Topic
River engineering
About: River engineering is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 435 publications have been published within this topic receiving 10286 citations. The topic is also known as: Channelisation.
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01 Sep 1992
TL;DR: In this article, changes in Mississippi River bed material gradations between Cairo, IL, and head of Passes, LA, between 1932 and 1989 were determined, and the 1989 bed contained less coarse sand and gravel and less very fine sand than the 1932 lied.
Abstract: : Changes in Mississippi River bed material gradations between Cairo, IL, and head of Passes, LA, between 1932 and 1989 were determined. In September 1989, bed material samples were collected from the thalweg of the river along the 955-mile reach. In all, 504 samples were collected at 417 locations. Results were compared to a similar sampling program conducted in 1932. In general, the 1989 bed contained less coarse sand and gravel and less very fine sand than the 1932 lied. Upstream of the Old River Structure near river mile 300 the bed was generally finer in 1989 than in 1932. Downstream from river mile 300 the median grain size was about the same, but the distribution was more uniform, with less very fine sand.
28 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive monitoring program focusing on bedload transport behavior was conducted at a large gravel-bed river, where a bedload basket sampler was used to perform 55 cross-sectional measurements, covering the entire water discharge spectrum from a 200-year flood event in 2013 to a rare low flow event.
Abstract: A comprehensive monitoring program focusing on bedload transport behaviour was conducted at a large gravel-bed river. Innovative monitoring strategies were developed during five years of preconstruction observations accompanying a restoration project. A bedload basket sampler was used to perform 55 cross-sectional measurements, which cover the entire water discharge spectrum from a 200-year flood event in 2013 to a rare low flow event. The monitoring activities provide essential knowledge regarding bedload transport processes in large rivers. We have identified the initiation of motion under low flow conditions and a decrease in the rate of bedload discharge with increasing water discharge around bankfull conditions. Bedload flux strongly increases again during high flood events when the entire inundation area is flooded. No bedload hysteresis was observed. The effective discharge for bedload transport was determined to be near mean flow conditions, which is therefore at a lower flow discharge than expected. A numerical sediment transport model was able to reproduce the measured sediment transport patterns. The unique dataset enables the characterisation of bedload transport patterns in a large and regulated gravel-bed river, evaluation of modern river engineering measures on the Danube, and, as a pilot project has recently been under construction, is able to address ongoing river bed incision, unsatisfying ecological conditions for the adjacent national park and insufficient water depths for inland navigation.
28 citations
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: Floodplain forests are linear forest systems, occupying the lower areas of river catchments as discussed by the authors, and their boundaries correspond with the areas disturbed by river flooding and they generally have shallow water tables.
Abstract: Floodplain forests are linear forest systems, occupying the lower areas of river catchments. Their boundaries correspond with the areas disturbed by river flooding and they generally have shallow water tables. The ecology of floodplain forests is closely linked to the dynamic physical processes associated with flooding. The regeneration of floodplain forest species is particularly dependent on periodic floods and sediment deposition. River engineering practices and wholesale clearance of natural floodplain forests for agriculture or forestry have made them very rare in Europe, with about 10 % of the original amount remaining, mostly in the larger river systems of Eastern Europe. There are new opportunities for restoration of floodplain forests provided by some areas of European legislation such as the European Habitats Directive, Water Framework Directive and Floods Directive and by a new interest in soft engineering approaches to flood management. However, many constraints remain, often related to competing economic incentives for the use of floodplain land.
28 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the degradation of the bed of the river Rhine between Iffezheim and the German-Dutch border with degradation rates varying between 5 and 50 mm year 1.
28 citations
TL;DR: The Afon Trannon, a gravel-bed river in mid-Wales with a catchment area of 72 km2, has recently been the subject of an engineering flood protection scheme as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Afon Trannon, a gravel-bed river in mid-Wales with a catchment area of 72 km2, has recently been the subject of an engineering flood protection scheme. Following the enlargement and grading of the channel, lateral instability has produced considerable problems of maintenance. Geomorphological investigations are described which attempt to pinpoint the lessons of the scheme. Historical studies of floodplain sediments and channel change indicate firstly, an initially rather stable channel, but secondly a considerable, early history of channelization which may still have repercussions for system stability. This early channelization has now been modified in the recent scheme. Contemporary field study by survey and sediment tracing using the magnetic technique indicates the present instability of the sediments in a meandering channel given a trapezoidal cross-section and varied banks. Low-flow adjustments are as important as flood adjustments in the lower, straightened reach. Lessons for engineering schemes include the desirability of assessing erosion risk by rapid, cheap field techniques and historical investigations, and the consideration of more ecologically acceptable channel designs.
27 citations