Scale‐Free Structure of Surface‐Water Connectivity Within a Lowland River‐Floodplain Landscape

Castillo, Cesar R.; Güneralp, İnci; Hales, Billy; Güneralp, Burak

doi:10.1029/2020gl088378

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The comparisons for the USR confirm that the simulated curves are good approximations of actual rating curves. The same is true for the EFWR and the MR where the simulated curves have been shown to represent closely rating curves for nearby U.S. Geological Survey stream gages (Castillo, 2020; Czuba et al, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Simulations of flow for different discharges using HEC‐RAS2D for (a) Upper Sangamon River, (b) White River (from Czuba et al, 2019; r.i. is recurrence interval), and (c) Mission River (from Castillo, 2020). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar simulations were performed using HEC‐RAS for the EFWR and MR to map patterns of channel and floodplain inundation over wide ranges of flows and water‐surface elevations. Details of model calibrations and simulations can be found in Czuba et al (2019) for the EFWR and in Castillo (2020) for the MR.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Floodplain features include numerous sloughs, secondary channels, and swales in the upstream part and oxbows and backswamps in the lower part. Land cover along the reach is predominantly coastal prairie (27%) and mesquite woodland (16%) in the uplands and bottomland hardwood forest (15%), floodplain grasslands (7%), bottomland live oak/mixed forest (6%), and riparian wetlands (4%) (Castillo, 2020; Elliott et al, 2014; Evans et al, 2012). The channel banks are lined with trees throughout the reach.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few studies have explicitly examined the variability in bankfull stage and bank elevations defined on the basis of objective criteria (Fonstad & Marcus, 2010; Hudson et al, 2013). This variability is not only morphologically important for determining the extent to which rivers construct a uniform bankfull channel but also hydrologically important for determining the variability of floodplain inundation (Castillo, 2020; Czuba et al, 2019; Dzubakova et al, 2015). Highly variable bankfull conditions along a river should lead to highly variable flooding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Spatial Variability in Bankfull Stage and Bank Elevations of Lowland Meandering Rivers: Relation to Rating Curves and Channel Planform Characteristics

Lindroth

Rhoads

Castillo³

et al. 2020

Water Resources Research

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Mutual adjustment between process and form shapes the morphology of alluvial river channels, including channel banks. The tops of banks define the transition between the channel and adjacent floodplain, which corresponds to the level of incipient flooding. Despite the geomorphological and hydrological importance of this transition, few, if any, studies have extensively examined spatial variability in bank elevations and its influence on bankfull stage. This study uses an objective method to explore this variability at two spatial resolutions along three alluvial lowland meandering rivers. Results show that variability in bankfull stage is inherent to all three rivers. The mean variability of bankfull stage about the average downstream gradient in this stage is 10% to 20% of mean bankfull depth. Elevations of channel banks exhibit similar variability, even after accounting for systematic variations in heights of inner and outer banks associated with river meandering. Two‐dimensional hydraulic simulations show that the elevation range of mean variability in bankfull stage overlaps considerably with the elevation range of high curvature on rating curves, confirming that variability in bankfull stage influences the shape of these curves. The simulations verify that breaks in channel banks allow flow to extend onto the floodplain at stages below the average bankfull stage. The findings provide fundamental insight into the variable nature of bankfull conditions along meandering rivers and the role of this variability in channel‐floodplain connectivity. The results also inform river‐restoration efforts that seek to re‐establish the natural configuration of channel banks.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial Variability in Bankfull Stage and Bank Elevations of Lowland Meandering Rivers: Relation to Rating Curves and Channel Planform Characteristics

Lindroth

Rhoads

Castillo³

et al. 2020

Water Resources Research

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Critical linkages among floodplain hydrology, geomorphology and ecology along a lowland meandering river, Illinois, USA

Shukla,

Salas,

Pankau

et al. 2024

Ecohydrology

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The ecology of forested floodplains is intricately linked to river hydrology through the frequency, magnitude, timing and duration of floodplain inundation. Spatial variability in inundation characteristics is influenced by the geomorphic template of a floodplain, both in terms of the topography of floodplain features and connectivity of these features to the main river channel. Spatial variability in inundation, in turn, has the potential to produce spatial variability in forest ecological characteristics. This study examines the influence of floodplain geomorphic features on spatial variability in inundation frequency as well as the relationship between these geomorphic features and the ecological characteristics of a floodplain forest. The frequencies of floods of different magnitudes are determined from flow‐duration analysis of over 100 years of discharge data for a lowland meandering river in Illinois, USA. Data on discharge, stage, and topography are then used to calibrate a two‐dimensional hydraulic model of flow across the floodplain at different levels of inundation. Integrating the frequency and inundation data yields mapping of average annual inundation frequency for different parts of the floodplain. Significant differences in inundation frequency correspond to three distinct floodplain geomorphic features: secondary channels (frequency = 12%), closed depressions (frequency = 4%) and the floodplain surface (frequency = %). Tree density is similar among the three types of geomorphic features, but tree species composition and canopy density differ significantly between secondary channels and the floodplain surface. The results provide insight into linkages among hydrology, geomorphology and tree characteristics of forested floodplains of lowland meandering rivers.

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Monitoring surface-water connectivity in a coastal lowland river using field-based data loggers

Güneralp,

Castillo,

Hales

2024

Journal of Hydrology

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Scale‐Free Structure of Surface‐Water Connectivity Within a Lowland River‐Floodplain Landscape

Cited by 6 publications

References 62 publications

Spatial Variability in Bankfull Stage and Bank Elevations of Lowland Meandering Rivers: Relation to Rating Curves and Channel Planform Characteristics

Spatial Variability in Bankfull Stage and Bank Elevations of Lowland Meandering Rivers: Relation to Rating Curves and Channel Planform Characteristics

Critical linkages among floodplain hydrology, geomorphology and ecology along a lowland meandering river, Illinois, USA

Monitoring surface-water connectivity in a coastal lowland river using field-based data loggers

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