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Flow dynamics and suspended sediment properties in arid zone flash floods
Author(s) -
Reid I.,
Frostick L. E.
Publication year - 1987
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.3360010303
Subject(s) - flash flood , hydrology (agriculture) , surface runoff , hyperconcentrated flow , siltation , geology , infiltration (hvac) , ponding , escarpment , hydrograph , sediment , streams , sediment transport , rill , environmental science , ephemeral key , beach morphodynamics , flood myth , drainage , geomorphology , bed load , geotechnical engineering , ecology , computer network , philosophy , thermodynamics , theology , algorithm , computer science , biology , physics
Hydrological process in arid zones differs substantially from that in better documented humid environments. The ponding point for infiltration is reached within 10 mins of first rain and overland flow forms the major component of basin runoff. Drainage densities are high, approaching 100 km.km −2 , maximising the opportunity for both water and eroded soil to reach the channel network. The typical flood bore is not as abrupt as the mythology of desert streams would suggest. Nevertheless, the time of rise of the flood hydrograph is usually between 4 and 16 mins, giving credance to the notion of ‘flash flood’. Measured flows remain subcritical in the main, though Froude number exceeds unity for short periods around peak discharge. Flow is exceedingly turbulent, with Reynolds number > 10 5 even for much of the recession limb. As a result, suspended sediment concentrations by size grade are shown to be hydraulically controlled. However, the high degree of turbulence and wide availability of sediment from hillslope and channel sources also means that the mean size of the suspended load varies systematically with flow parameters. In this respect, ephemeral streams differ from perennial counterparts in humid environments where no clear‐cut relationships exist. There is greater prospect of deriving a physically deterministic model of suspended sediment transport in desert streams. Implications for soil erosion and reservoir siltation are discussed, and sediment is traced from its source to its various sinks within the drainage basin.