Geomorphology is the study of the formation and evolution of landforms on Earth's surface. In the Pacific Northwest, volcanoes, tectonic movement, glaciers, rain, snow, wind, vegetation, animals, and people all shape the landscape at different scales of time and space. Of particular interest in the region is the form and processes of rivers, a branch of the science termed fluvial geomorphology. Rivers are extremely important to the people, plants, and animals in the Pacific Northwest, providing water for ecosystems and transporting sometimes large amounts of sediment downstream.
To understand how rivers move and change over time, the USGS is studying river hydraulics, sediment transport in rivers from the mountains to the ocean, the role of large wood in influencing river shape, impacts on the aquatic ecology and fish in rivers, and how river flooding worsens or improves over time.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Sumas River Sediment Load
Elwha River Sediment Monitoring
Sauk River Sediment
White River Bioenergetics
Cedar River Peak Flow Management
Mount Rainier Fluvial Geomorphology and River Sedimentation
- Overview
Geomorphology is the study of the formation and evolution of landforms on Earth's surface. In the Pacific Northwest, volcanoes, tectonic movement, glaciers, rain, snow, wind, vegetation, animals, and people all shape the landscape at different scales of time and space. Of particular interest in the region is the form and processes of rivers, a branch of the science termed fluvial geomorphology. Rivers are extremely important to the people, plants, and animals in the Pacific Northwest, providing water for ecosystems and transporting sometimes large amounts of sediment downstream.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Geomorphology & Sediment Transport(Public domain.) To understand how rivers move and change over time, the USGS is studying river hydraulics, sediment transport in rivers from the mountains to the ocean, the role of large wood in influencing river shape, impacts on the aquatic ecology and fish in rivers, and how river flooding worsens or improves over time.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Sumas River Sediment Load
The Issue: A large, clay-rich active landslide on the western flank of Sumas Mountain in Whatcom County, Washington, is a significant source of sediment to Swift Creek and the salmon-bearing Sumas River. The landslide contains naturally occurring serpentinite that weathers to chrysotile asbestos and elevated levels of metals. The asbestos load in water as well as deposits along the banks and flood...Elwha River Sediment Monitoring
The Issue: The Elwha River Restoration Project is the largest single restoration action planned for the Puget Sound region in the foreseeable future and is a high priority for the Puget Sound Partnership. Beginning in 2011, two large dams on the Elwha River in Clallam County, Washington, will be removed by the National Park Service over about two and a half years. During removal, sediment...Sauk River Sediment
Fine-grained sediments in the lower reach of the Sauk River are adversely affecting the health and spawning of Chinook salmon. Climate change and forestry practices have been proposed as suspected causes of a reported increase in sediment loading to the river. To determine the amount and timing of suspended-sediment loading to the river and possible connections to adverse effects on Chinook salmon...White River Bioenergetics
The White River Basin is located in western Washington and drains an area of about 500 square miles. Rivers in the White River Basin are fed by melt water from glaciers on Mt. Rainier, runoff from snowmelt and rain, and groundwater discharge. Beginning in the early to mid-twentieth century, the White River from river mile (RM) 9 to its confluence with the Puyallup River was extensively channelized...Cedar River Peak Flow Management
The Cedar River watershed provides two-thirds of the water supply for the greater Seattle metropolitan region, in addition to being home to numerous federally listed salmon species. The City of Seattle, through Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), works closely with the Cedar River Instream Flow Commission (IFC) to adaptively manage flows on the Cedar River. Seattle operates its water management...Mount Rainier Fluvial Geomorphology and River Sedimentation
To provide information for management efforts to reduce flooding and improve aquatic habitat in the Lower Puyallup River Basin (Puyallup, Carbon and White Rivers), Pierce County and other stakeholders are looking for river-system management options that consider the system's flood-carrying capacity and trends in sedimentation. To assist, the USGS is building a computerized hydraulic model of the... - Publications
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