Hydrologic control of waveforms on small meandering rivers

Small river channels within the Humber Basin of Southern Ontario exhibit irregular meandering patterns; however, contemporary river hydrology appears capable of controlling the scale of regular waveform development. Recent changes in river planform are assessed through a bi‐temporal comparison of channel planform using orthorectified aerial photography and statistical analysis of curvature series based on autocorrelation and spectral analysis. Calculated meander wavelengths are acceptable given traditional relationships between wavelength and mean annual flood discharge. It is also evident that changes in stream power are highly correlated with changes in the dominant wavelengths between channel reaches in this study. Gradual development of small scale waveforms following a rare hydrological and geomorphological event in 1954 further confirms that these forms can be attributed to the typical discharge regime. This paper argues that the scaling of wavelengths with discharge can be considered a strong factor controlling planform evolution on some small meandering river systems, despite manifest irregular planforms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.