GM5.2

Rivers on semiarid landscapes typically are characterised by sandy geomorphic units and riverbanks, a natural factor that enhances lateral mobility. Vegetation cover is a crucial factor on lateral instability due to its impact on riverbank and geomorphic units erosion resistance. Nevertheless, riparian vegetation on intermittent and ephemeral channels show growing patterns directly affect by the flow temporality, that controls the water availability. Extended dry intervals hinder the succession ecological on geomorphic units, like bars and islands, and riverbanks and retard the growing process. This work analysed the effects of hydrological changes, caused by one water transfer project, on the bio-geomorphological patterns on riverbanks of a main intermittent river of Brazilian Drylands. Flow data series was used to understand the hydrological pattern changes; Google Earth images and UAV surveys to analyse the vegetation and riverbank behaviour from 2008 to 2020.  Lastly, the identification of riverbank material resistance was based on sedimentology analysis.  The water transfer Project PISF (Projeto de Integração do São Francisco), operating since 2017 March, increase the average flow days from 137,5 to 260/300 days and decreasing the continuous dry period from 200 to 30/45 days. The impact on average annual discharge was slightest, whereas the average water transfer volume was 3m³/s. It is essential to highlight the short period of data posterior to the water transfer and the non-regulatiry of water volume transferred; what limits the temporal representativity of the results. There were different types, and level of impacts depending on the river reach characteristics. However, in general, the longer flow permanence increases riparian vegetation density, vertical incision, and lateral stability. Riparian vegetation cover increase, from 20% to 100% on the 9 reaches analysed, across the entire channel, including bedrock reaches, with riverbanks having some rock outcrops percentage. The main changes were on sand bed reaches, that used to have, before 2017, a dynamic braiding pattern, without a clear main incised channel and thalweg shifting. Afterwards, the flow permanence, due to the water transfer project, enabled herbaceous stratus temporal continuity, contributing to surface stability and progressive bushes/trees cover growing. Lastly, the increase in lateral stability, mainly on thalweg position, facilitates the vertical incision on the sand bed reaches, representing 85% of this channel. As a secondary impact, there were necessary, to the road network, built floodway crossings at several points, which changes the channel morphology and the (dis)connectivity process. It can generate distinct channel position and morphology changes causing water and sediment retention upstream and erosion downstream. Lastly, there were slight differences in textural characteristics on riverbanks and geomorphic units, with a rise in fine sediment on the most vegetated areas/units. This analysis reveals that a fast response of riparian vegetation and sand bed reaches morphology, affecting the bio-geomorphological process and all environmental dynamic. It points to fundamental elements which need monitoring after hydrological changes, especially to intermittent and ephemeral rivers.

How to cite: Santos, C., Dantas Martins, L., Sousa da Cruz, K., and Otaviano Praça de Souza, J.: Riparian Vegetation Dynamic and River Stability on Intermittent Rivers: Impact of Water Transfer Project on Tropical Drylands, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-13485, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-13485, 2021.

Intermittent and ephemeral rivers, prevalent in dryland areas, have less monitoring data than perennial rivers worldwide. It hinders studies about hydro-geomorphology dynamics on these streams, which is especially complex in rain-fed flow regime on tropical rivers. Irregular rain patterns characterise the tropical drylands, which reverberate in the hydro-geomorphological dynamic. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) survey is an efficient and cheap technic to monitor these streams since the dry periods expose the riverbed surface. This research aimed to analyse the hydro-geomorphology dynamic on sandy bed reaches of an intermittent tropical river. Five UAV surveys were realised on eight sandy reaches, from headwater to the outlet, between 2020 January 7 and December 9 in the Tigre River – Brazilian Drylands –, a 30Km ephemeral/intermittent. The UAV photos from all the surveys were co-aligned to create matching DEMs. We compared the DEMs to identify channel morphology changes, calculating differences in the riverbed and riverbank. The DEMs comparison enabled to calculate the erosion and sedimentation volume to each reach. Simultaneously, we installed crest stages gauges to monitor the peak water level between the surveys. Lastly, we used five rain gauges to identify the necessary rain volume that generates flow events. The 2020 annual rain volume was close to the historical average, between 530mm and 700mm, on the pediments, up to 1000mm on highland headwaters. The average potential evapotranspiration is around 1400-1800mm/year, due to the tropical climate. There was an average of 3.4 extreme rainfall daily events (over 50mm/day) during the year and the rainest period was between March 15 to 26^th when rained from 134mm to 376mm around the watershed. The surveys between January 18 and March 8 identified insignificant morphology changes on eight reaches. The peak water levels were between no flow to 0.49m; only the outlet reach showed slight erosion and water level reaching 1.1m. The rain events between March 15/26^th generate the water level annual peaks at all the reaches, from 1.9m to 5.4m (outlet reach). Seven reaches increased the vertical incision around 20/30cm to 80cm, and localised pools were eroded to up 1.7m deep. The outlet part exhibit around 30 to 40cm of sedimentation even with a water level peak of 5.4m. This unusual response could be caused by backwater effect from the Espinho River flood, which Tigre River is a tributary, that trapped sediment in the Tigre River. These results highlight how dynamic intermittent/ephemeral tropical rivers and showed how low-cost UAV High-Resolution DEMs and stage crests are workable and efficient techniques to monitor ungauged intermittent/ephemeral rivers. Simultaneously, narrow the surveys timespan (Covid-19 pandemic hindered most of the monthly planned surveys) is essential to identify which flow events caused erosion and sedimentation and which rain events trigger flow events.  

Keywords: Sand-bed rivers; UAV HR-DEMs; Brazilian Drylands; Water Level Stage Crest, riverbed erosion

How to cite: Souza, J., Alexandre, F., and Monteiro, G.: River bed dynamic monitoring on ephemeral/intermittent rivers – sand-bed  response on topical drylands, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-14337, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14337, 2021.

Physics-based models have been increasingly developed in recent years and applied to simulate the braiding process and evolution of channel units in braided rivers. Braided rivers are the river network system characterized by the staggered distribution of bars and channels. In the numerical calculation, the grid scale affects the behavior process and morphological description of braided rivers. In this paper, a 2D numerical model is used to simulate the evolution of the braided rivers where the transport of load bed sediment plays a dominant role. In the natural scale braided rivers evolution modeling, the difference of the braided rivers' morphological characteristics under different grid scales is discussed, and the influence of different distribution of topographic disturbance caused by grid scale difference on the morphological characteristics of braided rivers is discussed. The study shows that the grid scale does not affect the description of braided rivers evolution process, and braided rivers evolve in the same way regardless of grid scale (within a reasonable range). However, the statistical characteristics of braided rivers are greatly affected by the grid scale. The braiding index increases as the grid scale decreases, but when the grid scale decreases to a certain extent (20m in this paper), the braiding index no longer increases. The number and average height of bars in braided rivers increase with the decrease of grid scale, and the average area of bar near riverbed also increases with the decrease of grid scale, but the average area of bar near water surface does not change with the change of grid scale. In general, the higher the grid resolution is, the more similar the bar morphology in the numerical model is to that in natural rivers. In addition, the different distribution of topographic disturbance caused by the grid scale difference has an influence on the braiding intensity and the bar morphology of the braided rivers, but the influence degree is much smaller than that caused by the grid scale difference.

How to cite: Wang, C. and Hu, P.: Effects of grid scale and resulting initial bed disturbance differences on the evolution of braided rivers, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-7033, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7033, 2021.

Fujiangsha waterway is located in the tidal reach of Yangtze River, which is one of the key sections for channel regulation. The channel condition of the waterway is governed by the evolution of the channel bar and point bar. Groins are consequently set on both sides of the channel bar and the left edge of Fujiangsha island. To explore the impact of the regulation works on the evolution of bars and channels, a numerical research is carried out based on a depth-integrated hydro-sediment-morphodynamic model, using the method of nesting large-scale model with local model. The non-negligible impact on the quality and momentum of water flow caused by enormous sediment transport and drastic change of topography, as well as the complex flow condition in both tide and runoff working together, has been taken into account. The simulation successfully reproduces the hydrological process and changes of topography in Fujiangsha waterway. Results show that: 1) there is a silting trend at the head of the channel bar, and the effect of the regulation works in bar protection and sand stabilization is remarkable; 2) The erosion on both sides of the channel bar improves the channel condition, and the hydrodynamic performance of shallow area at the entrance of the south branch has been enhanced; 3) The control on the evolution of point bar is still weak, which will have an adverse effect on channel condition of north branch.

How to cite: Sun, M., Hu, P., and Li, Y.: Numerical Research of Fujiangsha Waterway Based on a Depth-integrated Hydro-sediment-morphodynamic Model, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-8168, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-8168, 2021.

Taking the width/depth ratio of an alluvial channel as an independent variable, a variational analysis of basic flow relationships shows that flow is able to achieve stationary equilibrium by adjusting channel geometry when the condition of maximum flow efficiency (MFE) is satisfied. To examine if this theory of self-adjusting channel morphodynamics can be practically applied to large river systems heavily loaded with sediment, this study examines the degree of correspondence between theoretically determined equilibrium channel geometries and actual measurements along the lower Yellow River. Using the Meyer-Peter and Müller bedload relation modified on the basis of MFE theory and relations of flow continuity and resistance we present a detailed investigation of the potential physical causes and main factors resulting in the correspondence. 

How to cite: Huang, H. Q., Zhang, M., Su, T., and Yu, G.: Application of equilibrium theory on alluvial channel-form adjustment in a large river heavily loaded with sediment, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-12234, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-12234, 2021.

Incised valleys or steep slopes in tectonic active mountain areas are normally in a critical equilibrium state which is highly fragile and prone to deviate under exotic disturbances (e.g., earthquake, heavy precipitation, or even human activities), inducing mass movements (e.g., landslides, avalanche, and/or debris flows). Mass movements have great impacts on fluvial processes and may even reshape valley morphology, hence are powerful drivers to river evolution in those environments. Unfortunately, compared to the mass movements themselves (e.g., occurrence time, volume, dynamics and underlying mechanisms), less attention has been paid to the fluvial processes (in a short/intermediate-term) and the long-term evolution of river morphology corresponding to (and after) those mass movements (especially catastrophic ones). This motivates the current work.

The southeast Tibet, located on the east Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is one of the most active regions globally in terms of tectonic motion and rates of uplift. Rivers in the lower Yalung Tsangpo basin in this area are investigated to understand the morphodynamics influenced by modern and historical mass movements and examine the feedbacks of fluvial processes to mass movements. River reaches influenced by typical mass movements were chosen for detailed field surveys, including: (1) the upper part of the Yalung Tsangpo Grand Canyon which has been seriously impacted by avalanches and debris flows from tributary gullies originating at glacial mountains of Namcha Barwa and Gyala Peri; (2) the lower reach of the Yigong River covering the Yigong Landslide from the Zhamunong Gully; (3) the lower reach of the Palong River influenced by debris flows from Guxiang and Tianmo gullies; and (4)  the upper and middle reaches of the Palong River (extending roughly from Ranwu Lake to the upstream of Guxiang Lake) influenced by glacial processes and other induced mass movements since the last glacial maximum. Remote sensing images before and after the large-scale mass movements in recent decades were also used to track the corresponding river morphology variation.

Due to very high transport rate and volume of sediment incoming, mass movements have caused dramatic channel processes in east Tibet. Some even dammed the river, forming knickpoints and reshaping valley morphology. The morphology of the valleys in this area normally show alternating sections of gorges and wide valleys, with a staircase-like longitudinal profile. The gorge sections exhibit single and deeply incised channels with a high-gradient channel bed and terraces. In contrast, the wide valley sections consist of lakes, braided or anabranching channels, gentle bed gradients, and thick alluvial deposits. In recent decades, mass movements (mostly debris flows), occurred more frequently through gullies in the reaches of gorge sections than through gullies along the wide valley sections. Mass movements deviate river morphology and slope from (quasi-)equilibrium to non-equilibrium state, however, with attendant rapid sediment incoming, valley bottom siltation and erosion benchmark rising, it triggers a negative feedback which drives the river morphology to a new round of development towards equilibrium.

How to cite: Yu, G.-A., Huang, H. Q., and Hou, W.: River morphology evolution driven by mass movements in tectonic active regions – A negative feedback response of transient landscape, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-10910, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10910, 2021.

Active incision of bedrock rivers exerts a vital control on landscape evolution in upland areas. Previous research found that bedrock rivers were typically steeper and sometimes narrower than alluvial rivers. However, most of the literature on partially-exposed bedrock rivers has employed small samples mostly from mountainous regions, so their geomorphological properties remain poorly understood. In contrast with the existing literature, a large-sample analysis of bedrock river channel properties would allow the controls on bedrock river width and slope to be unpicked and reveal whether or not the existing literature is biased towards pristine, mountainous bedrock rivers. Overall, such an analysis could improve the reliability of upland landscape evolution models.

Here we present an analysis of 1,924 river sites from the EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment to assess the geomorphological differences between bedrock and alluvial rivers. The influences of lithology and uplift on bedrock channel properties are examined using external datasets. We find bedrock rivers to be significantly steeper and wider than alluvial rivers. Sedimentary bedrock rivers were seen to be significantly wider than igneous/ metamorphic bedrock rivers, consistent with findings from Ferguson et al. (2017). We estimated shear stress and critical shear stress for each river site and assessed correlation with bedrock exposure. We found that exposed bedrock could not always be explained by local sediment transport exceeding local sediment supply, indicating that bedrock exposure may be controlled by other factors in some bedrock rivers. Currently, uplift data are being compiled for further analysis.

How to cite: Buckley, J., Hodge, R., and Slater, L.: Compiling and Analysing Bedrock River Data Across the USA to Unpick Bedrock River Geomorphology, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-9137, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-9137, 2021.

How to cite: Chen, H. and Byun, J.: Effects of lithology on bedrock channel occurrence: an examination from the Seogang River in South Korea, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-6784, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-6784, 2021.

The world’s largest meteorite impact crater, the Vredefort Dome, has been the subject of extensive studies relating to its age, geology and geomorphology. However, there are no studies pertaining to the rate at which the rocks in the crater remnant are eroding, which can provide insight into the development of the landform over time. This study used the cosmogenic nuclides ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al, extracted from purified quartz samples, to investigate erosion rates along the Vaal River as it traverses the impact crater. The Vaal River flows in mixed bedrock-alluvial terrain through the dome, crossing two different bedrock lithologies. The river is multi-channelled (anabranching) atop the granitoids exposed in the core of the dome, then downstream flows as a single channel through a narrow canyon cut into the quartzites that form the rim of the dome. We collected 14 samples from the two rock types to assess lithologic controls on erosion rate and determine landscape erosion history. Results from the analysis of both isotopes were in close agreement; here, we report outcrop erosion rates based on the ¹⁰Be. The average ¹⁰Be-determined erosion rates (± 1 SD) along the active river channel for the quartzite (n = 4) and granitoid (n = 6) regions are 1.90 ± 0.12 and 2.19 ± 0.14 m/Ma respectively.  Additional samples from older, now elevated (>5 m) strath terraces developed atop quartzite (n = 4) indicate slightly lower average apparent erosion rates of 1.65 (± 0.09) m/Ma.  The data demonstrate that the erosion rates along the active river channel are similar between the two lithologies despite differences in rock hardness.  The resistant, slowing eroding quartzites serve as the local base level for the river upstream, promoting the development of anabranching, which disperses bedrock erosion over a wider area of the crater. We infer that both bedrock hardness and channel characteristics are important controls on erosion rates along the river.  Collectively, the dataset further illustrates the low bedrock erosion rates that prevail across large areas of the southern African interior.

How to cite: Khosa, R., Tooth, S., Kramers, J., Mbele, V., Corbett, L., and Bierman, P.: Quantifying the erosion of the world’s largest impact crater using cosmogenic nuclides: the Vredefort Dome, South Africa., EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-14546, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14546, 2021.

Quaternary megafloods (10⁶ m³/s) sourced from valley blocking glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau have long been implicated in the evolution of Yarlung-Tsangpo Gorge on the Yarlung-Siang River. However, past estimates of megaflood erosion in this region have relied on back of the envelope estimates of peak discharge and shear stress. This makes it difficult to fully understand how megafloods shape the landscape. Here, we use 2D numerical simulations of megaflood hydraulics over 3D topography to examine the legacy of these massive floods on this confined, sinuous mountain river. First, to assess erosional potential in the Gorge, we calculate flood power and compare it to measurements of annual stream power. We find that the simulated megaflood produces peak flood power up to three orders of magnitude higher than the stream power of the annual river. Compared to stream power, flood power in the Gorge is disproportionately higher than it is downstream of the Gorge. Additionally, in the Gorge, a larger proportion of the inundated valley experiences high flood power and shear stress for long periods of time (5-10 hrs) compared to the valley downstream of the Gorge. These results support previous hypotheses that megafloods can erode more material (both alluvium and bedrock) than the annual monsoon—potentially enough to “reset” the mountain valley by removing most of the sediment and fractured bedrock in the system. However, we hypothesize that this erosional effect is felt primarily in the Gorge region. In contrast to the erosive power in the Gorge, there is an order of magnitude decrease in average peak flood power downstream of the Gorge. We hypothesize that megafloods are predominantly depositional in this downstream domain. Here, we observe few locations that experience sustained (>5 hrs) high (>10 kPa) shear stress and those locations are often isolated and vary through time. At locations that do experience these higher shear stresses, megafloods could move and deposit large (>3 m) boulders, which subsequent annual flows or smaller historical outburst floods would be incapable of moving. These large boulders could then armor the bed and prevent erosion, which could have lasting consequences for the modern river. Most of the shear stress and flood power of the simulated megaflood outside of the modern channel boundaries are much lower, capable of moving gravel to sand sized sediment at most. This is particularly true where we observe significant amounts (>10 km) of megaflood backflow up tributaries. Instead of resetting the system, we predict our megaflood will overwhelm this downstream flood domain with the deposition of coarse- and fine-grained sediment. For the Yarlung-Siang River to incise into the bedrock in a post-megaflood landscape, it must first make its way through these megaflood deposits. Together, our results suggest that the legacy of a megaflood in the region is both erosional and depositional. We predict wide-spread megaflood erosion in the Gorge, potentially enough to reset the system, but would expect exceptional deposition downstream of it, possibly enough to overwhelm this downstream domain.

How to cite: Morey, S., Huntington, K., Montgomery, D., Turzewski, M., and Mangipudi, M.: Do megafloods reset mountain valleys?, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-14033, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-14033, 2021.

River canyons are transient geomorphic systems shaped by river incision into bedrock and coupled by instability of the adjacent valley walls. Investigating the evolution of river canyons is typically challenging due to the geologic time scales involved. In this context, the Marecchia River, which hosts in its intermediate portion a 6-km canyon, developed since the early 1950’s following intense gravel mining, may be instructive. Indeed, this setting offers the opportunity to: (i) document canyon development through highly erodible pelitic rocks; and (ii) evaluate relevant upstream and downstream effects on fluvial morphodynamics. To these ends, we subdivide the 50-km stretch of the Marecchia River main stem into 22 homogeneous reaches and evaluate decadal geomorphic changes through analysis of LiDAR-derived digital elevation models (i.e., 2009 and 2019) in conjunction with planimetric changes of active channel width delineated on orthophoto-mosaics (i.e., 2009, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019). The estimation of patterns and rates of fluvial erosion into bedrock and its geomorphic effects are essential for understanding landscape evolution and for applying sustainable sediment management plans.

In terms of volumetric changes, the entire river stretch recorded a decadal degradation of 2,516,150 m³ (57%) and 1,884,700 m³ of aggradation (43%), with a corresponding net volume loss of -631,450 m³. Highest specific volumes of aggradation were observed in a homogeneous reach located in the lower part of the study segment (0.5 m³/m²), while highest values of degradation were observed in the upper reach of the canyon (-2.3 m³/m²). During the 2009-2019 period, knickpoint headward migration within the canyon has progressed for approximately 500 m, producing an average bedrock incision of about 10 m. As documented by area and volume changes, both rates of fluvial incision and canyon widening, as modulated by landslide activity and valley wall collapses, are highest in proximity of the main knickpoint and tend to decrease progressively downstream. By March 2019, when the second LiDAR survey was conducted, the main knickpoint had reached the foundations of a major check dam, which eventually collapsed two months later. Upstream of the canyon, channel reaches displayed narrowing dynamics with an alternation of degradation and aggradation processes. In terms of total volumetric changes, these reaches presented an indirect correlation with confinement, with the most confined reaches acting as sediment transfer zones. In contrast, the segment downstream of the canyon displayed widening dynamics (+ 11 m on average) together with an increase of aggradation processes. Due to the pelitic nature of the hosting bedrock, despite the high geomorphic change observed, most of the material supplied by the canyon walls gets transported in suspension, contributing very little to the estimated budget of the Marecchia River's distalmost reaches. In this way, we argue that most part of the aggradation observed in this segment was originated upstream, bypassing the canyon.

How to cite: Llena, M., Simonelli, T., and Brardinoni, F.: Decadal sediment dynamics of a perturbed fluvial system: the case of the man-made Marecchia River canyon, Northern Apennines, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-5815, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-5815, 2021.

Fluvial bedrock incision is driven by the impact of moving bedload particles. Mechanistic, sediment-flux-dependent incision models have been proposed, but the stream power incision model (SPIM) is frequently used to model landscape evolution over large spatial and temporal scales. This disconnect between the mechanistic understanding of fluvial bedrock incision on the process scale, and the way it is modelled on long time scales presents one of the current challenges in quantitative geomorphology. Here, a mechanistic model of fluvial bedrock incision that is rooted in current process understanding is explicitly upscaled to long time scales by integrating over the distribution of discharge. The model predicts a channel long profile form equivalent to the one yielded by the SPIM, but explicitly resolves the effects of channel width, cross-sectional shape, bedrock erodibility and discharge variability. The channel long profile chiefly depends on the mechanics of bedload transport, rather than bedrock incision. In addition to the imposed boundary conditions specifying the upstream supply of water and sediment, and the incision rate, the model includes four free parameters, describing the at-a-station hydraulic geometry of channel width, the dependence of bedload transport capacity on channel width, the threshold discharge of bedload motion, and reach-scale cover dynamics. For certain parameter combinations, no solutions exist. However, by adjusting the free parameters, one or several solutions can usually be found. The controls on and the feedbacks between the free parameters have so far been little studied, but may exert important controls on bedrock channel morphology and dynamics.

How to cite: Turowski, J.: Upscaling sediment-flux-dependent fluvial bedrock incision to long timescales, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-10291, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10291, 2021.