Rocky Mountain Research Station

Title: A unifying criterion for the velocity reversal hypothesis in gravel-bed rivers

Author: Caamano, Diego; Goodwin, Peter; Buffington, John M.; Liou, Jim C. P.; Daley-Laursen, Stanley.

Date: 2009

Source: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 135(1): 66-70.

Description: It has been hypothesized that velocity reversals provide a mechanism for maintaining pool-riffle morphology in gravel-bed rivers-an important habitat for salmonids, which are at risk in many places worldwide and that are the focus of extensive environmental legislation in Europe and North America. However, the occurrence of velocity reversals has been controversial for over 3 decades. We present a simple one-dimensional criterion that unifies and explains previous disparate findings regarding the occurrence of velocity reversals. Results show that reversal depends critically on the ratio of riffle-to-pool width, residual pool depth difference between pool and riffle elevations , and on the depth of flow over the riffle, suggesting that land management activities which alter channel form or divert water from the channel can have negative impacts on the sustainability of pool-riffle habitat in gravel-bed rivers.

Keywords: pools, channel morphology, open channel flow, one dimensional flow, stream improvement

View and Print this Publication (292.29 KB)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

Caamano, Diego; Goodwin, Peter; Buffington, John M.; Liou, Jim C. P.; Daley-Laursen, Stanley.  2009.  A unifying criterion for the velocity reversal hypothesis in gravel-bed rivers.   Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 135(1): 66-70..