Title
Advances and challenges in meandering channels research
Date Issued
2012
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
University of Pittsburgh
Abstract
Meandering channels is a vast research field, spanning a broad variety of time and space scales, environmental domains, and conceptual and methodological approaches. This paper serves as an introduction to this special issue of Geomorphology "Meandering Channels", which addresses the need for sustained scientific dialogue on the dynamics of meandering channels. In an effort to place this issue in the broad context of this rapidly changing and advancing research field, we begin by discussing the motivation behind this issue. Then, we continue by summarizing the main novel research contributions of each paper. Finally, we conclude by proposing five major research directions that directly develop from the ensemble of the scientific contributions to this special issue. These research directions emphasize the critical importance of the coupling of near-bank geomorphic and flow processes; the characterization of co-evolution of meandering rivers and their floodplains; the need to improve linkages between meandering rivers research and river management and restoration; the potential of expanding laboratory-based research; and the integration of holistic and reductionist approaches. © 2012 Elsevier B.V..
Start page
1
End page
9
Volume
163-164
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Oceanografía, Hidrología, Recursos hídricos
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84862569991
Source
Geomorphology
ISSN of the container
0169555X
Sponsor(s)
By the latter part of the 20th century, research on meandering rivers had increased to the extent that in 1983 the conference Rivers'83, sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), focused exclusively on such rivers. The symposium provided a forum for discussion and exchange of knowledge and ideas on the mechanisms and response of river meandering as well as the impact of human activities on meandering rivers. The widespread participation in the symposium by researchers from geology, engineering, and geography disciplines resulted in papers covering four broad discipline areas: geomorphology (32 papers), human impact (17 papers), engineering analysis of flow and sediment processes (23 papers), and numerical and physical modeling (17 papers), all of which were published in the well-known volume River Meandering ( Elliot, 1984 ). The conference Rivers'83 paved the way for the bilateral project “Development and Applications of the Theory of River Meandering” initiated by S. Ikeda and G. Parker and supported by U.S. National Science Foundation and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The project involved three workshops attended by a group of theoretical and field-oriented researchers (eight civil engineers, three geologists, and a geographer) from USA, Japan, and Europe. The main purpose of these workshops was to develop a more unified understanding of the mechanics of river meandering by drawing together various perspectives. The workshops gave rise to a second set of papers on cutting-edge research published in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Water Resources Monograph: “River Meandering” ( Ikeda and Parker, 1989 ). This monograph had a catalytic impact on the field by synergizing the work of other researchers and stimulating further interest in the subject with a subsequent amplification of research on river meandering.
Sources of information:
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