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Modeling response of water temperature to channelization in a coastal river network
Author(s) -
Miller Robert L.
Publication year - 2021
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.3756
Subject(s) - channelized , dredging , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , flood myth , swamp , cumulative effects , forcing (mathematics) , water quality , climatology , oceanography , ecology , geology , geography , telecommunications , geotechnical engineering , archaeology , computer science , biology
This study investigates the role of channelization works on water temperatures in the Vermilion River network located in coastal Louisiana, USA. A physically based one‐dimensional (1D) approach is taken for hydrodynamics and heat exchange in the Vermilion River as an initial step toward understanding the cumulative effects of flood control on riverine water quality and aquatic population dynamics. The model performs acceptably well against available measurements for stage (root mean square deviation [RMSD] = 0.27 m, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency [NSE] = 0.69—mean) and water temperature (RMSD = 1.6°C, NSE = 0.91—mean) for the purposes of scenario evaluation. Alternative forcing scenarios are developed to assess thermal impact sensitivities to dredge‐type channelization under various atmospheric and headwater boundary conditions. The results suggest that river dredging enhances daily temperature fluctuations in the adjacent swamp while reducing thermal variation in the river. Temperature variation and cumulative effects are also analyzed during critical biological periods at daily time scales as increased temperature fluctuation may increase thermal stress, while net cooling (cumulative temperature reduction) may affect reproduction and growth rates of riverine fish populations. The findings are relevant in the management, protection, and restoration of coastal riverine ecosystems and future modeling of the cumulative ecological effect of river channelization measures.