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Point Bar (point + bar)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Earth and Environmental Science	33%

Selected Abstracts

Effects of vegetation on channel morphodynamics: results and insights from laboratory experiments

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 9 2010
Michal Tal
Abstract A series of laboratory experiments demonstrates that riparian vegetation can cause a braided channel to self-organize to, and maintain, a dynamic, single-thread channel. The initial condition for the experiments was steady-state braiding in non-cohesive sand under uniform discharge. From here, an experiment consisted of repeated cycles alternating a short duration high flow with a long duration low flow, and uniform dispersal of alfalfa seeds over the bed at the end of each high flow. Plants established on freshly deposited bars and areas of braidplain that were unoccupied during low flow. The presence of the plants had the effect of progressively focusing the high flow so that a single dominant channel developed. The single-thread channel self-adjusted to carry the high flow. Vegetation also slowed the rate of bank erosion. Matching of deposition along the point bar with erosion along the outer bend enabled the channel to develop sinuosity and migrate laterally while suppressing channel splitting and the creation of new channel width. The experimental channels spontaneously reproduced many of the mechanisms by which natural meandering channels migrate and maintain a single dominant channel, in particular bend growth and channel cutoff. In contrast with the braided system, where channel switching is a nearly continuous process, vegetation maintained a coherent channel until wholesale diversion of flow via cutoff and/or avulsion occurred, by which point the previous channel tended to be highly unfavorable for flow. Thus vegetation discouraged the coexistence of multiple channels. Varying discharge was key to allowing expression of feedbacks between the plants and the flow and promoting the transition from braiding to a single-thread channel that was then dynamically maintained. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The use of short-lived radionuclides to quantify transitional bed material transport in a regulated river

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 4 2007
Nira L. Salant
Abstract We investigate the use of the short-lived fallout radionuclide beryllium-7 (7Be; t1/2 = 53·4 days) as a tracer of medium and coarse sand (0·25,2 mm), which transitions between transport in suspension and as bed load, and evaluate the effects of impoundment on seasonal and spatial variations in bed sedimentation. We measure 7Be activities in approximately monthly samples from point bar and streambed sediments in one unregulated and one regulated stream. In the regulated stream our sampling spanned an array of flow and management conditions during the annual transition from flood control in the winter and early spring to run-of-the-river operation from late spring to autumn. Sediment stored behind the dam during the winter quickly became depleted in 7Be activity. This resulted in a pulse of ,dead' sediment released when the dam gates were opened in the spring which could be tracked as it moved downstream. Measured average sediment transport velocities (30,80 metres per day (m d,1)) exceed those typically reported for bulk bed load transport and are remarkably constant across varied flow regimes, possibly due to corresponding changes in bed sand fraction. Results also show that the length scale of the downstream impact of dam management on sediment transport is short (c. 1 km); beyond this distance the sediment trapped by the dam is replaced by new sediment from tributaries and other downstream sources. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Distributions of tree species along point bars of 10 rivers in the south-eastern US Coastal Plain

JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 1 2006
Kevin M. Robertson
Abstract Aim, To determine the degree to which rivers within the south-eastern US Coastal Plain show a predictable spatial distribution of floodplain tree species along each point bar of river bends in relation to elevation and/or soil texture, as seen on the Bogue Chitto River, Louisiana, USA. Also, to understand spatial patterns of tree species on land created during river-bend migration, and to interpret which physical characteristics of rivers predict this pattern of vegetation. Location, The south-eastern US Coastal Plain. Methods, Ten randomly selected rivers within a portion of the region were studied. At each of 10 river bends per river, a census of trees and shrubs was taken and elevation and soil texture were measured at upstream, mid- and downstream locations along the forest,point bar margin. To identify physical characteristics of rivers that are predictive of patterns of tree species along point bars, aerial photographs, hydrographs and field data were analysed. Results, Tree species composition varied predictably among the three point bar locations, corresponding to an elevation gradient on each bar, on seven of 10 rivers. Species occupying a given point bar location on one river usually occupied the same location on other rivers, in accordance with species-elevation associations identified in past studies of floodplain forests. Multivariate analysis of river characteristics suggested that rivers failing to show the expected pattern were those with relatively low stream energy and geomorphic dynamics and/or those with hydrological regimes altered by upstream dams. Main conclusions, A distinct pattern of streamside forest community structure is related to fluvial geomorphic processes characterizing many rivers within the south-eastern US Coastal Plain. Characteristics of rivers required to promote the predicted pattern of tree species include a single, meandering channel with point bars; an intermediate level of stream energy; a natural hydrological regime; and location in a biome where a large number of tree species are capable of colonizing point bars. [source]

Plant functional trait variation in relation to riparian geomorphology: The importance of disturbance

AUSTRAL ECOLOGY, Issue 7 2009
GARRETH KYLE
Abstract This study examined the patterns of plant functional trait variation in relation to geomorphology, disturbance and a suite of other environmental factors in the riparian margin of the Upper Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia. Vegetation was surveyed on three geomorphic surfaces (point bar, bench and bank) along a 5.5-km stretch of the Upper Hunter River. Functional traits relating to plant growth and reproduction were collected for the identified species. anova and principal components analysis were used to compare the trait assemblages of species associated with each geomorphic unit. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to investigate trait variation with respect to environmental variables. There were clear differences in the plant functional trait assemblages associated with the three geomorphic units. Generally the point bar was associated with species that were herbaceous, with small seed mass, a short stature and a high specific leaf area (SLA). Conversely, the bench was associated with grasses that had unassisted seed dispersal and intermediate seed mass and SLA, while species on the bank had tall stature, large seed mass, a high SLA and a perennial life cycle. Variation along the primary gradient of plant functional trait composition was most strongly related to disturbance frequency and to a lesser extent soil nutrients and the proportion of clay and silt, while variation along the secondary gradient was associated with variation in substrate texture as well as soil nutrients. [source]

A New Understanding of Channel Patterns and Facies Models of the Shallow Lake Delta Facies of Fuyu Oil Reservoir in Songliao Basin, China

ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 3 2008
LI Yanping
Abstract: In the Fuyu Reservoir of Songliao Basin, there occur a series of well-developed peculiar shallow lake delta facies, which can be divided to such three ones as the upper delta plain subfacies, the lower delta plain subfacies, and the delta front subfacies. Among them the upper delta plain subfacies mainly grows proximal distributary channels; the lower delta plain subfacies mainly grows distal ones. The entire Fuyu Reservoir has mainly developed 7 kinds of distributary channel patterns: proximal/ distal meandering type distributary channels, proximal/distal low-sinuosity type distributary channels, proximal/distal straight type distributary channels, and subaqueous distributary channels. Among these patterns, the proximal and distal meandering type distributary channels have bigger thickness of point bar and better sorting and low content of mud; moreover, they are the major reservoirs and occur in the bottom of Quan-4th member. The sandbars of the subaqueous distributary channels have higher mud content, and serve as the poorer reservoirs, and mainly occur in the top of Quan-4th member. [source]

Geomorphic controls and transition zones in the lower Sabine River

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 14 2008
Jonathan D. Phillips
Abstract Instream flow science and management requires identification of characteristic hydrological, ecological, and geomorphological attributes of stream reaches. This study approaches this problem by identifying geomorphic transition zones along the lower Sabine River, Texas and Louisiana. Boundaries were delineated along the lower Sabine River valley based on surficial geology, valley width, valley confinement, network characteristics (divergent versus convergent), sinuousity, slope, paleomeanders, and point bars. The coincidence of multiple boundaries reveals five key transition zones separating six reaches of distinct hydrological and geomorphological characteristics. Geologic controls and gross valley morphology play a major role as geomorphic controls, as does an upstream-to-downstream gradient in the importance of pulsed dam releases, and a down-to-upstream gradient in coastal backwater effects. Geomorphic history, both in the sense of the legacy of Quaternary sea level changes, and the effects of specific events such as avulsions and captures, are also critical. The transition zones delineate reaches with distinct hydrological characteristics in terms of the relative importance of dam releases and coastal backwater effects, single versus multi-channel flow patterns, frequency of overbank flow, and channel-floodplain connectivity. The transitional areas also represent sensitive zones which can be expected to be bellwethers in terms of responses to future environmental changes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Groundwater,surface water interactions in a large semi-arid floodplain: implications for salinity management

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 16 2005
Sébastien Lamontagne
Abstract Flow regulation and water diversion for irrigation have considerably impacted the exchange of surface water between the Murray River and its floodplains. However, the way in which river regulation has impacted groundwater,surface water interactions is not completely understood, especially in regards to the salinization and accompanying vegetation dieback currently occurring in many of the floodplains. Groundwater,surface water interactions were studied over a 2 year period in the riparian area of a large floodplain (Hattah,Kulkyne, Victoria) using a combination of piezometric surface monitoring and environmental tracers (Cl,, ,2H, and ,18O). Despite being located in a local and regional groundwater discharge zone, the Murray River is a losing stream under low flow conditions at Hattah,Kulkyne. The discharge zone for local groundwater, regional groundwater and bank recharge is in the floodplain within ,1 km of the river and is probably driven by high rates of transpiration by the riparian Eucalyptus camaldulensis woodland. Environmental tracers data suggest that the origin of groundwater is principally bank recharge in the riparian zone and a combination of diffuse rainfall recharge and localized floodwater recharge elsewhere in the floodplain. Although the Murray River was losing under low flows, bank discharge occurred during some flood recession periods. The way in which the water table responded to changes in river level was a function of the type of stream bank present, with point bars providing a better connection to the alluvial aquifer than the more common clay-lined banks. Understanding the spatial variability in the hydraulic connection with the river channel and in vertical recharge following inundations will be critical to design effective salinity remediation strategies for large semi-arid floodplains. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]