River Confluences, Tributaries and the Fluvial Network

by Editor: Stephen Rice ( Loughborough University); Editor: Andre Roy (University of Montreal); Editor: Bruce Rhoads (University of Illinois)

• ISBN13: 9780470760376
• ISBN10: 0470760370
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2008-10-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

River Confluences and the Fluvial Network brings together state of the art thinking on confluence dynamics tributary impacts and the links between processes at these scales and river network functions. The book is unique in focus, content, scope and in bringing together engineering, ecological and geomorphological approaches to the three key areas of river system science.Taking a global approach this multi-authored text features a team of carefully selected, internationally renowned, experts who have all contributed significantly to recent ground breaking advancements in the field. Each chapter includes a comprehensive review of work to date highlighting recent discoveries and the main thrust of knowledge, previously unpublished research and case studies, challenges and questions, detailed references as well as a forward looking assessment of the state of the science.

Table of Contents

Preface

List of contributors

Introduction: river confluences, tributaries and the fluvial network

Introduction

Key aims of the book

References

River Channel Confluences.

Introduction to Part I: river channel confluences

Introduction

Individual chapters

Reference

Modelling hydraulics and sediment transport at river confluences

Introduction

Hydraulics

Bedload, suspended and solute transport

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References

Sediment transport, bed morphology and the sedimentology of river channel confluences

Context

Bed morphology

Sediment transport

Sedimentology

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

Large river channel confluences

Introduction

Bed morphology

Flow structure at large river channel confluences

Flow mixing at large river confluences

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

Management of confluences

Introduction

Unruly confluences

Management approaches

Managing confluences for sediment transport

Managing confluences for ice passage

Summary

References

Unconfined confluences in braided rivers

Introduction

General characteristics and significance of confluences in braided channels

Confluence scour depth

Confluence kinetics and bar formation

Confluence spacing and the length-scale of braided morphology

Sediment transport and sediment budgets

Sediment sorting and alluvial deposits

Prospect

Acknowledgements

References

Tributary-Main-Stem Interactions.

Introduction to Part II: tributary-main-stem interactions

Introduction

Individual chapters

References

Spatial identification of tributary impacts in river networks

Introduction

Data measurement

Analytical tools

Future developments and challenges

Acknowledgements

References

Effects of tributaries on main-channel geomorphology

Introduction

Conceptual considerations

Empirical evidence

Theoretical models: (1) Regime analysis of confluences

Theoretical models: (2) Numerical experiments with adjustable grain-size distributions

Discussion

Acknowledgments

References

The ecological importance of tributaries and confluences

Introduction

Tributaries, confluences and river ecology

Tributaries, ecosystem functions and river management

Constraints on understanding and progress

A case study

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References

Tributaries and the management of main-stem geomorphology

Introduction

Conceptual framework for assessing the geomorphological impact of tributaries

Managing the geomorphological impact of tributaries

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References

Confluence environments at the scale of river networks

Introduction

River network structure and confluence environments

Symmetry ratios and confluence environments

Basin shape, network patterns and confluence environments

Local network geometry

Drainage and confluence density

River network scaling properties of confluence environments

The Law of stream sizes and the spatial scale of morphological diversity related to confluences

Longitudinal extent and size of confluence environments

Stochastic watershed processes

The role of hierarchical branching networks

Discussion

River networks, resource management and river restoration

Acknowledgements

References

Channel Networks.

Introduction to Part III: channel networks (Bruce L. Rhoads).

Introduction

Individual chapters

References

Hydrologic dispersion in fluvial networks

Hydrologic dispersion effects on runoff response

Runoff response as travel-time distributions: the GIUH

Geomorphological dispersion in stream networks

Non-linear effects and the use of hydraulic geometry relations

Kinematic dispersion in stream networks

The effect of scale and rainfall intensity on the dispersive mechanisms

Hillslope dispersive effects

Kinematic dispersion effects using the meta-channel approach

Summary and future research directions

Acknowledgments

References

Sediment delivery: new approaches to modelling an old problem

Introduction

The concept of sediment delivery

Difficulties in measuring and estimating sediment yield and SDR

Links between hydrology and sediment production and yield

Physical inferences of sediment delivery based on a simple lumped model

Practical large-scale application using a distributed model

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

Numerical predictions of the sensitivity of grain size and channel slope to an increase in precipitation

Introduction

Landscape-evolution models

Example simulation of network evolution

Discussion

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

Solute transport along stream and river networks

Introduction

Review of current knowledge

Linking transport processes with the fluvial geomorphic template

Forward-looking perspective

Acknowledgements

References

Fluvial valley networks on Mars

Introduction

Early observations

Distribution, age, origin and morphology of valley networks

Morphometry

Alluvial deposits

Hydrology

Summary

Acknowledgements

References

Subject Index

Place Index

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