Downstream patterns of riverbed scour and fill

Progress has been made in describing riverbed scour and fill at a given stream section. One needs only the data routinely collected at a stream-gaging station to observe scour and fill at that station. However, similar progress has not been made to determine whether or not the scour and fill observed at a given section extends over a relatively long reach of the channel. Gaging stations are generally located too far apart to draw any conclusions as to scour processes between stations. It remains necessary then to establish a sufficient number of cross sections along a channel to describe the downstream pattern of riverbed scour.