Decadal changes in distribution and frequency of wood in a free meandering river, the Ain River, France

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
This study examined the temporal dynamics and longitudinal distribution of wood over a multi-decadal timescale at the river reach scale (36 km) and a meander bend scale (300-600 m) in the Ain River, a large gravel-bed river flowing through a forested corridor, and adjusting to regulation and floodplain land-use change. At the reach scale they estimate wood production to the river from the riparian forest by bank erosion over a six-decade time period, and describe the distribution (longitudinal and cross-sectional) and abundance of wood over a ten-year period. At the sub-reach scale, they describe the change in wood distribution and mass over a ten-year period. The increase in wood since 1950 is a response to floodplain afforestation, to a change from braided to meandering channel pattern in response to regulation, and to recent large floods. The results, and the link between sinuosity and wood frequency, establish geomorphology as a dominant wood storage and recruitment control in large gravel-bed rivers.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2008, vol. 33, n°. 7, p. 1098-1112, nombre de pages : 15, Références bibliographiques : 38 ref.

Date :
2008

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