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Streambed Disturbance over a Long Flood Series
Author(s) -
Haschenburger J. K.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
river research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.679
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1535-1467
pISSN - 1535-1459
DOI - 10.1002/rra.3134
Subject(s) - disturbance (geology) , bed load , flooding (psychology) , hydrology (agriculture) , flood myth , channel (broadcasting) , sediment , sediment transport , environmental science , streams , geology , geomorphology , geography , geotechnical engineering , psychology , computer network , archaeology , engineering , computer science , electrical engineering , psychotherapist
Flooding and channel characteristics control the occurrence, spatial extent, and depth of streambed disturbance. This research quantifies the frequency and depth of streambed disturbance in a small, coastal salmon‐spawning stream resulting from 249 floods. Bed disturbance was documented by monitoring the three‐dimensional positions of gravel tracers and producing cellular maps within a geographic information system (GIS). The most active areas make up about 1% of the streambed. Undisturbed areas constitute between 31 and 53% of the bed. Maximum disturbance depths exceed 20 cm in more than half of the active bed. Logistic regression equations based on two bed characteristics correctly describe disturbance frequency and depth over most of the bed. Results provide insight into the active zone of bedload transport, correspond with expectations of partial sediment transport, and document potential refugia that persist over many life cycles of the stream community. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.