The Influence Of Channel Deposits On Stream Form And Processes

In small streams of the mid-Atlantic United States, new floodplains frequently evolve from gravelly bank adjacent bars. Riparian vegetation has a dramatic influence on the dimensions of these features, thereby controlling the geometry of stream channels and the rates of processes that occur within them. New floodplains appear within stream channels along the convex bank of stream bends as a result of a surplus of coarse sediment in the stream network. Such a surplus is likely to arise as a result of land use changes upstream, and can have a strong impact on the sediment yield of a small watershed. The first portion of the book presents a conceptual model for new floodplain development within low-order stream channels. Using field evidence for validation, the model demonstrates how these features may evolve from bank-adjacent bars. Later in the book, further evidence illustrates how vegetation characteristics can affect the size and accretion rates of these new deposits. The book concludes with a study about how these factors may contribute to long-term rates of sediment production from small urbanizing watersheds.