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Observations on the movement of coarse gravel using implanted motion‐sensing radio transmitters
Author(s) -
McNamara James P,
Borden Carter
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.1453
Subject(s) - hydrograph , geology , motion (physics) , transmitter , exponential function , geodesy , remote sensing , computer science , mathematics , channel (broadcasting) , telecommunications , geography , archaeology , mathematical analysis , artificial intelligence , flood myth
Motion‐sensing radio transmitters were implanted in cobbles (72–92 mm diameter) and placed in a stream in south‐west Idaho for 43 days during a snowmelt period. The radios transmit different pulse rates depending on whether the rocks are at rest or in motion. Every 30 s, a datalogger samples the receiver and records the pulse rate of the transmitters. Such information can be used to assess numerous properties of particle transport that are beyond the capabilities of conventional tracking methods. Conclusions include: (i) rocks are more likely to move on rising hydrograph limbs than on falling hydrograph limbs; (ii) the average Shields' parameter is 0·046; (iii) rocks move only a fraction of the time between initial and final motion during an event; (iv) the distributions of motion and rest periods are best modeled by gamma functions rather than exponential, but the distributions approach exponential as the tails are trimmed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.