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Hydro-Geomorphological Understanding and Modeling

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 23259

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christophe Cudennec

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Agrocampus Ouest, France
Interests: hydro-geomorphology; hydro-climatology; Anthropocene; change; flexible modelling; comparative hydrology; water-food-energy nexus

Dr. Alban De Lavenne

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

SMHI, Sweden
Interests: hydro-geomorphology; model calibration; regionalization; comparative hydrology; streamflow naturalization; sediment transport; large scale modelling; data visualisation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A geomorphology-based understanding of hydrology has always been a useful approach for understanding the levels of the hillslope, headwater catchment, and mesoscale/large basin. Conversely, the appreciation of geomorphological features and dynamics based on hydrology is also a major naturalistic trend. Hydro-geomorphological modelling approaches have been further proposed since the end of the twentieth century, thanks to the development of digital mapping, DEMs, and hydroinformatics. A new generation of geomorphology-based hydrological approaches is emerging. This Special Issue aims to gather actual conceptual and practical developments in order to picture the state-of-the-art. Articles addressing the following topics are especially welcome:

Relations between structures and functions, and related complexity (scaling, emergence, non-linearities, etc.);
The hydrology–geomorphology–climate nexus;
Hydro-geomorphology, a driver of hydro-ecology, hydro-chemistry, and sediment dynamics in the critical zone;
The value of new geomorphometric and hydrological sensors and databases;
The assimilation of geomorphological and hydrological knowledge to characterize temporal and spatial trends and patterns, systems, changes, and extreme events;
The use of new data and methods for restrospective and prospective analysis of river system gemorphology;
Robust and flexible hydrological modelling based on observable geomorphology;
The impact of anthropogenic structures, shapes, and dynamics (including in urban environments);
Comparative approaches.

Prof. Dr. Christophe Cudennec
Dr. Alban de Lavenne
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Hydrology
Geomorphology
Water quality
Critical zone
Metrics
Scales
Modeling
Assimilation
Structure
Complex system
Change
Anthropocene

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 11552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparing the Hydrological Response of Forested Headwaters (Unregulated and Regulated with Check Dams) under Mediterranean Semi-Arid Conditions

by Giuseppe Bombino, Pedro Pérez-Cutillas, Daniela D’Agostino, Pietro Denisi, Antonino Labate, Alberto Martínez-Salvador, Demetrio Antonio Zema, Santo Marcello Zimbone and Carmelo Conesa-García

Water 2021, 13(9), 1275; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13091275 - 30 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2533

Abstract

This study has evaluated the runoff and erosion rates in torrents of Southern Italy, two forested headwaters with very similar climatic, hydrological and geomorphological characteristics; in one headwater, 15 check dams were installed in the mid-1950s, while the other is not regulated with engineering works. To this aim, the hydrological variables have been modeled over 15 years after check dam installation using the HEC-HMS (Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System) model coupled to the MUSLE (Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation) equation. The model simulations have shown that check dams have not played a significant role in reducing the surface runoff compared to the unregulated torrent; in both catchments, the well-developed forest cover determined very low runoff coefficients (lower than 0.3%) with a scarce runoff generation capacity. Additionally, the reduction in peak flow due to the check dams was not significant, on average −7.4% compared to the unregulated headwater. Check dams have retained sediments for about 8–10 years after their installation, reducing erosion by about 35%, although soil loss was much lower than the tolerance limit in both catchments. After the sediment retention capacity of the dam sediment wedge was depleted, the sediment yield in the regulated torrent was even higher (by about 20%) compared to the unregulated catchment. Overall, the study has shown that the use of check dams as a catchment management strategy of forested headwaters under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions should be considered with caution, since the structures could be ineffective to reduce water and sediment flows during floods or, in some cases, check dams may increase erosion rates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydro-Geomorphological Understanding and Modeling)

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15 pages, 2850 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geomorphologic Analysis of Small River Basin within the Framework of Fractal Tree

by Meiyan Feng, Kwansue Jung and Joo-Cheol Kim

Water 2020, 12(9), 2480; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12092480 - 4 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2474

Abstract

This paper presents the modified framework of geomorphologic analysis based on the concept of fractal tree. Especially, it is intended to provide hydrologic practitioners with the information on the fractal property of small river basins. To this end, the complete drainage path network is applied to a growth process of a fractal tree for the basin of interest by connecting a channel network to overland drainage pathways. The growth process of a fractal tree would occur only within the limited region possessing channel flow properties in a natural river basin. The exponent of the intra basin type of Hack’s law could show a variable trend in small river basins mainly due to anisotropic property of the catchment planform. The bifurcation process of a drainage path network might be more sensitive to the growth step of the fractal tree than the meandering process of drainage path segment. The fractal dimension from the sinuosity of a channel segment is relatively stable compared to the one from the bifurcation process of the network, so that the geomorphologic features of a small river basin can be characterized by the anisotropic property of catchment planform as well as the bifurcation property of drainage path network with the growth of the fractal tree. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydro-Geomorphological Understanding and Modeling)

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18 pages, 987 KiB

Open AccessArticle

River Channel Forms in Relation to Bank Steepness: A Theoretical Investigation Using a Variational Analytical Method

by Jinsheng Fan, Heqing Huang, Guoan Yu and Teng Su

Water 2020, 12(5), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051250 - 28 Apr 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3018

Abstract

Riverbanks vary considerably in anti-scourability and consequently take various profiles. By using an isosceles trapezoid as the generalized form of river channel cross-sections and then incorporating the effects of bank angle into the variational analytical approach developed by Huang and Nanson (2000), this study presents a detailed theoretical investigation of the self-adjustment of alluvial channel forms. It is demonstrated that when alluvial channel flow achieves stable equilibrium, a significant decrease in riverbank steepness leads to a slight decrease in maximum sediment (bedload) discharge, and yet results in a significant increase in optimal channel width and a considerable decrease in optimal channel depth. The hydraulic geometry relations, theoretically derived for bank steepness to vary across a wide range, show that among the multivariant controls, the roles of bed sediment size, channel roughness, flow discharge and sediment (bedload) discharge are independent of bank steepness. While the effects of bank steepness illustrated in the theoretically derived hydraulic geometry relations are highly consistent with the results of threshold theory and previous empirical studies, limitations on using bank angle to reflect the anti-scourability of natural riverbanks are also highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydro-Geomorphological Understanding and Modeling)

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24 pages, 4903 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Channel Network Type on the Unit Hydrograph

by Kelsey Czyzyk, Dario Mirossi, Almoatasem Abdoulhak, Sediqa Hassani, Jeffrey D. Niemann and Jorge Gironás

Water 2020, 12(3), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12030669 - 1 Mar 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4433

Abstract

Unit hydrographs (UHs) remain widely used in hydrologic modeling to predict the stormflow that is produced at a basin outlet in response to runoff generated throughout the basin. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a basin’s UH depends on its geomorphic properties, and several methods estimate synthetic UHs using such properties. However, previous studies have not examined whether the channel network type (such as dendritic, parallel, pinnate, rectangular, and trellis) impacts the UH shape. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) whether those five network types exhibit distinct UHs, and (2) whether knowledge of the network type is sufficient to replace the actual flow path structure in UH estimation. To achieve these objectives, a UH framework is developed based on kinematic wave theory. The framework allows the impacts of the network structure on the UH to be isolated into two random variables, which facilitates comparisons between network types. The framework is applied to 10 basins of each type. The results show that the five network types exhibit distinct instantaneous UHs, but the type allows accurate UH determination only for pinnate basins. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydro-Geomorphological Understanding and Modeling)

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17 pages, 9699 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Hydrograph Shape Affected by Flow-Direction Assumptions in Rainfall-Runoff Models

by Pin-Chun Huang

Water 2020, 12(2), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020452 - 8 Feb 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5478

Abstract

Different approaches for flow-direction determination have been continuously proposed to perform a more realistic simulation of surface runoff, yet the diversity of the existing methods causes significant differences in the extractions of geomorphic parameters as well as the results of rainfall-runoff simulations. In this study, the three most widely used flow-direction methods were separately applied in hydrological models to thoroughly investigate their effects on the simulation output. The results show that the drainage area is a significant factor that affects not only the flow-collecting ability but also the time to peak discharge; however, the definition and calculation of the drainage area become different when the consideration of multiple flow directions is involved in a terrain analysis. This study adopted two area indexes, flow concentration area and flow dispersion area, to understand their consequences in the aspects of the flow volume of simulated hydrograph and the delay of time to peak discharge. The multiple-flow-direction methods show the later time to flow peak and less amount of outflow volume in comparison with the single flow-direction method. By merely extracting two area indexes, a transformation approach is suggested to predict hydrograph shape and to quantify the extent of hydrograph deviations induced by using different flow-direction methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydro-Geomorphological Understanding and Modeling)

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18 pages, 7015 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dam Operation for Mitigating Ice Jam Flooding Risks under the Adjustment of River Channel-Forms: Implications from an Evaluation in the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia Reach of the Upper Yellow River, China

by Teng Su, Heqing Huang, Yuanyuan Zhou and Guoan Yu

Water 2019, 11(6), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11061136 - 30 May 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3256

Abstract

Dam operation has been widely deployed to mitigate the risks of ice jam flooding, but it may result in a decrease in the discharging capacities of downstream river channels. The Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach of the Huanghe River (Yellow River) has historically suffered numerous disasters caused by ice jam flooding, and three large dams have been jointly operated to mitigate such risks since 1968. Whilst the resultant significant increases in both the annual runoff and mean water temperature during the ice jam flooding seasons helped to shorten the freezing-up duration and reduce the thickness of the ice cover, a significant channel shrinkage occurred in the reach when the dam operation took place under the input of a relatively larger amount of sediment from the upstream. In the new flow regime that commenced in 2008, a detailed examination of the river channel-form adjustments and the resultant changes to the discharging capacities identified a slight increase in the discharging capacity of the channel along the entire study reach. This was mainly due to a significantly smaller amount of sediment load being carried by a slightly increased annual runoff. Whilst it was demonstrated that the dam operation was still an effective means for mitigating the risk of ice jam flooding in the Ningxia-Inner Mongolia reach under the new flow regime, care needs to be taken when the favorable flow-sediment condition changes. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the dam operation appeared to vary significantly at the channel sections of different planforms; thus, more detailed studies are required. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydro-Geomorphological Understanding and Modeling)

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