On the dynamics of river meanders - linking theory, models and data analysis
Abstract
Meandering rivers are one of the most widely studied natural systems on earth, though knowledge on the actual dynamics is still somehow limited by the paucity of suitable methodologies able to exploit the increasing availability of geospatial data. This work introduces a novel, fully automated analytical tool for extracting morphodynamic information of meandering rivers from multispectral satellite images, based on an innovative method to analyze evolutionary patterns from multitemporal data series, such as Landsat data. The proposed methodology allows to link remotely sensed data to the morphodynamic theories developed so far to investigate planform development of river meanders and mutual interactions between river bars and channel curvature by means of a bend scale analysis of meander dynamics. Specifically, we provide novel approaches to separate individual meander bends and to compute their planform development, local migration rates of channel centerlines and instream evolution of sediment bars. We propose the first systematic linkage between morphodynamic theories and observations by introducing reach averaged, bend scale statistical dynamics and we apply such methodology to a number of natural evolving meandering reaches, through multitemporal image series. A novel approach for monitoring the evolution of bedforms and the interaction between steady and migrating bars in river meanders is applied and evidence of migrating bars suppression is reported.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFMEP53G..06M
- Keywords:
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- 1824 Geomorphology: general;
- HYDROLOGYDE: 1825 Geomorphology: fluvial;
- HYDROLOGYDE: 1856 River channels;
- HYDROLOGYDE: 1862 Sediment transport;
- HYDROLOGY