Lateral Migration Rates of River Bends

Hickin, Edward J.; Nanson, Gerald C.

doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9429(1984)110:11(1557)

Cited by 286 publications

(173 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Our maximum sinuosity downstream of the first bend was 1.19, which is considerably lower than most meandering gravel-bedded channels, where sinuosities are often greater than 1.5 (38,46). Despite the low sinuosity, the processes of bar growth, bank erosion, and cutoff were similar to gravel bed meanders in the field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Experimental evidence for the conditions necessary to sustain meandering in coarse-bedded rivers

Braudrick

Dietrich

Leverich

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

322

353

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Meandering rivers are common on Earth and other planetary surfaces, yet the conditions necessary to maintain meandering channels are unclear. As a consequence, self-maintaining meandering channels with cutoffs have not been reproduced in the laboratory. Such experimental channels are needed to explore mechanisms controlling migration rate, sinuosity, floodplain formation, and planform morphodynamics and to test theories for wavelength and bend propagation. Here we report an experiment in which meandering with near-constant width was maintained during repeated cutoff and regeneration of meander bends. We found that elevated bank strength (provided by alfalfa sprouts) relative to the cohesionless bed material and the blocking of troughs (chutes) in the lee of point bars via suspended sediment deposition were the necessary ingredients to successful meandering. Varying flood discharge was not necessary. Scaling analysis shows that the experimental meander migration was fast compared to most natural channels. This high migration rate caused nearly all of the bedload sediment to exchange laterally, such that bar growth was primarily dependent on bank sediment supplied from upstream lateral migration. The high migration rate may have contributed to the relatively low sinuosity of 1.19, and this suggests that to obtain much higher sinuosity experiments at this scale may have to be conducted for several years. Although patience is required to evolve them, these experimental channels offer the opportunity to explore several fundamental issues about river morphodynamics. Our results also suggest that sand supply may be an essential control in restoring self-maintaining, actively shifting gravel-bedded meanders.channel patterns ͉ fluvial geomorphology ͉ river meandering R iver meandering-the lateral bank shifting that produces sinuous, single-thread channels-is inherent to coupled flow and sediment transport in gravel-and sand-bedded channels within a broad range of channel width-to-depth ratios (1). Channel planform classification based on field observations qualitatively suggests that meandering depends strongly on channel slope, grain size, bank strength, and sediment supply (2, 3). Theoretical models of river meandering (2-8), however, assume that the inner and outer banks migrate at the same rate during meandering no matter the bank strength and sediment supply. The processes by which inner bank deposition keeps pace with outer bank erosion are poorly known. This is a fundamental gap in our understanding of meandering rivers.Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that channels with sand or gravel bed and banks will develop bars and planform curvature but will inevitably braid (9-11), because the weak outer banks erode faster than bars can grow and accrete to the inner bank. Braiding often develops due to flow diversion down chutes that form between the bar and the floodplain. Chutes occur because the area of maximum coarse sediment deposition is not located at the boundary between the bar and floodplain, but rather t...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Experimental evidence for the conditions necessary to sustain meandering in coarse-bedded rivers

Braudrick

Dietrich

Leverich

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

322

353

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“…A fine bed material (noncohesive) is easier to transport and erode. As Nanson and Hickin (1986) showed, the bed material size at the Hooke (1980) M~A (drainage area) M~% silt-clay in bank Hickin and Nanson (1975), Nanson and Hickin (1983) M~R c /W Also identified bank texture, planform, and sediment supply rate as important Begin (1981) M~R c /W Nanson and Hickin (1983) M~Q and S M~W and S M~Q, S and D 50 M~W, S and D 50 Hickin and Nanson (1984) M~R c /W Also identified bank resistance as important Biedenharn et al (1989) M~R c /W toe of the slope can be a good indication of the resistance of the bank. At the other extreme, for instance downstream from a dam, armored beds are no longer mobile and the flow often scours the banks.…”

Section: Lateral Movementsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Statistical analysis of lateral migration of the Rio Grande, New Mexico

2005

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The lateral migration rates of alluvial rivers are affected by changes in water and sediment regimes. The Rio Grande downstream from Cochiti Dam exhibits spatial and temporal variability in lateral movement rates documented since 1918. A tremendous database exists that documents planform, bed material size, channel geometry, and water and sediment regimes. A statistical analysis reveals that migration rates primarily decreased with decreasing flow energy (R 2 N 0.50, p b0.0001). The addition of a second parameter describing total channel width increased the explained variance to N 60%. The findings show that lateral movement increases with increasing flow energy and with degree of braiding. D

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“…In the past, time sequential of aerial photographs approximately 20 to 30 year apart have been used to measure the lateral migration rates of river bend [5]. The development of mathematical model and formula to measure the rate of lateral migration over the decade has contribute a lot to understand this lateral migration phenomenon.…”

Section: Review On Recent Progress In Established Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Degradation: A Review on the Potential Impact of River Morphology

et al. 2017

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Abstract. River morphology involves the lateral migration of matters deposited by flowing water in the river channel across its floodplain. This is driven by the erosion along the river banks and point bar deposition over time. This paper presents a review on river morphology studies and its potential impact to the society. The reviewed studies include mathematical models and computer simulation such as FLUVIAL-11 and RVR Meander Package that are significant to illustrate a continuous research development on channel adjustment. The findings also shows that a lot more area can still be explored to aid the fundamental of understanding river morphology and that East Malaysia will provide a good platform for the researchers to investigate the lateral migration of a river due to its diversity environment.

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Lateral Migration Rates of River Bends

Cited by 286 publications

References 8 publications

Experimental evidence for the conditions necessary to sustain meandering in coarse-bedded rivers

Experimental evidence for the conditions necessary to sustain meandering in coarse-bedded rivers

Statistical analysis of lateral migration of the Rio Grande, New Mexico

Environmental Degradation: A Review on the Potential Impact of River Morphology

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