Investigation of the Spatial Patterns of Velocity and Bed Morphology Within Actively Evolving Neck Cutoffs on a Highly Sinuous River

Meander bend cutoffs and oxbow lakes are essential and ubiquitous features of meandering river floodplains. Yet, the processes involved in the evolution of an elongated bend to neck cutoff and oxbow lake are incompletely understood. Five neck cutoffs occurring on the White River, Arkansas, with two types of planform geometries, and one elongate meander loop prior to cutoff were examined for this study. Three-dimensional velocities were obtained using an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), and high-resolution channel bathymetry was collected using multi-beam echo sounder (MBES). Results show similar patterns of acceleration of velocity with nearly 180 degree redirection of the flow through the cutoff, strong advection of high momentum toward the far bank, and multiple zones of flow separation and recirculation. This pattern of velocity leads to increased bank erosion rates on the downstream bank opposite of the cutoff, bar formation downstream of the cutoff along the adjacent banks, and relatively deep scour pools located within the region of flow acceleration immediately downstream of the cutoff. Analysis of high-resolution channel bathymetry show a wide range in bedform morphology, the presence of amalgamating unit bars, and a lack of sediment accumulation within the entrance and exit to the abandoned meander loops. The findings from this investigation reveal that the evolution of these neck cutoffs do not conform to current conceptual models of meander cutoff and oxbow lake formation, suggesting that cutoff location, planform geometry, and length of channel removed are important factors in determining planform evolution and the hydrologic connectivity of the abandoned bend to the active channel.