Oxbow lakes as indicators of river channel change : Leaf River, Mississippi, USA

The physical geography of medium-sized rivers, focusing on the Southeastern and South-Central United States. Part II

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
This study uses oxbow lakes to ascertain the extent and nature of change in a river's form, focusing on the effects of post-1950s floodplain gravel extraction on the geomorphology of the Leaf River in southeastern Mississippi, USA. Data from 12 cross-sections suggests that the present-day river is 35% wider and 12% shallower than the cross-sectional geometry in cutoffs that pre-date 1955. Field measurements reveal that the Leaf River was relatively stable from at least 1911 to the early 1940s, but has since undergone an average of 2.65 m of degradation in the study reach. Survey data from a nearby USGS stream gage show that degradation began abruptly in the mid 1970s, most likely as a result of in-stream mining and pit avulsions on a major tributary that deprived downstream areas of bed load and created profile adjustments.


Type de document :
Article de monographie

Source :
Physical geography, issn : 0272-3646, 2011, vol. 32, n°. 6, p. 497-511, nombre de pages : 15, Références bibliographiques : 29 ref.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Abingdon, Taylor and Francis