Measuring geomorphic processes at the watershed-scale to support urban river management

测量流域尺度的地貌过程以支持城市河流管理

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-04541
• 负责人: Papangelakis, Elli
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: McMaster University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=754859
• 关键词: Measuring; geomorphic; processes; watershed; scale

Rivers in urban areas experience increased flooding, rapid erosion, poor water quality, and the deterioration of ecological health. Balancing the flood and erosion control that urban development requires with the physical and ecological integrity of rivers remains a significant management challenge, and efforts to prevent and restore urban river degradation accounts for a multi-billion-dollar industry globally. However, the science and tools upon which current urban river management strategies rely on remain inadequate to support management goals, and urban river degradation persists. Geomorphology, the study the physical form of rivers and its changes over time, is increasingly recognized as the foundation that underpins other river processes such as aquatic habitat availability, nutrient and contaminant transfer, and flood hydraulics. Despite its importance, our understanding of urban river geomorphology continues to have significant gaps due to a lack of data and studies in urban areas. Where geomorphology studies take place, they are typically limited to relatively small study areas of several hundred of meters due to the difficulty and high-cost of gathering geomorphic data. However, spatially-limited snapshots of geomorphic processes fail to connect them to the larger-scale stressors operating at the watershed scale, such as land-use change. This research program aims to use emerging technology and analysis techniques to expand our understanding of how urbanization leads to river degradation by studying geomorphic processes at larger scales than previously done. Objectives over the next 5 years are to 1) identify geomorphic indicators that can detect areas within a watershed that are sensitive to urbanization, 2) measure how sediment is sourced, stored, and transferred through urban watersheds and how this links to river degradation, and 3) build geomorphic equations and models specific to urban watersheds. The objectives will be met by conducting detailed surveying, sediment transport monitoring, and geomorphic modelling in study sites located in the Hamilton, Toronto, and Kitchener-Waterloo urban areas. The program will take advantage of new technology such as drone and lidar surveying, innovative sediment tracking technology, and advanced computer models to reach these objectives. The current practice of urban river restoration and management is outdated and lacking scientific rigour, which leads to the high failure rates and maintenance costs of urban river management projects. The long-term goal of this research is the development of new tools to support environmental consultants, river restoration engineers, and watershed managers in making more science-based decisions around urban rivers. These advancements will help improve the health and integrity of urban rivers in Canada and globally, leading to reduced flooding and erosion mitigation costs as well as the protection of our natural environment in an increasingly urban world.

城市地区的河流经历了增加洪水，快速侵蚀，水质差以及生态健康状况恶化的情况。平衡城市发展需要与河流的物理和生态完整性所需要的洪水和侵蚀控制仍然是一个重大的管理挑战，以及预防和恢复城市河流退化的努力占全球数十亿美元的行业。但是，当前的城市河流管理策略所依赖的科学和工具仍然不足以支持管理目标，而城市河的退化仍然存在。 地貌学是河流的物理形式及其随着时间的变化，越来越多地被认为是基础，即基于其他河流过程，例如水生栖息地的可用性，营养和污染物转移以及洪水液压。尽管它很重要，但由于缺乏数据和研究，我们对城市河流地貌的理解仍然存在很大的差距。在进行地貌研究的地方，由于收集地貌数据的困难和高成本，它们通常仅限于几百米的相对较小的研究区域。但是，地貌过程的空间限制快照无法将其连接到以分水岭量表（例如土地利用变化）运行的较大规模的压力源。 该研究计划旨在利用新兴技术和分析技术来扩展我们对城市化如何导致河流降解的理解，这比以前更大的规模更大。在接下来的5年中的目标是1）确定可以检测到对城市化敏感的流域中的区域的地貌指标，2）衡量如何通过城市流域来采购，存储和转移沉积物，以及与河流降解的链接以及3）如何链接到对特定于Urban Watersheds Watersheds Watersheds Watersheds Watersheds的地形方程和模型。将在位于汉密尔顿，多伦多和基奇纳 - 沃特卢城市地区的研究地点进行详细的测量，沉积物运输监测和地貌建模来实现这些目标。该计划将利用新技术，例如无人机和激光雷达测量，创新的沉积物跟踪技术以及高级计算机模型来实现这些目标。 当前的城市河流恢复和管理实践已经过时，缺乏科学严谨，这导致了城市河流管理项目的高失败率和维护成本。这项研究的长期目标是开发新工具，以支持环保顾问，河流修复工程师和分水岭经理，以在城市河流周围做出更多基于科学的决策。这些进步将有助于改善加拿大和全球城市河流的健康和完整性，从而减少洪水和侵蚀成本，并在日益城市的世界中保护我们的自然环境。