root wads seems to play a minor role in wood deposition, but it reduces the average travel distance of logs. Turnover rates of logs were similar in the three flumes, independently of wood input rate and largely resembling the turnover rate of exposed bars. For the simulated conditions, significant effects of wood on bed morphology were not observed, suggesting that interactions with fine sediments and living vegetation are crucial to form large, stable wood jams able to bring about relevant morphological changes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bedload transport of small rivers in Malaysia

Numerous time-consuming equations, based on the relationship between the reliability and representativeness of the data utilized in defining variables and constants, require complex parameters to estimate bedload transport. In this study the easily accessible data including flow discharge, water depth, water surface slope, and surface grain diameter （ds0） from small rivers in Malaysia were used to estimate bedload transport. Genetic programming （GP） and artificial neural network （ANN） models are applied as complementary tools to estimate bed load transport based on a balance between simplicity and accuracy in small rivers. The developed models demonstrate higher performance with an overall accuracy of 97% and 93% for ANN and GP, respectively compared with other traditional methods and empirical equations.     

城市河道公共休闲的适宜性指标体系构建与评价——兼论北京河道公共空间休闲价值

城市河道是集城市生态保育、娱乐游憩、居住生活、景观等多重功能于一体的开放空间。对城市河道公共休闲空间的利用目前存在价值利用与控制难以协调的矛盾,构建城市河道公共休闲价值评价指标对城市河道休闲空间的规划与开发具有重要的现实意义。基于目前公众对城市河道休闲的识别要素,综合国内外学者对休闲空间评价、城市河道生态健康评价等研究,将城市河道公共休闲空间适宜性指标归纳为资源特性、形态特性、功能特性、文化特质、公共特性等5个维度共42项指标;综合考虑指标的代表性和易操作性等特征,在指标权重确定上,使用最常用的关联矩阵法,反映各指标的重要性差异;利用确定的指标体系和权重测度了北京城区已治理的14条河道的公共休闲适宜度。结果表明,北京市城市河道普遍存在生态景观特征较好,但实用性有待加强的现实问题。     

国际河流水电合作开发投资—效益分配模式及特征

水与能源安全是全球可持续发展最为核心的问题,其在国际河流区尤为复杂和敏感。中国作为亚洲乃至全球最为重要的上游国,国际河流水资源变化、水电开发影响及跨境水安全维护等,虽受关注,但研究基础较为薄弱。判识出1937-2010年全球国际河流水电合作开发的32个案例,综合分析其开发方式,揭示其投资—效益分配模式与特征。结果表明：① 水电合作开发以河段和双边合作开发为主,缺乏流域层面的合作,形成了投资—效益等比分配、平均分配和差异分配三种模式。② 跨境型河流水电合作的投资—效益分配以等比分配为主,上游国通过向下游国提供发电用水分享其发电效益,下游国则通过补偿上游国的方式推动合作;界河（含界河段）的水电合作开发以平均分配为主。③ 不同发展时期的分配模式差异较明显: 1950年代前以平均分配和等比分配为主;1950-1980年代以平均分配为主;1990年代以后,因案例太少,主要分配模式难以确定。④ 经济发展水平相当的合作国家间主要采用平均分配模式;经济发展水平存在差异的国家间则兼顾采用等比分配和差异分配模式,并实施了更多的补偿措施。     

Counter point bar deposits: lithofacies and reservoir significance in the meandering modern Peace River and ancient McMurray Formation, Alberta, Canada

Counter point bar deposits in the meandering Peace River, North‐central Alberta, Wood Buffalo National Park, are distinct from point bar deposits in terms of morphology, lithofacies and reservoir potential for fluids. Previously referred to as the distal‐most parts of point bars, point bar tails and concave bank‐bench deposits, counter point bar deposits have concave morphological scroll patterns rather than convex as with point bars. The Peace is a large river (bankfull discharge 11 700 m³ sec^?1, width 375 to 700 m, depth 15 m, gradient 0·00004 or 4 cm km^?1) in which counter point bar deposits are dominated by silt (80% to 90%), which contrasts with sand‐dominant (90% to 100%) point bar deposits. Beginning at the meander inflection (transition from convex to concave), counter point bar deposit stratigraphy thickens as a wedge‐like architecture in the distal direction until the deposit is nearly as thick as the point bar deposits. The low permeability silt‐dominant lithofacies in counter point bar deposits will limit reservoir extent and movement of fluids in both modern and ancient subsurface fluvial deposits. In the exploration and extraction of bitumen and heavy oil in subsurface fluvial rocks, identification and mapping of reservoir potential of point bar deposits and counter point bar deposits is now possible in the fluvial‐dominated tidal estuarine Lower Cretaceous Middle McMurray Formation, North‐east Alberta. Recent geophysical advances have facilitated imaging of some ancient buried point bar deposits and counter point bar deposits which, on the basis of morphological shape of sedimentary bodies observed from seismic amplitude, can be interpreted and mapped as depositional elements or blocks that contain associated sandstone or siltstone dominant lithofacies, respectively. As counter point bar deposits exhibit poor permeability and thus limit reservoir potential for water, natural gas, light crude, heavy oil and bitumen, counter point bar deposits should be avoided in resource developments. Geophysical imaging, interpretation and mapping of point bar deposit and counter point bar deposit elements provide new opportunities to improve recovery of bitumen and heavy oil and reduce development costs in subsurface cyclic steam stimulation and steam‐assisted gravity drainage projects by not drilling into counter point bar deposits.     

Analysing laser‐scanned digital terrain models of gravel bed surfaces: linking morphology to sediment transport processes and hydraulics

The grain‐scale topography of a sediment surface is a key component of a fluvial system, affecting aspects including sediment transport, flow resistance and ecology. However, its effect is hard to quantify because of the need for grain‐scale elevation data from in situ fluvial gravel surfaces which are difficult to collect. The sediment surface properties are, therefore, commonly estimated as a function of the sediment grain‐size distribution; however, because of additional factors, such as grain packing and shape, there is not necessarily a unique relationship between the two. A new methodology has been developed that uses terrestrial laser scanning to collect grain‐scale topographic data from in situ fluvial gravel surfaces, from which digital terrain models are created. This paper investigates methods of analysing such digital terrain models, and possible sedimentological interpretations that can be drawn from the analysis. Eleven digital terrain models from exposed gravel surfaces in two contrasting rivers (the River Feshie and Bury Green Brook) were analysed by calculating: the distribution of surface elevations, semivariograms, surface inclinations, surface slopes and aspects and grain orientation. The distribution of surface elevations and surface slope and aspect analysis were found to be most informative. In the River Feshie, grain‐size was interpreted as being a dominant control on sediment surface structure and gravel imbrication was identified. In Bury Green Brook, the location of the digital terrain models within the riffle–pool sequence was the dominant control on surface structure and grain orientation. Such digital terrain models therefore provide a new approach to measuring and quantifying the topography of fluvial sediment surfaces.     

城市导航地理数据库

导航数据库（Navigable Database）是指针对智能交通系统与定位服务应用需求而建立的具有统一技术标准的地理数据库.本文对导航数据与一般的地理信息数据在数据模型、数据的准确性、数据的组织方法等方面进行了比较.在简要介绍导航数据库概念后,讨论了城市交通系统中导航数据的来源及导航数据的处理理论.     

The Influence of Allogenic Water and Sulfuric Acid to Karst Carbon Sink in Karst Subterranean River in Southern Hu’nan

Evaluating the impact of allogenic water and sulfuric acid on karst carbon sink not only helps to improve the accurate calculation of soil CO₂ uptake by rock weathering, but also obtains a complete understanding of the global carbon cycle. Groundwater samples were collected from four karst subterranean rivers watershed within different lithology strata in Wushui Basin, upstream of Beijiang Basin, Hunan Province, for revealing the important impact of silicate weathering on hydrochemistry of groundwater. To estimate the contribution of soil CO₂ uptake by silicate weathering to CO₂ uptake by rock weathering, the Galy model was employed in this article. The important impact of sulfuric acid on CO₂ uptake by carbonate weathering resulting from the substitution of carbonic acid by protons from sulfuric acid was investigated. Our results showed that the concentration of Na⁺, K⁺ and SiO₂ in L01,L02 subterranean river with silicate strata in watershed were higher than that in L03,L04 subterranean river without silicate strata in watershed, which implied that the contribution of silicate weathering to Na⁺,K⁺ and SiO₂ was very important in watershed within silicate strata . The changeable equivalent ratio between (Ca²⁺+Mg²⁺) and HCO₃^- was 1.05 to 1.15, and the value of [Ca²⁺+Mg²⁺]/[HCO₃^-+SO₄^2-] was 0.99 to 1.08. The concentrations of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ exceeded the equivalent concentrations of HC₃^-, and the excess of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺cations were compensated by SO₄^2-, which suggested that sulfuric acid has an important influence on carbonate dissolution. The contribution of soil CO₂uptake by silicate weathering to CO₂ consumption in L01 and L02 subterranean river were 3.36% and 2.22%, respectively, whereas the contribution in L03, L04 subterranean river were less than 0.50%, indicating that the contribution of soil CO₂ uptake by silicate weathering was important in the subterranean river basin within silicate strata. Due to the contributions made by sulfuric acid, the CO₂ consumption in four subterranean rivers decreased by 4.84%, 4.52%, 6.20%, 9.36%, respectively.     

High resolution,basin extent observations and implications for understanding river form and process

Fifty years of fluvial studies have posited a variety of conceptual frameworks for characterizing river forms and processes throughout entire basins, including hydraulic geometry, the river continuum concept, self‐organized criticality, and sediment links. This article uses basin‐extent, high resolution observations of fluvial forms in the Nueces River basin, Texas, and Yellowstone National Park to evaluate the ability of these frameworks to characterize system behavior across a multitude of scales. The Nueces data were collected with remote sensing methods and the Yellowstone data were collected through extensive field surveys. The data resolution, spatial extent, and quality of these data sets allow direct comparison between the two areas. The ‘hyperscale’ comparison supports using of each these frameworks at specific scales, but also indicates an irreducible amount of variation in both datasets across many different scales that is not captured by the conceptual frameworks. Moreover, the scales and locations where one framework, such as hydraulic geometry, works well are often not the same scales and locations where another framework, such as the river continuum concept, works well. Because the conceptual frameworks appear to operate at scales and locations distinct from one another, the measurement approaches necessary to observe them must also be at different scales and locations. For example, ‘seeing’ self‐organized criticality in a river system is difficult without an extensive survey through space, whereas the recognition of sediment links requires quite intense sampling in specific river regions. We suggest that these separations between measurement scales represent an incommensurability issue in river studies, making it very difficult to both communicate among and test between two or more competing theories. Making simultaneous hyperscale observations of the river is one approach to minimizing the theory‐ladeness of observation, as deviations from different predictions can be plotted at every scale. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.