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Automated analysis of lateral river connectivity and fish stranding risks. Part 2: Juvenile Chinook salmon stranding at a river rehabilitation site
Author(s) -
Larrieu Kenneth G.,
Pasternack Gregory B.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ecohydrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.982
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1936-0592
pISSN - 1936-0584
DOI - 10.1002/eco.2303
Subject(s) - chinook wind , context (archaeology) , environmental science , channel (broadcasting) , habitat , fish <actinopterygii> , hydrology (agriculture) , large woody debris , dam removal , streamflow , fishery , geography , geology , ecology , drainage basin , oncorhynchus , cartography , computer science , sediment , archaeology , geomorphology , computer network , geotechnical engineering , riparian zone , biology
The dynamics of fish stranding have not been academically investigated within the context of physical adjustments to rivers for habitat enhancement purposes. River projects may aim to help fish populations but instead may function as attractive nuisances reducing populations because of unaccounted‐for stranding risk. This study applies a novel algorithm to predict spatially explicit, meter‐resolution fish stranding risk at a river rehabilitation site in California to address three scientific questions. Postproject disconnected wetted area predictions were validated against water surface elevation measurements and time lapse photography of flow reductions and stranding events. A comparison of preproject, final design, and postproject topographies revealed that the occurrence and severity of stranding events is highly sensitive to side‐channel topographic structure and postproject morphodynamic change. Even with moderate flows, side‐channel exits tend to close off by bars built across them via bedload transport. Implications for river management practices and river rehabilitation project design are discussed.