Downstream Hydraulic Geometry of Clay-Dominated Cohesive Bed Rivers
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 8
Abstract
Empirical downstream hydraulic geometry equations for consolidated clay-dominated cohesive bed (nonalluvial) natural streams are presented using data from six rivers in eastern Ontario, Canada and four rivers from other regions. The width exponent (0.57) was comparable to the exponents reported for previous studies; however, the depth exponent (0.52) was greater for clay-dominated cohesive bed than for typical alluvial gravel-bed and sand-bed rivers. The width to depth ratio of smaller channels was greater for consolidated clay bed than for either sand-bed or gravel-bed channels. This study suggests that the concept of hydraulic geometry and bankfull (channel forming) discharge can be extended to nonalluvial consolidated clay-bed channels.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Annable, W. K. (1996a). Morphologic relationships of rural watercourses in southern Ontario and selected field methods in fluvial geomorphology, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Toronto, 92.
Annable, W. K. (1996b). Database of morphological characteristics of watercourses in Southern Ontario, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ont., 212.
Chaplin, J. J. (2005). “Development of regional curves relating bankfull-channel geometry and discharge to drainage area for streams in Pennsylvania and selected areas of Maryland.” USGS Scientific Investigations Rep. 2005-5147, USGS, Reston, Va., 34.
Chase, K. J. (2004). “Channel-morphology data for the Tongue River and selected tributaries.” Open File Rep. 1260, USGS, Reston, Va., 79.
Church, M. (1992). “Channel morphology and typology.” The rivers handbook, Vol. 1, Blackwell Science, Oxford, 126–143.
Cinotto, P. J. (2003). “Development of regional curves of bankfull-channel geometry and discharge for streams in the non-urban, Piedmont Physiographic Province, Pennsylvania and Maryland.” Water-Resources Investigations Rep. 03-4014, USGS, University Park, Pa., 27.
Ebisa Fola, M. (2007). “Downstream hydraulic geometry of clay-dominated cohesive bed stream channels.” M.A.Sc. thesis, Univ. of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Elliot, J. G., and Cartier, K. D. (1986). “Hydraulic geometry and stream flow of channels in the Piceance Basin, Rio Blanco and Garfield Counties, Colorado.” Water Resources Investigation Rep. 85-4118, USGS, Lakewood, Colo., 28.
Ellis, E. R., and Church, M. (2005). “Hydraulic geometry of secondary channels of lower Fraser River British Columbia, from acoustic Doppler profiling.” Water Resour. Res., 41, 1–15.
Gaskin, S. J., Pieterse, J., Al Shafie, A., and Lepage, S. (2003). “Erosion of undisturbed clay samples from the banks of the St. Lawrence River.” Can. J. Civ. Eng., 30, 585–595.
Helmio, T. (2004). “Hydraulic geometry of cohesive lowland rivers.” Boreal Environment Research, 9(3), 243–251.
Hey, R. D., and Thorne, C. R. (1986). “Stable channels with mobile gravel-beds.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 112(8), 671–689.
Kellerhals, R., Neill, C. R. and Bray, D. I. (1972). “Hydraulic and geomorphic characteristics of rivers in Alberta.” Rep. 72-1, Research Council of Alberta, River Engineering and Surface Hydrology, 52.
Knighton, D. (1998). “Fluvial forms and processes: A new perspective.” Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group, London, Wiley, New York, 383.
Lane, E. W. (1937). “Stable channels in erodible material.” Trans. Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 102, 123–142.
Lawlor, S. M. (2004). “Determination of channel-morphology characteristics, bankfull discharge, and various design-peak discharge in Western Montana.” Scientific Investigation Rep. 2004-5263, U.S. Dept. of Interior and U.S. Geological Survey, Montana, 19.
Leopold, L. B. and Maddock, T. (1953). “The hydraulic geometry and some physiographic implications.” Professional paper no. 252, USGS, Washington, 56.
McCandless, T. L. (2003). “Maryland stream survey: Bankfull discharge and channel characteristics of streams in the Allegheny plateau and the valley and ridge hydrologic regions.” Rep. CBFO-S03-01, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Maryland, 33.
McCandless, T. L. and Everett, R. A. (2002). “Maryland stream survey: Bankfull discharge and channel characteristics of streams in the Piedmont Hydrologic Region.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: CBFO-S02-01, Maryland, 40.
McRostie, G. C., Morissette, L., and St-Louis, M. W. (1996). “Bottom-heave control of a deep sensitive clay excavation in Ottawa, Canada.” Can. Geotech. J., 33, 926–936.
Montgomery, D. R., and Gran, K. B. (2001). “Downstream variations in the width of bedrock channels.” Water Resour. Res., 37(6), 1841–1846.
Mulvihill, C. I., Ernst, A. G., and Baldigo, B. P. (2005). “Regionalized equations for bankfull discharge and channel characteristics of streams in New York State: Hydrologic Region 6 in the Southern Tier of New York.” Scientific Investigations Rep. 2005-5100, USGS, New York, 14.
Schumm, S. A., (1960). “The shape of alluvial channels in relation to sediment type.” Professional paper no. 352-B, USGS, Washington, 17–30.
Simons, D. B., and Albertson, M. L. (1963). “Uniform water conveyance channels in alluvial material.” Trans. Am. Soc. Civ. Eng., 128, 65–167.
Wohl, E., and David, G. C. L. (2008). “Consistency of scaling relations among bedrock and alluvial channels.” J. Geophys. Res., 113, F04013.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Mar 24, 2009
Accepted: Dec 23, 2009
Published online: Jan 5, 2010
Published in print: Aug 2010
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.