Modeling for Width Adjustment in Alluvial Rivers
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 129, Issue 5
Abstract
The width adjustment models in current use for application to alluvial rivers are based on the extremal hypotheses. In these models, the increase in slope required to sustain higher-sediment concentration is provided by aggradation of the river bed. An alternative approach was presented by the writer (Chitale 2001) which showed that on a long-term basis, the increase in slope required for higher-sediment concentration is accompanied by a reduction of the meander sinuosity associated with a bigger width-to-depth ratio. In width adjustment, aggradation is thus a transient phenomenon of temporary duration until the final stable width is achieved. The physical sequence of the adjustment process according to this hypothesis is presented and supporting evidence is given. It is also concluded that the predictive models for stable width on a long-term basis need necessarily to include the meander sinuosity as an essential parameter.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Task Committee in Hydraulics, Bank Mechanics and Modelling of River Width Adjustment (1998). “River width adjustment. Processes and mechanism. River width adjustment II: Modelling.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 124(9), 881–917.
Chitale, S. V. (1977). “Sympathetic changes in river regime.” Paper 8032, Prose Institute of Civil Engineers, London, Part 2, 63, 613–623.
Chitale S. V. (2001). “Long term adjustment in river morphology” National Conf. on Hydraulics and Water Resources—HYDRO 2001, Dec. C W P R S, Pune, India.
Griffith, W. M.(1939). “A theory of silt transportation.” Trans. Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 104(2052), 1733–1748.
Laursen, E. M.(1968). “Scour at bridge crossings.” Trans. Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 127(3294), 166–209.
Nakato, T.(1990). “Tests of selected sediment transport formulas.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 116(3), 362–379.
Parker, G.(1976). “On the cause and characteristics scales of meandering and braiding in rivers.” J. Fluid Mech., 76(3), 457–480.
Shen, H. W., Mellema, W. J., and Harrison, A. S.(1978). “Temperature and Missouri river stages near Omaha.” J. Hydraul. Div., Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 104(1), 1–20.
Schumm, S. S.(1969). “River metamorphosis.” J. Hydraul. Div., Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 96(I), 2255–2273.
Straub, L. G. (1935). “Missouri river report.” House Doc 238, App XV, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 73, U.S. Congress Session, 2nd Session, 1156.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 13, 2001
Accepted: Nov 6, 2002
Published online: Apr 15, 2003
Published in print: May 2003
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.