The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology
The majority of the world's floodplains are dammed. Although some implications of dams for riverine ecology and for river channel morphology are well understood, there is less research on the impacts of dams on floodplain geomorphology. We review studies from dammed and undammed rivers and incl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2014-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/309673 |
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| author | Philip M. Marren James R. Grove J. Angus Webb Michael J. Stewardson |
| author_facet | Philip M. Marren James R. Grove J. Angus Webb Michael J. Stewardson |
| author_sort | Philip M. Marren |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The majority of the world's floodplains are dammed. Although some implications of dams for riverine ecology and for river channel morphology are well understood, there is less research on the impacts of dams on floodplain geomorphology. We review studies from dammed and undammed rivers and include influences on vertical and lateral accretion, meander migration and cutoff formation, avulsion, and interactions with floodplain vegetation. The results are synthesized into a conceptual model of the effects of dams on the major geomorphic influences on floodplain development. This model is used to assess the likely consequences of eight dam and flow regulation scenarios for floodplain geomorphology. Sediment starvation downstream of dams has perhaps the greatest potential to impact on floodplain development. Such effects will persist further downstream where tributary sediment inputs are relatively low and there is minimal buffering by alluvial sediment stores. We can identify several ways in which floodplains might potentially be affected by dams, with varying degrees of confidence, including a distinction between passive impacts (floodplain disconnection) and active impacts (changes in geomorphological processes and functioning). These active processes are likely to have more serious implications for floodplain function and emphasize both the need for future research and the need for an “environmental sediment regime” to operate alongside environmental flows. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-254fea887c0b4bd9818350b87d539a39 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2356-6140 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-254fea887c0b4bd9818350b87d539a392025-02-03T01:12:21ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal2356-61401537-744X2014-01-01201410.1155/2014/309673309673The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain GeomorphologyPhilip M. Marren0James R. Grove1J. Angus Webb2Michael J. Stewardson3Department of Resource Management and Geography, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, AustraliaDepartment of Resource Management and Geography, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, AustraliaDepartment of Resource Management and Geography, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, AustraliaeWater Cooperative Research Centre, AustraliaThe majority of the world's floodplains are dammed. Although some implications of dams for riverine ecology and for river channel morphology are well understood, there is less research on the impacts of dams on floodplain geomorphology. We review studies from dammed and undammed rivers and include influences on vertical and lateral accretion, meander migration and cutoff formation, avulsion, and interactions with floodplain vegetation. The results are synthesized into a conceptual model of the effects of dams on the major geomorphic influences on floodplain development. This model is used to assess the likely consequences of eight dam and flow regulation scenarios for floodplain geomorphology. Sediment starvation downstream of dams has perhaps the greatest potential to impact on floodplain development. Such effects will persist further downstream where tributary sediment inputs are relatively low and there is minimal buffering by alluvial sediment stores. We can identify several ways in which floodplains might potentially be affected by dams, with varying degrees of confidence, including a distinction between passive impacts (floodplain disconnection) and active impacts (changes in geomorphological processes and functioning). These active processes are likely to have more serious implications for floodplain function and emphasize both the need for future research and the need for an “environmental sediment regime” to operate alongside environmental flows.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/309673 |
| spellingShingle | Philip M. Marren James R. Grove J. Angus Webb Michael J. Stewardson The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology The Scientific World Journal |
| title | The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology |
| title_full | The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology |
| title_fullStr | The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology |
| title_short | The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology |
| title_sort | potential for dams to impact lowland meandering river floodplain geomorphology |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/309673 |
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