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The influence of bank strength on channel geometry: an integrated analysis of some observations
Author(s) -
Huang He Qing,
Nanson Gerald C.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9837(199810)23:10<865::aid-esp903>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - channel (broadcasting) , geometry , geology , multivariate statistics , vegetation (pathology) , sediment , basis (linear algebra) , streams , hydrology (agriculture) , range (aeronautics) , geomorphology , geotechnical engineering , mathematics , statistics , engineering , computer science , telecommunications , medicine , computer network , pathology , aerospace engineering
Bank strength exerts a significant influence on river channel geometry, but quantification of this relationship has been limited to only a few specific circumstances. This is due to both the complex nature of bank strength and the difficulty in incorporating its influence in river channel geometry relations. In order to undertake an integrated analysis of wide‐ranging field observations, this study applies a recently developed multivariate model of channel geometry. When the banks of a number of laterally stable streams are categorized on the basis of the bank sediment and vegetation, the multivariate model yields numerical indices of bank strength. Within the range of the data analysed, bank strength can produce a three‐fold change in channel width and a two‐fold change in depth corresponding to about a 1·6‐fold change in cross‐sectional area. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.