Block ramps for stream power attenuation in gravel-bed streams: a review

Application of block ramp technique in steep gradient streams for energy dissipation as well as to maintain river stability finds increasing favor amongst researchers and practitioners in river engineering. This paper dwells on a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of flow resistance, energy dissipation,flow characteristics, stability, and drag force on block ramp by various investigators in the past. The forms and equations for each type are thoroughly discussed with the objective of finding the grey areas and gaps. While, more research is warranted further to improve the equations, essential for design analysis. Block ramps can be a promising simple technique to achieve reasonable attenuation of devastating fluvial forces unleashed in gravel-bed streams during cloud bursts.

Reach-averaged flow resistance in gravel-bed streams

Previous studies about flow resistance in gravel-bed streams mostly use the log-law form and establish the relationship between the friction factor and the relative flow depth based on field data. However, most established relations do not perform very well when applied to shallow water zones with relatively large roughness. In order to clarify the hydraulic variables defined in the single cross-section, and find the reasons that reflect the instability of flow and uneven boundaries of the river, the concepts of hydraulic variables, such as hydraulic radius, are re-defined in the river reach in the paper. The form drag in the river reach is solved based on a reach-averaged flow resistance model which is developed by force balance analyzing of the water body in the given river reach. The reach-averaged form drag relation is then formulated by incorporating the Einstein flow parameter and a newly derived roughness parameter defined in the river reach. A large number of field data (12 datasets, 780 field measurements) is applied to calibrate and validate the form drag relation. The relation is found to give better agreement with the field data in predicting flow velocity in comparison with existing flow resistance equations. A unique feature of the reach-averaged resistance relation is that it can apply to both deep and shallow water zones, which can be treated as a bridge to link the flow hydraulics in plain rivers and mountain streams.

Pier Scour Prediction in Non-Uniform Gravel Beds

Pier scour has been extensively studied in laboratory experiments. However, scour depth relationships based on data at the laboratory scale often yield unacceptable results when extended to field conditions. In this study, non-uniform gravel bed laboratory and field datasets with gravel of median size ranging from 2.7 to 14.25 mm were considered to predict the maximum equilibrium scour depth at cylindrical piers. Specifically, a total of 217 datasets were collected: 132 from literature sources and 85 in this study using new experiments at the laboratory scale, which constitute a novel contribution provided by this paper. From the analysis of data, it was observed that Melville and Coleman’s equation performs well in the case of laboratory datasets, while it tends to overestimate field measurements. Guo’s and Kim et al.’s relationships showed good agreements only for laboratory datasets with finer non-uniform sediments: deviations in predicting the maximum scour depth with non-uniform gravel beds were found to be significantly greater than those for non-uniform sand and fine gravel beds. Consequently, new K-factors for the Melville and Coleman’s equation were proposed in this study for non-uniform gravel-bed streams using a curve-fitting method. The results revealed good agreements between observations and predictions, where this might be an attractive advancement in overcoming scale effects. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify the most sensitive K-factors.

Rapid and objective characterization of channel morphology in a small, forested stream

Forested, gravel bed streams possess complex channel morphologies which are difficult to objectively characterise. The spatial scale necessary to adequately capture variability in these streams is often unclear, as channels are governed by irregularly spaced features and episodic processes. This issue is compounded by the high cost and time-consuming nature of field surveys in this type of environment. In larger stream systems, remotely piloted aircraft (RPAs) have proven to be effective tools for characterizing channels at high resolutions over large spatial extents, but to date their use in small, forested streams with closed forest canopies has been limited. This paper seeks to demonstrate an objective method for characterizing channel attributes over large areas, using easily extractable data from RPA imagery collected under the forest canopy in a small (width = 10 to 15 m) stream, and to provide information on the spatial scale necessary to capture the dominant spatial morphological variability of these channels. First, the accuracy and coverage of RPAs for extracting channel data was investigated through a sub-canopy survey. From this survey data, relevant cross-sectional variables were extracted and used to characterize channel unit morphology using a principal component analysis-clustering (PCA-clustering) technique. Finally, the length scale required to capture dominant morphological variability was investigated from analysis of morphological diversity along nearly 3 km of channel. The results demonstrate that sub-canopy RPA surveys provide a viable alternative to traditional survey approaches for characterizing these systems, with 87 % coverage of the main channel stream bed. The PCA-clustering analysis provided a more objective means of classifying channel morphology with a correct classification rate of 85 %. Analysis of morphological diversity suggests that reaches of at least 15 bankfull width equivalents are required to capture the channel's dominant heterogeneity. Altogether, the results provide a precedent for using RPAs to characterize the morphology and diversity of forested streams under dense canopies.

Impact of Unsteady Flow Events on Bedload Transport: A Review of Laboratory Experiments

Recent advances in understanding bedload transport under unsteady flow conditions are presented, with a particular emphasis on laboratory experiments. The contribution of laboratory studies to the explanation of key processes of sediment transport observed in alluvial rivers, ephemeral streams, and river reaches below a dam is demonstrated, primarily focusing on bedload transport in gravel-bed streams. The state of current knowledge on the impact of flow properties (unsteady flow hydrograph shape and duration, flood cycles) and sediment attributes (bed structure, sediment availability, bed composition) on bedload are discussed, along with unsteady flow dynamics of the water-sediment system. Experiments published in recent years are summarized, the main findings are presented, and future directions of research are suggested.