River hydromorphology. A primer

A primer, written in a very clear and instructive style, reveals the extraordinary complexity of the phenomena involved in "making" a river. The authors introduce us to river hydromorphology, a scientific discipline that has come of age, and explain the geomorphological characteristics of rivers, from the riverbed itself to the floodplain, that create the major types of habitat on which aquatic and terrestrial species depend. In the process, it becomes clear that the good ecological operation of rivers and their corridors depends on maintaining and restoring the natural geodynamic processes and the resulting geomorphological characteristics.

Approximately 400 photos and diagrams are another of the book's strong points, helping to explain what the human eye alone cannot grasp and to appreciate the various scales on which river phenomena take place, from individual pebbles to entire basins and even entire countries.

Table of content

Basic concepts

• Initial definition of river hydromorphology
• River hydrosystems and the role of hydromorphology
• The theory behind the dynamic equilibrium of rivers
• The two main control factors (Q and Qs) and their role in river response on the river-basin scale

Origin and propagation of coarse alluvial bedload

• Suspended load and bedload
• Origin of bedload
• Propagation of bedload

Control factors and geodynamic ranking

• Additional control factors
• Geodynamic ranking

Response / adjustment factors

• Long profile
• Cross profile

Stable river patterns

• Meandering pattern
• Braided pattern
• Thresholds between the meandering and braided patterns
• Wandering, anastomosed and anabranching, the secondary patterns in rivers with adjustable morphologies

River typologies and divisions

• Basic concepts
• Examples of typologies
• Proposed methods for river typologies and divisions
• A particular typology, the river-facies typology

Tools for hydromorphological studies

• The basic approach to hydromorphological studies
• Maps and drawings
• Aerial photographs
• Topographic data
• Hydrological data
• Other useful data
• Measurements in the field

Hydromorphological operation and ecological status

• General links
• Links in the river corridor
• Links in the riverbed

History and outlook for applied river hydromorphology