Cascades of sub-decadal,channel-floodplain changes in low-gradient,non-vegetated reaches near a dryland river terminus: Salar de Uyuni,Bolivia

The terminus of the ephemeral Río Colorado is located at the margins of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, the world's largest salt lake. The low-gradient (<0.0006 m m^-1), non-vegetated reaches approaching the terminus provide an excellent natural laboratory for investigating cascades of channel-floodplain changes that occur in response to quasi-regular flows (at least once annually) and fine-grained sediment supply (dominantly silt and clay). High-resolution satellite imagery (<0.65 m, various dates from 2004 onwards) and field data reveal widespread, pronounced and rapid morphodynamics on sub-decadal timescales, including channel erosion and chute cutoff formation, and development of crevasse channels and splays, floodouts (unchannelled surfaces at channel termini), and erosion cells (floodplain scour-transport-fill features). In particular, following high annual precipitation (>400 mm) in 2004–2005 and two subsequent high magnitude daily precipitation events (~40 mm), all of which led to widespread flooding, numerous crevasse splays formed between 2004 and 2016, avulsions occurred at nearby floodouts, and erosion cells downstream of the splays and floodouts underwent striking morphological changes. High-precision GPS data reveal two preferential localities for erosion cell development: partially or fully abandoned channels with crevasse splay remnants, and topographic lows between channels. In this overall low-gradient setting, comparatively high gradients (up to ~0.0006 m m^-1) at the edge of splay deposits and topography created by crevasses and abandoned channels may initiate knickpoint retreat and thereafter erosion cell development. Abandoned channels with splays tend to give rise to narrow, deep erosion cells, while topographic lows promote relatively shallow, wide erosion cells. In both situations, erosion cells may extend upslope and downslope, and eventually connect to form straight channels. The channel-floodplain morphodynamics near the Río Colorado terminus extend previous analyses of low-gradient, dryland river systems, particularly because the lack of vegetation and quasi-regular floods drive cascades of rapid changes on sub-decadal timescales. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphological controls on fluvial carbon storage in headwater peatlands

Geomorphological controls and catchment sediment characteristics control the formation of floodplains and affect their capacity to sequester carbon. Organic carbon stored in floodplains is typically a product of pedogenic development between periods of mineral sediment deposition. However, in organically-dominated upland catchments with a high sediment load, eroded particulate organics may also be fluvially deposited with potential for storage and/or oxidation. Understanding the redistribution of terrestrial carbon laterally, beyond the bounds of river channels is important, especially in eroding peatland systems where fluvial particulate organic carbon exports are often assumed to be oxidised. Floodplains have the potential to be both carbon cycling hotspots and areas of sequestration. Understanding of the interaction of carbon cycling and the sediment cascade through floodplain systems is limited. This paper examines the formation of highly organic floodplains downstream of heavily eroded peatlands in the Peak District, UK. Reconstruction of the history of the floodplains suggests that they have formed in response to periods of erosion of organic soils upstream. We present a novel approach to calculating a carbon stock within a floodplain, using XRF and radiograph data recorded during Itrax core scanning of sediment cores. This carbon stock is extrapolated to the catchment scale, to assess the importance of these floodplains in the storage and cycling of organic carbon in this area. The carbon stock estimate for the floodplains across the contributing catchments is between 3482-13460 tonnes, equating on an annualised basis to 0.8-4.5% of the modern-day POC flux. Radiocarbon analyses of bulk organic matter in floodplain sediments revealed that a substantial proportion of organic carbon was associated with re-deposited peat and has been used as a tool for organic matter source determination. The average age of these samples (3010 years BP) is substantially older than Infrared Stimulated Luminesence dating which demonstrated that the floodplains formed between 430 and 1060 years ago. Our data suggest that floodplains are an integral part of eroding peatland systems, acting as both significant stores of aged and eroded organic carbon and as hotspots of carbon turnover. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Morphology and dynamics of the intertidal floodplain along the Amazon tidal river

Depositional environments along the tidal river downstream of Óbidos have been proposed as important sinks for up to one third of the sediment discharge from the Amazon River. However, the morphology of the intertidal floodplain and the dynamics of sediment exchange along this reach have yet to be described. River-bank surveys in five regions along the Amazon tidal river reveal a distinct transition in bank morphology between the upper, central and lower reaches of the tidal river. The upper tidal-river floodplain is defined by prominent natural levees that control the transfer of water and sediment between the mainstem Amazon River and its floodplain. Greater tidal influence in the central tidal river suppresses levee development, and tidal currents increase sediment transport into the distal parts of the floodplain. In the lower tidal river, the floodplain morphology closely resembles marine intertidal environments (e.g. mud flats, salt marshes), with dendritic tidal channels incising elevated vegetated flats. Theory, morphology and geochronology suggest that the dynamics of sediment delivery to the intertidal floodplain of the Amazon tidal river vary along its length due to the relative influence and coupling of fluvial and tidal dynamics. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Holocene floodplain incision and alluvial fan formation in the central Grampian Highlands,Scotland: chronology,environment and implications

A section cut across an alluvial fan and the underlying floodplain terrace in the central Grampian Highlands provides an unusually complete record of late Holocene events. At ca. 2.7–2.4 cal kyr BP floodplain aggradation was replaced by net floodplain incision. Pollen evidence and charcoal counts provide no evidence for contemporaneous anthropogenic landscape change, and the timing of the transition suggests that it reflects an increase in high-magnitude erosive flood events following overall climatic deterioration. The overlying fan was deposited by torrential hyperconcentrated flows during three brief storm-generated depositional events at ca. 2.2–2.1, 1.9–1.8 and 0.9–0.7 cal kyr BP, separated and succeeded by prolonged periods of stability and peat accumulation. During these three events, a cumulative total of ca. 6750 m³ of sediment was deposited, probably in no more than a few hours over a timescale of two millennia. These findings imply that proposed links between human activity and the development of alluvial fans or debris cones require reassessment, and that different elements of the Holocene alluvial landscape have responded in different ways to the same climatic inputs. Aggregation of dating evidence relating to aggradation or incision of alluvial landforms at different scales therefore may produce misleading results. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Levee effects upon flood levels: an empirical assessment

This study used stream gauge records to assess the impact of levees on flood levels, providing an empirical test of theoretical and model predictions of the effects on local flood response. Focusing upon a study area in Illinois and Iowa for which levee records were available, we identified 203 gauges with ≥ 50 years hydrological record, including 15 gauges where a levee was constructed during the period of record. At these sites, step‐change analysis utilizing regression residuals tested levee‐related stage changes and levels of significance and quantified the magnitudes of stage changes. Despite large differences in stream sizes, levee alignments, and degree of floodplain constriction, the post‐levee rating‐curve adjustments showed consistent signatures. For all the study sites, stages for below bankfull (non‐flood) conditions were unaffected by levee construction. For above bankfull (flood) conditions, stages at sites downstream of their associated levees also were statistically indistinguishable before versus after levee construction. However, at all sites upstream of levees or within leveed reaches, stages increased for above bankfull conditions. These increases were abrupt, statistically significant, and generally large in magnitude – ranging up to 2.3 m (Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, IL). Stage increases began when discharge increased above bankfull flow and generally increased in magnitude with discharge until the associated levee(s) were overtopped. Detailed site assessments and supplementary data available from some sites helped document the dominant mechanisms by which levees can increase flood levels. Levee construction reduces the area of the floodplain open to storage of flood waters and reduces the width of the floodplain open to conveyance of flood flow. Floodplain conveyance often is underestimated or ignored, but Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements analysed here confirm previous studies that up to 70% or more of the total discharge during large floods (~3% chance flood) can move over the floodplain. Upstream of levees and levee‐related floodplain constriction, backwater effects reduce flow velocities relative to pre‐levee conditions and, thus, increase stages for a given discharge. The empirical results here confirm a variety of theoretical predictions of levee effects but suggest that many one‐dimensional model‐based predictions of levee‐related stage changes may underestimate actual levee impacts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

杭州湾南岸浅滩的漫滩潮流数值模拟

在杭州湾浅滩上采用底座式ADCP测得单点的漫滩潮流流速、流向及同步水位的变化过程,并在此基础上建立平面二维潮流数值模型,分析整个潮滩上的漫滩潮流过程及其特征。在模型漫滩边界上采用向上取水位值的处理方法,使得模型计算稳定,并获得了稳定逼真的漫滩潮流模拟结果。模拟结果表明:漫滩潮流模拟过程与实测资料基本一致。因此在漫滩潮流模拟中向上取水位值的边界处理方法是可行的。研究成果为漫滩潮流的数值模拟提供了一种较实用的漫滩边界处理方法。     

黄河下游漫滩高含沙洪水滩槽界定及泥沙时空沉积特性

黄河下游漫滩高含沙洪水河床调整剧烈,多数断面洪水后形成"相对窄深河槽",洪水前后河槽宽度发生明显变化。分别以观测断面洪水前后的河槽宽度为基准,计算漫滩高含沙洪水期泥沙时空沉积分布,结果表明,漫滩高含沙洪水与非漫滩高含沙洪水相比,能将主河槽内淤积泥沙量的59.3%搬运至嫩滩或滩地,减缓主河槽淤积。在分析研究基础上,建立了洪水后漫滩河段河槽相对缩窄率与洪水前期河槽宽度的量化关系,洪水后主槽宽度缩窄率为15.5%~44.0%;分析遴选了漫滩高含沙洪水滩地淤积量与主要水力因子间关联度及物理含义,给出了漫滩高含沙洪水滩地淤积量与相应水力因子间的响应函数;初步提出漫滩洪水河道塑槽淤滩的临界水沙配置指标,临界水沙系数取值为0.025~0.040。成果对高含沙洪水调控具有一定的指导意义。     

Heterogeneity influences on stream water–groundwater interactions in a gravel-dominated floodplain

ABSTRACT

Floodplains are composed of complex depositional patterns of ancient and recent stream sediments, and research is needed to address the manner in which coarse floodplain materials affect stream–groundwater exchange patterns. Efforts to understand the heterogeneity of aquifers have utilized numerous techniques typically focused on point-scale measurements; however, in highly heterogeneous settings, the ability to model heterogeneity is dependent on the data density and spatial distribution. The objective of this research was to investigate the correlation between broad-scale methodologies for detecting heterogeneity and the observed spatial variability in stream/groundwater interactions of gravel-dominated alluvial floodplains. More specifically, this study examined the correlation between electrical resistivity (ER) and alluvial groundwater patterns during a flood event at a site on Barren Fork Creek, in the Ozark ecoregion of Oklahoma, USA, where chert gravels were common both as streambed and as floodplain material. Water table elevations from groundwater monitoring wells for a flood event on 1–5 May 2009 were compared to ER maps at various elevations. Areas with high ER matched areas with lower water table slope at the same elevation. This research demonstrated that ER approaches were capable of indicating heterogeneity in surface water–groundwater interactions, and that these heterogeneities were present even in an aquifer matrix characterized as highly conductive. Portions of gravel-dominated floodplain vadose zones characterized by high hydraulic conductivity features can result in heterogeneous flow patterns when the vadose zone of alluvial floodplains activates during storm events.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR X. Chen     

煤田三维地震勘探技术在河流及河漫滩地区的应用

山西高河井田属海河水系长治盆地水文区,主要河流为纵贯全区的浊漳河,自西南流入区内。勘探区内地形地质条件复杂,河流及河漫滩面积大,为克服三维地震勘探存在的诸如检波线的铺设、检波器藕合、激发层位选择等难题,主要采取了陆上检波器挖坑埋置（黄土地段坑深20cm,沙滩地段坑深40cm）、水上检波器用木桩固定等措施,并采用陆上井中放炮、砾石层坑炮、河水中水下放炮相结合的激发方式。为防止井喷和声波产生的高频随机干扰,采取浅井井口压沙袋技术。通过处理解释,获得了较为精确的断层、陷落柱等地质信息,为矿方安全生产提供了可靠的地质保障。