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Is Equilibrium Modelling Outdated for Recent Challenges in River Management?

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Submitted:

18 December 2017

Posted:

19 December 2017

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Abstract
To date, several different approaches are available to study sediment dynamics at reach or watershed scale, based on very different hypothesis. One of such assumptions, the so-called “morphodynamic equilibrium hypothesis” is becoming little unpopular for its embedded simplifications. The aim of this work is to demonstrate how this approach proves yet effective in modelling landscape morphodynamics at the watershed scale, for what concerns the longitudinal profile of a river and the sedimentary aspects. The application of a 1-D model based on the equilibrium hypothesis has been implemented for several large rivers worldwide. Geomorphological parameters have been analysed, which describe the evolution of longitudinal profile (concavity) and sediments characteristics (aggrading and fining), and the results show a reasonably good correspondence with qualitative estimation of the same parameters. At the scale of analysis and for the chosen systems, which show high inertia to geomorphological changes likely owing to their longitudinal extension, the model can detect where the present conditions reflect a big disturbance to the “natural equilibrium” thus allowing water managers to identify present issues to be addressed.
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Subject: Environmental and Earth Sciences  -   Geophysics and Geology
Copyright: This open access article is published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, which permit the free download, distribution, and reuse, provided that the author and preprint are cited in any reuse.
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