Geomorphic analysis of river systems: an approach to reading the landscape

1 Geomorphic analysis of river systems: an approach to reading the landscape

1 How is geomorphology useful? ; Geomorphic analysis of river systems: our approach to reading the landscape

2 Key concepts in river geomorphology ; Spatial considerations in reading the landscape ; Catchment linkages and (dis)connectivity ; Conceptualisation of time ; Differentiating behaviour from change ; Disturbance events ; Magnitude-frequency relationships in river systems ; River sensitivity and resilience ; Catchment-specifi c analysis of river systems: combining spatial and temporal concepts

3 Catchment-scale controls on river geomorphology ; Introduction: what is a catchment? ; Process zones in catchments: sediment source, transfer and accumulation zones ; Longitudinal profiles of rivers ; Geomorphic transitions along river longitudinal profiles ; Catchment morphometrics as controls on river character and behaviour ; Geologic controls on drainage network form, and river character and behaviour ; The influence of catchment confi guration upon flow and sediment flux

4 Catchment hydrology ; Introduction: what is hydrology? ; The hydrological cycle ; Operation of the hydrological cycle ; Runoff generation ; Groundwater flows ; Catchment-scale runoff and discharge generation models ; Channel initiation ; Gully and channel formation ; Flow regimes of perennial, intermittent and ephemeral rivers ; Discharge and the magnitude/frequency of flow in river systems ; Flood stages and hydrographs ; Analysis of hydrograph shape ; Discharge measurement ; Flow frequency ; Flow variability

5 Impelling and resisting forces in river systems ; Impelling and resisting forces and Lane's balance of erosion and deposition in channels ; Mechanics of fluid flow ; Impelling forces in river channels ; Resisting forces in channels ; Vegetation and wood as resistance elements in river systems ; Manning's n as a unifying roughness parameter ; The balance of impelling and resisting forces along longitudinal profiles

6 Sediment movement and deposition in river systems ; Grain size (sediment calibre) and definitions of bedload, mixed load and suspended load in rivers ; Phases of sediment movement along rivers: the Hjulstrom diagram ; Entrainment of sediment in river channels ; Transport of sediment in river channels ; Material properties that affect sediment movement in river systems ; Deposition in river systems ; Interpreting sediment sequences as a tool to read the landscape.

7 Channel geometry ; Bed and bank processes that infl uence channel shape ; Channel shape: putting the bed and banks together ; Hydraulic geometry and adjustments to channel morphology

8 Instream geomorphic units ; Categories of geomorphic units and measures used to identify them in the field ; Process-form associations of instream geomorphic units ; Unit and compound instream geomorphic units ; Forced instream geomorphic units ; The continuum of instream geomorphic units and transformations in type

9 Floodplain forms and processes ; Floodplain formation processes ; Floodplain reworking processes ; Floodplain geomorphic units ; The energy spectrum of floodplain types

10 River diversity ; Framing rivers as assemblages of cross-scalar features ; Defining reach boundaries ; The continuum of river form ; The spectrum of river diversity ; Discriminating among river types ; The River Styles framework ; Tips for reading the landscape to interpret river diversity

11 River behaviour ; River behaviour versus river change ; Dimensions of river adjustment ; Natural capacity for adjustment of differing river types ; Controls on the natural capacity for adjustment of different river types ; Interpreting the behavioural regime of different river types by reading the landscape ; Examples of behavioural regimes for differing types of rivers ; Analysis of river behaviour using the river evolution diagram ; Predicting river responses to altered flux boundary conditions ; Tips for reading the landscape to interpret river behaviour

12 River evolution ; Timescales of river adjustment ; Pathways and rates of river evolution ; Geologic controls upon river evolution ; Climatic influences on river evolution ; Landscape memory: imprint of past geologic and climatic conditions upon contemporary river processes, forms and evolutionary trajectory ; River responses to altered boundary conditions ; Linking river evolution to the natural capacity for adjustment: adding river change to the river evolution diagram ; Reading the landscape to interpret river evolution ; Tips for reading the landscape to interpret river evolution

13 Human impacts on river systems ; Historical overview of human impacts upon river systems ; Direct and indirect forms of human disturbance to rivers ; Conceptualising river responses to human disturbance: adding human disturbance to the river evolution diagram ; Assessing geomorphic river condition and recovery potential ; Tips for reading the landscape to interpret human impacts on river systems

14 Sediment flux at the catchment scale: source-to-sink relationships ; Conceptualising sediment flux through catchments ; Techniques used to construct a sediment budget ; Controls upon sediment flux ; Analysis of sediment flux across various scales ; Tips for reading the landscape to interpret catchment-scale sediment flux

15 The usefulness of river geomorphology: reading the landscape in practice ; Respect diversity ; Understand system dynamics and evolution ; Know your catchment.