An understanding of river- and stream-channel geomorphic responses to various human-caused and natural disturbances is important for effective management, conservation, and rehabilitation of rivers and streams to accommodate multiple, often conflicting, needs. Channel changes may have implications for the protection of property and structures, water supply, navigation, and habitat. The channel-bank erosion that accompanies natural channel migration on a flood plain represents a constant threat to property and structures located in or near the channel. Various human-caused and natural disturbances introduce additional instability to which rivers and streams adjust. Human-caused disturbances include reservoirs, channelization, in-channel sand and gravel extraction, and urbanization. A common natural disturbance is a flood. Possible geomorphic responses of a channel to disturbances include channel-bed degradation (erosion), channel-bed aggradation (deposition of material), channel widening, and channel straightening. These adjustments represent the channel’s attempt to establish a new approximate equilibrium condition.
Channel adjustments are a concern for several reasons. A substantial lowering of the channel bed poses an immediate threat to bridge pier foundations as well as buried pipelines and cables. In addition, substantial bed lowering increases bank height and bank instability that may trigger channel widening. Channel aggradation raises the bed elevation, reduces channel capacity, and increases the likelihood of flooding. Any channel-bed changes that occur on the main-stem rivers and streams also may migrate upstream on the tributaries where additional property, structures, and habitat may be at risk. Finally, any long-term channel adjustment processes also may instigate or worsen local scour problems.
Geomorphic investigations conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey since 1995 have mostly focused on the response of river and stream channels to various types of natural and human-caused disturbances including floods, reservoir construction and operation, and channelization. Such studies document channel changes, reconstruct historical conditions, determine the causes of channel changes, estimate the rate of geomorphic processes, and, in some cases, can enable predictions of future channel changes. Methods have included the use of streamgage data, multidate aerial photography, and onsite data collection to determine the location, timing, magnitude, direction, duration, and rate of channel change.
more publications can be found at: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/
The aging of America's reservoirs: In-reservoir and downstream physical changes and habitat implications
Geomorphic changes caused by the 2011 flood at selected sites along the lower Missouri River and comparison to historical floods
An investigation of element ratios for assessing suspended-sediment sources in small agricultural basins
Suspended-sediment loads, reservoir sediment trap efficiency, and upstream and downstream channel stability for Kanopolis and Tuttle Creek Lakes, Kansas, 2008-10
Assessment of the geomorphic effects of large floods using streamgage data: The 1951 floods in eastern Kansas, USA
Sedimentation, sediment quality, and upstream channel stability, John Redmond Reservoir, east-central Kansas, 1964-2009
Geomorphic applications of stream-gage information
Estimation of sediment sources using selected chemical tracers in the Perry lake basin, Kansas, USA
Estimation of Sediment Sources Using Selected Chemical Tracers in the Perry Lake and Lake Wabaunsee Basins, Northeast Kansas
Flood-related, organic-carbon anomalies as possible temporal markers in reservoir bottom sediments
Historical channel-bed elevation change as a result of multiple disturbances, Soldier Creek, Kansas
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- Overview
An understanding of river- and stream-channel geomorphic responses to various human-caused and natural disturbances is important for effective management, conservation, and rehabilitation of rivers and streams to accommodate multiple, often conflicting, needs. Channel changes may have implications for the protection of property and structures, water supply, navigation, and habitat. The channel-bank erosion that accompanies natural channel migration on a flood plain represents a constant threat to property and structures located in or near the channel. Various human-caused and natural disturbances introduce additional instability to which rivers and streams adjust. Human-caused disturbances include reservoirs, channelization, in-channel sand and gravel extraction, and urbanization. A common natural disturbance is a flood. Possible geomorphic responses of a channel to disturbances include channel-bed degradation (erosion), channel-bed aggradation (deposition of material), channel widening, and channel straightening. These adjustments represent the channel’s attempt to establish a new approximate equilibrium condition.
Erosion along Stranger Creek has reached a house along the bank.(Public domain.) Channel adjustments are a concern for several reasons. A substantial lowering of the channel bed poses an immediate threat to bridge pier foundations as well as buried pipelines and cables. In addition, substantial bed lowering increases bank height and bank instability that may trigger channel widening. Channel aggradation raises the bed elevation, reduces channel capacity, and increases the likelihood of flooding. Any channel-bed changes that occur on the main-stem rivers and streams also may migrate upstream on the tributaries where additional property, structures, and habitat may be at risk. Finally, any long-term channel adjustment processes also may instigate or worsen local scour problems.
Geomorphic investigations conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey since 1995 have mostly focused on the response of river and stream channels to various types of natural and human-caused disturbances including floods, reservoir construction and operation, and channelization. Such studies document channel changes, reconstruct historical conditions, determine the causes of channel changes, estimate the rate of geomorphic processes, and, in some cases, can enable predictions of future channel changes. Methods have included the use of streamgage data, multidate aerial photography, and onsite data collection to determine the location, timing, magnitude, direction, duration, and rate of channel change.
- Publications
more publications can be found at: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/
Filter Total Items: 23The aging of America's reservoirs: In-reservoir and downstream physical changes and habitat implications
Reservoirs are important for various purposes including flood control, water supply, power generation, and recreation. The aging of America's reservoirs and progressive loss of water storage capacity resulting from ongoing sedimentation, coupled with increasing societal needs, will cause the social, economic, environmental, and political importance of reservoirs to continually increase. The short-Geomorphic changes caused by the 2011 flood at selected sites along the lower Missouri River and comparison to historical floods
An analysis of recent and historical U.S. Geological Survey streamgage information was used to assess geomorphic changes caused by the 2011 flood, in comparison to selected historical floods, at three streamgage sites along the lower Missouri River—Sioux City, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; and Kansas City, Missouri. Channel-width change was not evident at the three streamgage sites following the 2011 floAn investigation of element ratios for assessing suspended-sediment sources in small agricultural basins
Various sediment properties previously have been investigated for the purpose of determining sources of suspended sediment. A remaining research need is an assessment of element ratios for the determination of suspended-sediment sources in different terrestrial environments. In this study, 253 element ratios were assessed to determine which, if any, were potentially useful for sediment-source deteSuspended-sediment loads, reservoir sediment trap efficiency, and upstream and downstream channel stability for Kanopolis and Tuttle Creek Lakes, Kansas, 2008-10
Continuous streamflow and turbidity data collected from October 1, 2008, to September 30, 2010, at streamgage sites upstream and downstream from Kanopolis and Tuttle Creek Lakes, Kansas, were used to compute the total suspended-sediment load delivered to and released from each reservoir as well as the sediment trap efficiency for each reservoir. Ongoing sedimentation is decreasing the ability of tAssessment of the geomorphic effects of large floods using streamgage data: The 1951 floods in eastern Kansas, USA
Data from 23 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages were analyzed to assess the geomorphic effects (short-term change and subsequent recovery) of the record 1951 floods on streams in eastern Kansas. Flood-related, channel-bed elevation change was indicated for 17 gage sites, with substantial deposition at five sites and substantial erosion at two sites. An assessment of post-flood bed elevationSedimentation, sediment quality, and upstream channel stability, John Redmond Reservoir, east-central Kansas, 1964-2009
A combination of available bathymetric-survey information, bottom-sediment coring, and historical streamgage information was used to investigate sedimentation, sediment quality, and upstream channel stability for John Redmond Reservoir, east-central Kansas. Ongoing sedimentation is reducing the ability of the reservoir to serve several purposes including flood control, water supply, and recreationGeomorphic applications of stream-gage information
In the United States, several thousand stream gages provide what typically is the only source of continuous, long-term streamflow and channel-geometry information for the locations being monitored. In this paper, the geomorphic content of stream-gage information, previous and potential applications of stream-gage information in fluvial geomorphic research and various possible limitations are descrEstimation of sediment sources using selected chemical tracers in the Perry lake basin, Kansas, USA
The ability to achieve meaningful decreases in sediment loads to reservoirs requires a determination of the relative importance of sediment sources within the contributing basins. In an investigation of sources of fine-grained sediment (clay and silt) within the Perry Lake Basin in northeast Kansas, representative samples of channel-bank sources, surface-soil sources (cropland and grassland), andEstimation of Sediment Sources Using Selected Chemical Tracers in the Perry Lake and Lake Wabaunsee Basins, Northeast Kansas
In Kansas and nationally, stream and lake sediment is a primary concern as related to several important issues including water quality and reservoir water-storage capacity. The ability to achieve meaningful decreases in sediment loads to reservoirs requires a determination of the relative importance of sediment sources within the contributing basins. To investigate sources of sediment within the PFlood-related, organic-carbon anomalies as possible temporal markers in reservoir bottom sediments
Results of a study of sediment cores from four reservoirs in the upper Mississippi River Basin, USA, indicated that anomalous organic carbon concentrations associated with flood deposits may provide detectable temporal markers in reservoir bottom sediments. Temporal markers are needed for reservoir sediment studies to date sediment layers deposited between the 1963–64 cesium-137 peak and the preseHistorical channel-bed elevation change as a result of multiple disturbances, Soldier Creek, Kansas
Historical information on stream stage/discharge relations from eight U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamflow-gaging stations was used to analyze channel-bed elevation change along Soldier Creek, a stream affected by multiple disturbances in northeast Kansas. The analysis provided information on the spatial (location, type, magnitude) and temporal (timing, duration, trend, rate) dimensions of cha - Web Tools
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- Partners
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