Stream power

About: Stream power is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1135 publications have been published within this topic receiving 51324 citations.

Investigating transport capacity equations in sediment yield modelling for the Cariri semi-arid region of Paraiba-PB/Brazil

Abstract: In the semi arid Cariri region of the state of Paraiba, Brazil, runoff is of the Hortonian type generated by excess of rainfall over infiltration capacity, and soil erosion is governed by rainfall intensity and sediment size However, the governing sediment transport mechanism is not well understood Sediment transport generally depends on the load of sediment provided by soil erosion and on the transport capacity of the flow The latter is mainly governed by mechanisms such as water shear stress, or stream power Accordingly, the load of sediment transported by the flow may vary depending on the mechanism involved in the equation of estimation Investigation of the sediment transport capacity of the flow via a distributed physically-based model is an important and necessary task, but quite rare in semi-arid climates, and particularly in the Cariri region of the state of Paraiba/Brazil In this study, the equations of Yalin, Engelund & Hansen, Laursen, DuBoys and Bagnold have been coupled with the MOSEE distributed physically based model aiming at identifying the mechanisms leading to the best model simulations when compared with data observed at various basin scales and land uses in the study region The results obtained with the investigated methods were quite similar and satisfactory suggesting the feasibility of the mechanisms involved, but the observed values were better represented with Bagnold’s equation, which is physically grounded on the stream power, and we recommend it for simulations of similar climate, runoff generation mechanisms and sediment characteristics as in the study region

The Sediment Production and Transportation in a Mountainous Reservoir Watershed, Southern Taiwan

Abstract: This study examined differences in landslide sediment production and sediment transportation abilities of reservoir watersheds in different geological environments after extreme rainfall. The watershed in this study covered an area of 109 km2; the upstream river banks of the reservoir contained interbedded shale and faulted shale and had a sandstone dip slope. This paper uses a LiDAR-derived DTM taken in 2005 and 2010 to investigate the landslide sediment production and riverbed erosion and deposition in the watershed. This study also applied the conservation of mass concept to analyze the sediment outflux in the subwatersheds. The research results indicated that although the right bank, which had interbedded shale and a sandstone dip slope, had a substantially greater number of landslides, the sediment production of it was less than that of the left bank, which had numerous deep-seated landslides caused by fault zones. However, affected by the higher sediment production of the left bank and under the same stream power, the left bank subwatersheds also had higher sediment outflux.

Drainage Reversals Due to Tectonic Uplift: an Investigation through Modeling

Abstract: In mountainous landscapes throughout the world bedrock dominated river channels record a history of the tectonic and climatic evolution of the drainage basins that contain them. In traditional analysis of river profiles, uplift and erosion are considered to be in balance in a steady state. In this study the transient state of a drainage basin is explored and numerically modeled, where a Gaussian shaped pulse of tectonic uplift overwhelms the river’s incision and forces a diversion of the drainage network. I review the derivation of and use the detachment limited stream power equation to execute a model to find the physical condition that produce these dramatic drainage response. The Eel River and the unique tectonics of the nearby Mendocino Triple Junction, a well-researched case study in this phenomenon, provide context and parameters. The results of my models suggest that a rapid increase in uplift and a low erosion factor are the two most important conditions for a diversion response.