The Potential for Dams to Impact Lowland Meandering River Floodplain Geomorphology

Figure 1

Longitudinal profile and downstream changes for an idealized catchment. The upper panel shows the downstream changes in slope, discharge, discharge variability, grain size, percentage of fines, and stream power expected in a catchment with a typical exponential long profile and a regular pattern of downstream tributary inputs. The lower panel shows the expected pattern of decreasing confinement in a downstream direction, with increasing meander wavelength, and a midcatchment peak in meander migration rates (and cutoff formation). The three zones correspond to the Schumm erosion, transport, and deposition zones [36]. The approximate locations of floodplain types according to the Nanson and Croke classification are also shown [29].