Bed shear stress is a fundamental variable in river studies to link flow conditions to sediment transport. This study compares shear stress estimated from the log profile, drag, Reynolds and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) approaches in a laboratory
flume in a simple boundary layer over plexiglas and sand, and in a complex flow field. In a simple boundary layer, the Reynolds shear stress seems the most appropriate method. In a complex flow field around deflectors, the TKE method provided the best