Collaborative Research: A field, laboratory and theoretical study of mixed bedrock-alluvial meandering rivers

该项目的重点是河道弯曲，这是地貌学中的一种标志性现象，也是河道形态动力学的一个基本过程。 我们的目标是推进我们的理解河曲形态动力学侵蚀渠道足以发展一个通用的理论框架，在各种环境中的渠道曲流。 一个特别的重点是混合冲积河流的曲折和沉积物覆盖在调解渠道侵蚀模式的作用。 目前正在通过实地研究、实验室实验、数值模拟和理论分析相结合的方式研究这些过程。 研究的新方面包括：（i）在野外和实验室研究微尺度溶解曲流，作为宏观尺度磨蚀曲流的替代，曲流形态动力学模型的发展，其河道横截面不是固定的，而是根据一个塞子而演变的-在侵蚀速率的本构方程中。蜿蜒的溪流和河流是美国及其他地区自然景观的重要组成部分。 几个世纪以来，这些河流中的许多都发生了巨大的变化，其重要的环境作用受到了损害。 近年来，随着这种环境破坏的负面影响变得明显，对这些河流的整治已成为一个优先事项。 为了补救的成功，并为蜿蜒河流的评估和管理是有效的，需要一个透彻的了解渠道形态动力学。 该项目的目的是加深这种理解，并将这些进展传递给对该主题感兴趣的广大科学家和工程师。

The focus of this project is the meandering of river channels, an iconic phenomenon in geomorphology and a fundamental process of channel morphodynamics. The goal is to advance our understanding of meander morphodynamics in eroding channels enough to develop a general theoretical framework for channel meanders in a variety of environments. A particular focus is the meandering of mixed bedrock-alluvial channels and the role of sediment cover in the mediation of patterns of channel erosion. Such processes are being studied through a combination of field studies, laboratory experiments, numerical simulations and theoretical analysis. Novel aspects of the research include: (i) the study of micro-scale dissolutional meanders in the field and the laboratory as a proxy for macro-scale abrasional meanders, and (ii) the development of meander morphodynamic model whose channel cross-section is not fixed but rather evolves according to a plug-in constitutive equation for erosion rate.Meandering streams and rivers are a vital part of the natural landscape of the United States and beyond. Over the centuries, many of these rivers have been modified drastically and their crucial environmental role compromised. Remediation of these rivers has become a priority in recent years as the negative effects of such environmental damage have become clear. For remediation to succeed, and for the assessment and management of meandering rivers to be effective, a thorough understanding of channel morphodynamics is needed. The aim of this project is to deepen such understanding and to pass on these advances to the broad community of scientists and engineers interested in the topic.