Control of Upstream Variables on Incised-Valley Dimension

Mattheus, C.R.; Rodriguez, Antonio B.; Greene, David Lawrence; Simms, Alexander R.; Anderson, John B.

doi:10.2110/jsr.2007.022

Cited by 39 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Results of this research are similar to the linear scaling of watershed area and estuary morphometry in paleo-estuaries of the passive-margin Gulf Coast (Mattheus and Rodriguez 2010;Mattheus et al 2007). Considering the disparate geologic settings of the Gulf Coast and Santa Barbara and the similarity in how watershed processes shape estuary geomorphology, watershed processes play a fundamental role in shaping estuaries that occupy incised stream valleys, regardless of the tectonic setting.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Similarly, Hume and Herdendorf (1988) note that when estuaries are grouped by the process that created the depocenter, it is observed that each group has a distinctive morphometry. In one of the few studies that address this problem, it was found that buried, incised valley width and cross sectional area of passive-margin, 20 ka rivers is related to drainage basin size as a power function (Mattheus and Rodriguez 2010;Mattheus et al 2007). It should be emphasized that these results did not directly measure estuary morphometry but rather estuary cross sections.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Watershed Controls on the Geomorphology of Small Coastal Lagoons in an Active Tectonic Environment

Rich

Keller

2011

Estuaries and Coasts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study investigates the relations between watershed precipitation, upstream channel slope, and the geomorphology of 19 small (40 to 18,658 m 2 ), fluvial-incised lagoons in the actively uplifting piedmont near Santa Barbara, CA. Lagoons in the study are funnel-shaped, shallow (<2 m), riverdominated, and enclosed by a sandy to cobble-sized beach barrier for much of the year. Results indicate a strong link between watershed processes and lagoon geomorphology, such that a significant portion of the variability in lagoon area, length, volume, average width, circularity, and lagoon width expansion can be explained by the variability of watershed precipitation and channel slope upstream of the lagoons. Performing multiple regression analysis with watershed precipitation and channel slope as independent variables, coefficients of determination for the power function regressions are 0.88 (lagoon area), 0.88 (lagoon volume), 0.83 (lagoon volume), and 0.74 (average width). Upstream slope is the best single predictor of lagoon geomorphology.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Watershed Controls on the Geomorphology of Small Coastal Lagoons in an Active Tectonic Environment

Rich

Keller

2011

Estuaries and Coasts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the absence of structural controls, valley width is governed largely by upstream variables, e.g., drainage-basin size, and generally increases downstream in a systematic manner (Mattheus et al 2007;Mattheus and Rodriguez 2011;Martin et al 2011;May et al 2013). Empirical studies have related changes in valley width to stream discharge (a function of drainage-basin size), rock type, sediment flux, and base-level changes (Leopold and Miller 1956;Martin et al 2011).…”

Section: Controls On Valley Width and Water Depthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Valley Morphology On the Rate of Bayhead Delta Progradation

Simms¹,

Rodriguez²

2014

Journal of Sedimentary Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bayhead deltas exist between the fluvial and central-basin depositional environments of many incised-valley-fill successions. Prior work has shown that tributary junctions in flooded incised valleys provide ''pinning points'' or locations of stabilization for bayhead deltas during transgression. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of tributary junctions on the behavior of bayhead deltas during regression. This influence is examined by using a simple numerical model that incorporates established relationships for systematic changes in valley geomorphology downstream. In addition, the model incorporates important observations regarding the controls on water depth in wave-dominated estuarine central basins, which in part controls sediment accommodation. Water depth in the central basin of wave-dominated estuaries with high suspended sediment loads is a function of the width of the central basin parallel to the prevailing wind direction (fetch). A direct relationship is observed between the width of the central basin parallel to the prevailing wind direction and water depth based on data from modern estuaries in North America, Europe, and South America. Our model shows that bayhead-delta progradation rates increase at tributary confluences and larger deltas prograde at faster rates than smaller deltas. In the case of two tributary bayhead deltas fed by systems of the same size coming together, the combined bayhead delta progrades 17.6% faster. This study provides one more example of the importance of autogenic processes in influencing stratigraphic architecture and the rate of shoreline changes.

show abstract

“…River mouths represent a fundamental transition in the sediment source‐to‐sink pathway where rivers hand off to marine transport processes. Despite the importance of this transfer, there exists considerable uncertainty about the controls on erosion and deposition of sediment near river mouths [e.g., Blum and Törnqvist , 2000; Fagherazzi et al , 2004; Sylvia and Galloway , 2006; Törnqvist et al , 2006; Mattheus et al , 2007; Parker et al , 2008b].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Backwater and river plume controls on scour upstream of river mouths: Implications for fluvio‐deltaic morphodynamics

Lamb¹,

Nittrouer²,

Mohrig³

et al. 2012

J. Geophys. Res.

170

248

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] Sediment flux from rivers to oceans is the fundamental driver of fluvio-deltaic morphodynamics and continental margin sedimentation, yet sediment transport across the river-to-marine boundary is poorly understood. Coastal rivers typically are affected by backwater, a zone of spatially decelerating flow that is transitional between normal flow upstream and the offshore river plume. Flow deceleration in the backwater zone, as well as spreading of the offshore plume, should render rivers highly depositional near their mouths, leading to sedimentation and eventual elimination of the backwater zone at steady state. This reasoning is counter to observations of riverbed scour, erosional bed forms, and long-lived backwater zones near the mouths of some coastal rivers (e.g., Mississippi River, United States). To explain these observations, we present a quasi-2-D model of a coupled fluvial backwater and offshore river plume system and apply it to the Mississippi River. Results show that during high-discharge events the normal-flow depth can become larger than the water depth at the river mouth resulting in drawdown of the water surface, spatial acceleration of flow, and erosion of the riverbed. As proposed by Lane (1957), the transition to drawdown and erosion is ultimately forced by spreading of the offshore river plume. This points to the need to model coupled river and river plume systems with a dynamic backwater zone under a suite of discharges to accurately capture fluvio-deltaic morphodynamics and connectivity between fluvial sediment sources and marine depositional sinks.Citation: Lamb, M. P., J. A. Nittrouer, D. Mohrig, and J. Shaw (2012), Backwater and river plume controls on scour upstream of river mouths: Implications for fluvio-deltaic morphodynamics,

show abstract

Control of Upstream Variables on Incised-Valley Dimension

Cited by 39 publications

References 47 publications

Watershed Controls on the Geomorphology of Small Coastal Lagoons in an Active Tectonic Environment

Watershed Controls on the Geomorphology of Small Coastal Lagoons in an Active Tectonic Environment

The Influence of Valley Morphology On the Rate of Bayhead Delta Progradation

Backwater and river plume controls on scour upstream of river mouths: Implications for fluvio‐deltaic morphodynamics

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About