Rice Univesrity Logo
    • FAQ
    • Deposit your work
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Rice Scholarship Home
    • Faculty & Staff Research
    • Faculty Publications
    • View Item
    •   Rice Scholarship Home
    • Faculty & Staff Research
    • Faculty Publications
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Internal connectivity of meandering rivers: Statistical generalization of channel hydraulic geometry

    Thumbnail
    Name:
    Czapiga-2015.pdf
    Size:
    3.049Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    View/Open
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    wrcr21677-SupInfo.pdf
    Size:
    1.524Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    View/Open
    Author
    Czapiga, M.J.; Smith, V.B.; Nittrouer, J.A.; Mohrig, D.; Parker, G.
    Date
    2015
    Abstract
    The geometry of rivers has been characterized in terms of downstream and at-a-station hydraulic geometry, based on individual cross sections. Such analyses do not, however, provide insight as to how these cross sections are connected. We generalize the concept of hydraulic geometry, using data on bathymetry from four reaches of meandering rivers that include at least five bends. We quantify connectivity in terms of the probability that a connected path exists such that a given attribute remains within specified bounds along it. While the concept is general, here we apply it to vessel navigability. We develop a predictor for navigability in meandering rivers, which requires only the following, relatively easily obtained input: vessel draft, vessel width, bankfull depth, bankfull width, relative difference between current and bankfull water surface elevation, and length of desired navigation path. The predictor is applicable to both bankfull and below-bankfull stage. A key input parameter is the standard deviation of the probability distribution of depth. This parameter, in and of itself, yields no information on connectivity as it does not capture the spatial orientation of depth variation. We find, however, that (a) the probability function for connectivity does depend on this parameter, and (b) its use allows for an approximate similarity collapse of the probability function, so providing a quasi-universal predictive relation applying to all four reaches. The results also suggest potential application to more complex forms for connectivity that involve other or multiple in-stream physical variables.
    Citation
    Czapiga, M.J., Smith, V.B., Nittrouer, J.A., et al.. "Internal connectivity of meandering rivers: Statistical generalization of channel hydraulic geometry." Water Resources Research, 51, no. 9 (2015) Wiley: 7485-7500. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014WR016133.
    Published Version
    http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2014WR016133
    Keyword
    connectivity; hydraulic geometry; navigation
    Type
    Journal article
    Publisher
    Wiley
    Citable link to this page
    https://hdl.handle.net/1911/82001
    Rights
    Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Collections
    • Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Publications [232]
    • Faculty Publications [4988]

    Home | FAQ | Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Accessibility Statement
    Managed by the Digital Scholarship Services at Fondren Library, Rice University
    Physical Address: 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005
    Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O.BOX 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892
    Site Map

     

    Searching scope

    Browse

    Entire ArchiveCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsType

    My Account

    Login

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Home | FAQ | Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Accessibility Statement
    Managed by the Digital Scholarship Services at Fondren Library, Rice University
    Physical Address: 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005
    Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O.BOX 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892
    Site Map