Channel-conveyance capacity, channel change, and sediment transport in the lower Puyallup, White, and Carbon Rivers, western Washington

Abstract

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Downstream‐Propagating Channel Responses to Decadal‐Scale Climate Variability in a Glaciated River Basin

“…Like glaciers around the world (Marzeion et al, 2014), glaciers in the Cascade Range of Washington State have generally been retreating since reaching maxima in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Burbank, 1981;Dick, 2013;Harper, 1993;Nylen, 2004). The potential combination of increased exposure of unconsolidated sediments and more intense precipitation that is more likely to fall as rain (Salathé et al, 2014) has raised regional concerns that increased coarse sediment yields in glaciated headwaters might result in channel aggradation, loss of conveyance, and increased flood risk in downstream reaches (Czuba et al, 2010).…”

“…The goal of this study was to assess whether historical changes in river bed elevations in a watershed draining glaciated, sediment‐rich terrain on a stratovolcano in western Washington State, USA, could be related to decadal‐scale climate variations. Stratovolcanoes in the Cascades are steep, composed of friable volcanic rock, heavily glaciated, and experience high orographic precipitation, all of which make them a significant source of coarse sediment to down‐valley river systems (Czuba et al, ; Czuba, Magirl, et al, ). Like glaciers around the world (Marzeion et al, ), glaciers in the Cascade Range of Washington State have generally been retreating since reaching maxima in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Burbank, ; Dick, ; Harper, ; Nylen, ).…”

Debris flow initiation in proglacial gullies on Mount Rainier, Washington

“…In the Cascade Range in the northwestern United States, andesitic volcanoes stand well above the current and Quaternary-average equilibrium line altitudes of glaciers; glacial erosion at these elevations produces enormous sediment loads (Porter, 1989;Czuba et al, 2011Czuba et al, , 2012. This sediment poses challenges to dam operators, river managers, and communities downstream by filling reservoirs, aggrading channels, and exacerbating flood risk (Czuba et al, 2010). Sediment transport and mass movement processes on volcanic slopes are therefore linked with management of downstream rivers.…”

Estimating Flood Inundation Depth Along the Arterial Road Based on the Rainfall Intensity

“…To minimize the inundation depth, a suitable increase in the size of the side ditch is proposed. The relationship between rainfall intensity and inundation depth can be either linear or nonlinear.Generally, a flood occurrence is caused by runoff discharge that is larger than the capacity of the channel [3,4]. One of the dynamic data that can be used as an input in runoff discharge analysis is the rainfall intensity [5,6].…”

“…Generally, a flood occurrence is caused by runoff discharge that is larger than the capacity of the channel [3,4]. One of the dynamic data that can be used as an input in runoff discharge analysis is the rainfall intensity [5,6].…”