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

这个项目的重点是河道的弯曲，这是地貌学中的一个标志性现象，也是河道形态动力学的一个基本过程。我们的目标是促进我们对侵蚀河道曲流形态动力学的理解，从而为各种环境下的河道曲流建立一个通用的理论框架。特别关注的是混合基岩-冲积河道的蜿蜒和泥沙覆盖在河道侵蚀模式中的中介作用。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。新的研究方向包括：(1)在野外和实验室研究微观尺度的溶解曲流，作为宏观尺度磨损曲流的代表；(2)发展曲流形态动力学模型，其河道截面不是固定的，而是根据插入式侵蚀速率本构方程演变的。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，它们对环境至关重要的作用受到了损害。近年来，由于这种环境破坏的负面影响越来越明显，对这些河流的修复已成为一个优先事项。要使河道整治工作取得成功，对曲流河流进行有效的评价和管理，就需要对河道形态动力学有深入的了解。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科学家和工程师的广泛社区。

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.