Persistence of the surface texture of a gravel-bed river during a large flood

Auteurs :
CLAYTON, J.A.
PITLICK, J.

Description :
The goal of this paper is to clarify conditions under which the surface layer of a gravel-bed river may persist during large floods. Detailed field measurements of channel topography and bed surface grain size were made in a gravel-bed reach of the Colorado River prior to a flood in 2003. Runoff produced during the 2003 snowmelt was far above average, resulting in a sustained period of high flow with a peak discharge; all available grain sizes within the study reach were mobilized in this period of time. During the 2003 peak flow, the river avulsed immediately upstream of the sudy reach. The abandonment was rapid, leaving the bed texture essentially frozen in place.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2008, vol. 33, n°. 5, p. 661-673, nombre de pages : 13, Collation : Illustration, Références bibliographiques : 51 ref.

Date :
2008

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley