Modelling downstream change in river flood power: a novel approach based on the UK Flood Estimation Handbook

Researcher: Douglas Barker Supervisor: Professor Donald W Knight and Dr Damian M Lawler Sponsors: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Wallingford The water contained within, and transported through the channel network is geomorphically significant due to its ability to accomplish work by entraining and transporting sediment. The form and development of the drainage network can be directly related to the force exerted by the flowing water and the resistance of the channel perimeter sediments to movement. Work is performed as the potential energy due to elevation is converted to kinetic energy. Most of the kinetic energy is dissipated in over coming internal and channel boundary friction. However, a portion remains available to accomplish geomorphic work by eroding and transporting sediment. The term stream power was initially introduced by Bagnold (1966) and has since been used extensively in the literature as a basis to quantify sediment transport, explain bedrock channel incision, channel pattern and riparian habitat development. The term stream power is associated with the concept of flowing water having the properties of mechanical power (Rhoads, 1987), and can be defined as the rate of energy supply at the channel bed which is available for overcoming friction and transporting sediments (McEwen, 1994: 359). Lawler (1992) recognised that little was known about the downstream change in the hydraulic properties of rivers and presents a model for the spatial distribution of total stream power. It is suggested that downstream change in discharge is best represented as a power function in terms of channel Length, L (m):

where k and m are both dimensionless constants. It is suggested by Lawler (1992, after Rana et al., 1973) and has since been confirmed by Morris & Williams (1997) that slope is best modelled as a negative exponential function of the channel length:

where S0 is the initial slope (m m-1) at an upstream reference section and r is the coefficient of slope reduction. Combining equations 1 and 2 gives:

The model suggests that total stream power is low in the headwaters of streams and increases to a mid-basin peak before reducing in the downstream direction as shown in Figure 1. Since Lawlers theoretical paper, empirical studies by Lecce (1997), Knighton (1999) and Reinfeld et al. (2004) amongst others, have all confirmed a mid-basin peak in total stream power. Figure 1 Spatial distribution of total stream power (After Lawler, 1992)

Figure 1 Spatial distribution of total stream power (After Lawler, 1992) The aim of this project is to increase our understanding of the downstream change in the hydraulic properties of river systems, by defining and explaining downstream change and variability in river flood power within several dynamic UK catchments. The project includes the following specific objectives:

1. Quantify and model longitudinal trends in river flood power at the basin scale in a 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
range of UK montane, upland, piedmont and lowland catchments, developing a new method based on FEH and DEM approaches; Validate the input data and derived models for key, selected representative basins, both in the field and through flood data checking; Test for the presence and position of a mid-basin peak in stream power demonstrated theoretically by Lawler (1995), and confirmed empirically for many basins across the globe over the last 10 years; Comparison of rational regime theory and the Lawler Model to assess longitudinal distributions of flood power; Assess reach scale variations in friction slope for various flood magnitudes; Examine reach hydraulics and bank erosion to define critical levels of flood power.

References Bagnold, R.A. 1966. An approach to the sediment transport problem from general physics, USGS Professional Paper, 422-I, Washington, DC. Knighton, A.D. 1999. Downstream variation in stream power, Geomorphology, 29, 293-306. Lawler, D.M.. 1992. Process dominance in bank erosion systems, In Carling, P.A. & Petts, G.E. (Eds), Lowland Floodplain Rivers: Geomorphological Perspectives, John Wiley, Chichester, 117-143. Lawler, D.M.. 1995. The impact of scale on the processes of channel-side sediment supply: a conceptual model, In Osterkamp, W.R. (Eds), Effects of scale on the interpretation & management of sediment & water quality, International Association of Hydrological Sciences Publications No. 226, 175-184.

Lecce, S.A. 1997. Nonlinear downstream changes in stream power on Wisconsin's Blue River, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 87(3), 471-486. McEwen, L.J. 1994. Channel planform adjustment and stream power variations on the middle River Coe, Western Grampian Highlands, Scotland, Catena, 21, 357-374. Morris, P.H. & Williams, D.J. 1997. Exponential longitudinal profiles of streams, Earth Surface Processes & Landforms, 22, 143-163. Rana, S.A., Simons, D.B. & Mahmood, K. 1973. Analysis of sediment sorting in alluvial channels, Journal of the Hydraulics Division Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 99, 1967-1980. Reinfelds, I. Cohen, T. Batten, P. & Brierley, G. 2004. Assessment of downstream trends in channel gradient, total and specific stream power: a GIS approach, Geomorphology, 60, 403416. Rhoads, B.L. 1987. Stream power terminology, Professional Geographer, 39(2), 189-195.