Gravel‐bed river evolution in earthquake‐prone regions subject to cycled hydrographs and repeated sediment pulses

Sediment often enters rivers in the form of sediment pulses associated with landslides and debris flows. This is particularly so in gravel‐bed rivers in earthquake‐prone mountain regions, such as Southwest China. Under such circumstances, sediment pulses can rapidly change river topography and leave the river in repeated states of gradual recovery. In this paper, we implement a one‐dimensional morphodynamic model of river response to pulsed sediment supply. The model is validated using data from flume experiments, so demonstrating that it can successfully reproduce the overall morphodynamics of experimental pulses. The model is then used to explore the evolution of a gravel‐bed river subject to cycled hydrographs and repeated sediment pulses. These pulses are fed into the channel in a fixed region centered at a point halfway down the calculational domain. The pulsed sediment supply is in addition to a constant sediment supply at the upstream end. Results indicate that the river can reach a mobile‐bed equilibrium in which two regions exist within which bed elevation and surface grain size distribution vary periodically in time. One of these is at the upstream end, where a periodic discharge hydrograph and constant sediment supply are imposed, and the other is in a region about halfway down the channel where periodic sediment pulses are introduced. Outside these two regions, bed elevation and surface grain size distribution reach a mobile‐bed equilibrium that is invariant in time. The zone of fluctuation‐free mobile‐bed equilibrium upstream of the pulse region is not affected by repeated sediment pulses under the scenarios tested, but downstream of the pulse region, the channel reaches different fluctuation‐free mobile‐bed equilibriums under different sediment pulse scenarios. The vertical bed structure predicted by the simulations indicates that the cyclic variation associated with the hydrograph and sediment pulses can affect the substrate stratigraphy to some depth. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Morphological reactions of schematic alluvial rivers:Long simulations with a 0-D model

The paper presents a 0-D model of an alluvial watercourse schematized in two connected reaches, evolving at the long time-scale and under the hypothesis of Local Uniform Flow. Each reach is defined by its geometry (constant length and width, time-changing slope) and grain-size composition of the bed, while the sediment transport is computed using a sediment rating curve. The slope evolution is provided by a 0-D mass balance and the evolution of the bed composition is computed by a 0-D Hirano equation. A system of differential equations, solved with a predictor-corrector scheme, is derived and applied to the schematic watercourse to simulate the morphological response to changing initial conditions, and the evolution towards long-term equilibrium conditions. Differently from a single-reach 0-D schematization with uniform grain-size, besides the simplifications adopted, the model proposed here simulates the behaviour of alluvial rivers in a physically-based way, showing a grain-size fining in the downstream direction accompanied by milder slopes, and a tendency to develop concave longitudinal profiles.     

Estimating sand concentrations using ADCP-based acoustic inversion in a large fluvial system characterized by bi-modal suspended-sediment distributions

Quantifying sediment flux within rivers is a challenge for many disciplines due, mainly, to difficulties inherent to traditional sediment sampling methods. These methods are operationally complex, high cost, and high risk. Additionally, the resulting data provide a low spatial and temporal resolution estimate of the total sediment flux, which has impeded advances in the understanding of the hydro-geomorphic characteristics of rivers. Acoustic technologies have been recognized as a leading tool for increasing the resolution of sediment data by relating their echo intensity level measurements to suspended sediment. Further effort is required to robustly test and develop these techniques across a wide range of conditions found in natural river systems. This article aims to evaluate the application of acoustic inversion techniques using commercially available, down-looking acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) in quantifying suspended sediment in a large sand bed river with varying bi-modal particle size distributions, wash load and suspended-sand ratios, and water stages. To achieve this objective, suspended sediment was physically sampled along the Paraná River, Argentina, under various hydro-sedimentological regimes. Two ADCPs emitting different sound frequencies were used to simultaneously profile echo intensity level within the water column. Using the sonar equation, calibrations were determined between suspended-sand concentrations and acoustic backscatter to solve the inverse problem. The study also analyzed the roles played by each term of the sonar equation, such as ADCP frequency, power supply, instrument constants, and particle size distributions typically found in sand bed rivers, on sediment attenuation and backscatter. Calibrations were successfully developed between corrected backscatter and suspended-sand concentrations for all sites and ADCP frequencies, resulting in mean suspended-sand concentration estimates within about 40% of the mean sampled concentrations. Noise values, calculated using the sonar equation and sediment sample characteristics, were fairly constant across evaluations, suggesting that they could be applied to other sand bed rivers. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combined effect of climate change and human activities on the hydrological processes of an urban river: case study of the Xiaoqing River,China

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to reveal statistical characteristics and exceedance probability of discharge under the combined effect of climate change and human activities. The study is conducted in the Xiaoqing River in Jinan, China, based on data of discharge, land-use types and precipitation from the period 1970–2016. A multivariate joint probability distribution of the data is established to test the univariable, bivariable and trivariable change points. These are then used to calculate and analyse the risk probability of discharge exceeding the specific values under different conditions of precipitation and land-use type. The results show that the change point calculated by trivariate joint distribution can reduce the disturbance of the change point obtained with the univariable or bivariable approach and reflect the changes of various factors in the hydrological processes more objectively. When the land-use type is taken into consideration, the trivariate distribution can reflect the variation of hydrological processes more reasonably.     

A decadal-scale numerical model for wandering,cobble-bedded rivers subject to disturbance

Alluvial rivers are composed of self-formed channels which are sensitive to disturbances in their flow and sediment-supply regimes. Regime changes commonly occur over decadal and longer timescales and can be caused by anthropogenic alterations such as dam construction and removal. Advances in numerical modeling have increased our ability to explore geomorphic adjustments over long timescales; however, many models designed to be run for decades or longer assume that banks are immovable or that channel width is constant. Since river channels often respond to disturbance by adjusting their geometry, this is a significant shortcoming. To investigate the impact of long-term sediment supply alterations on channel geometry and stability, we have adapted MAST-1D, a reach-scale bed evolution model, to incorporate functions for bank erosion, vegetation encroachment, and local avulsions. The model is designed for medium-large, coarse multithreaded rivers and can be run over long (decades–centuries) timescales. Bank erosion is a function of the mobility and transport capacity for structurally-important grains which protect the bank toe. Vegetation growth is proportional to point bar width and occurs during conditions of low shear stress. Local avulsions occur when aggradation causes channel depth to drop below a threshold. We apply the model to the Elwha River in Washington, USA with the goal of investigating if and when the river recovers from dam emplacement and removal. The Elwha was dammed for nearly 100 years, and then two dams were removed, releasing a large pulse of sediment. We have modeled the set of reaches between the two dams. Our simulations suggest that channel response to dam emplacement occurs gradually over several decades but that the channel recovers to near pre-dam conditions within about a decade following the removal. The dams leave a lasting legacy on the floodplain, which does not completely recover, even after two centuries. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

准噶尔盆地南缘上三叠统黄山街组辫状河三角洲沉积

准噶尔盆地南缘上三叠统黄山街组主要为砾岩、含砾砂岩、砂岩、粉砂岩和泥岩构成的一套碎屑岩组合,野外沉积特征研究确定为典型的辫状河三角洲沉积。通过对沉积相、亚相、微相的详细研究,认为辫状河三角洲具有类似曲流河三角洲的层序结构和微相类型,但两者间也存在很大的差别。与曲流河三角洲相比,辫状河三角洲的三角洲平原亚相不仅沉积物的粒度较粗,而且辫状河道沉积较发育,河道间洪泛平原沉积不发育。辫状河三角洲前缘亚相也可以识别出水下分流河道、河口坝、席状砂和水下分流河道间等微相,水下分流河道沉积为主体。根据野外露头的追索研究,建立了准噶尔盆地南缘上三叠统黄山街组辫状河三角洲的沉积模式。从沉积物的岩性特征看,辫状河三角洲砾岩和含砾粗砂岩体具有分布较稳定、展布较广、储集物性较好的特点。     

Basic characteristics and controlling factors of anastomsing fluvial systems

1　ＩＮＴＲＯＤＵＣＴＩＯＮＴｈｅｔｅｒｍ“ａｎａｓｔｏｍｏｓｉｎｇｒｉｖｅｒ”ｗａｓｆｉｒｓｔａｐｐｌｉｅｄｂｙＳＣＨＵＭＭ ( 1968) ,ｒｅｆｅｒｒｅｄｔｏｓｔａｂｌｅ ,ｌｏｗｂｅｄ ｌｏａｄ ,ｍｕｌｔｉｐｌｅｃｈａｎｎｅｌｓｙｓｔｅｍｗｉｔｈｌｏｗ ｇｒａｄｉｅｎｔ,ｈｉｇｈｓｉｎｕｏｓｉｔｙａｎｄｓｅｐａｒａｔｅｄｖｅｇｅｔａｔｅｄｉｓｌａｎｄｓ .Ｔｈｉｓｓｐｅｃｉｆｉｃｍｅａｎｉｎｇｏｎ“ａｎａｓｔｏｍｏｓｉｓ”ｗｈｉｃｈｗａｓｆｉｒｓｔｕｓｅｄｂｙＪａｃｋｓｏｎｉｎ 1834ｅｎｄｅｄｔｈｅｓｙ…     

桂西南喀斯特-北部湾海岸带生态环境脆弱性时空分异与驱动机制研究

为揭示生态环境脆弱性的时空分异和驱动因子,本研究在山江海视角下,以桂西南喀斯特-北部湾海岸带为典型研究区,运用空间主成分分析法,地理探测器模型,结合生态环境脆弱性综合指数,系统分析桂西南喀斯特-北部湾海岸带生态环境脆弱性的时空分异特征及驱动机制.结果 表明:①研究区2008、2013、2018年脆弱性指数分别为0.54...     

天人合一:山水诗歌的最佳心灵境界--魏晋诗歌山水意象论

在魏晋诗人笔下,山川河流已不纯粹是大自然的产物,而是成为了包含着诗人复杂情感的有生命、有性格的载体,其表现了诗人对茫茫宇宙的无穷探索及对个人短暂生命价值的无限追求,山的崇高伟大与水的深邃绵邈融汇成了作者的主体人格意识,这种物对人的异化具有异常丰富的内涵,是天人合一传统思想在诗歌领域的革新,无论自觉与否,作者都在力图达到这种物我两融的境界.     

The Mekong from satellite imagery: A quick look at a large river

Physical datasets on rivers, thousands of kilometres long, can be efficiently and rapidly acquired through satellite imagery. As large rivers commonly cross several tectonic and climatic zones, their channels are composed of a number of units, each with characteristic morphology and behaviour. Separating a large river into such units provides a framework for understanding the geomorphology of the river concerned, allowing acquisition of information for environmental impact analysis and river management.About 2500 km of the Mekong River, from the China border to the sea, has been examined with SPOT satellite images with a selection of MODIS and IKONOS scenes in support. Hydrological data of the Mekong River Commission, hydrographic maps of the Commission, and field observations have been used to verify and extend the findings from the satellite imagery. The technique provides a rapid and holistic conceptualisation of forms and functions along the derived eight-unit classification of the Mekong River. Such a framework is valuable for (1) determining selected aspects of the geomorphological behaviour of a large river system, (2) rapidly analysing project-related environmental impacts, and (3) examining the geological evolution of the river. Investigating large rivers is difficult and resource consuming, but satellite imagery provides an easy and rapid tool. The cost of the images, however, may be high as a number of them are required for this type of analysis.