[1] The velocity reversal hypothesis is commonly cited as a mechanism for the maintenance of pool-riffle morphology. Although this hypothesis is based on the magnitude of mean flow parameters, recent studies have suggested that mean parameters are not sufficient to explain the dominant processes in many pool-riffle sequences. In this study, two-and three-dimensional models are applied to simulate flow in the pool-riffle sequence on Dry Creek, California, where the velocity reversal hypothesis was first proposed. These simulations provide an opportunity to evaluate the hydrodynamics underlying the observed reversals in near-bed and section-averaged velocity and are used to investigate the influence of secondary currents, the advection of momentum, and cross-stream flow variability. The simulation results support the occurrence of a reversal in mean velocity and mean shear stress with increasing discharge. However, the results indicate that the effects of flow convergence due to an upstream constriction and the routing of flow through the system are more significant in influencing pool-riffle morphology than the occurrence of a mean velocity reversal. The hypothesis of flow convergence routing is introduced as a more meaningful explanation of the mechanisms acting to maintain pool-riffle morphology.
In-stream chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) spawning habitat in California's Central Valley has been degraded by minimal gravel recruitment due to river impoundment and historic gravel extraction. In a recent project marking a new direction for spawning habitat rehabilitation, 2450 m 3 of gravel and several boulders were used to craft bars and chutes. To improve the design of future projects, a test was carried out in which a commercial modelling package was used to design and evaluate alternative gravel configurations in relation to the actual pre-and post-project configurations. Tested scenarios included alternate bars, central braid, a combination of alternate bars and a braid, and a flat riffle with uniformly spaced boulders. All runs were compared for their spawning habitat value and for susceptibility to erosion. The flat riffle scenario produced the most total, high, and medium quality habitat, but would yield little habitat under flows deviating from the design discharge. Bar and braid scenarios were highly gravel efficient, with nearly 1 m 2 of habitat per 1 m 3 of gravel added, and yielded large contiguous high quality habitat patches that were superior to the actual design. At near bankfull flow, negligible sediment entrainment was predicted for any scenario.
Volcanic lakes have a wide range of characteristics, and we make an attempt to delineate the limiting physical conditions for several lake classes. The ratio between heat input and heat dissipation capacity of a lake constrains the temperature for perfectly mixed steady-state volcanic lakes. Poorly mixed lakes are also conditioned by this ratio, but their temperature structure is also strongly influenced by the hydrodynamics resulting from different mechanisms of heat transfer. The steady-state temperatures of volcanic lakes are largely determined by the magnitude of the volcanic heat influx relative to the surface area of the lake. Small lakes have only a small capacity for heat dissipation and their temperature rises quickly with only small heat inputs; large lakes are buffered against variations in heat input. Both the heat dissipation and meteoric water input into a lake are functions of lake surface area and therefore each lake water temperature demands a certain precipitation rate for mass conservation, independent of lake size. The results of energy/ mass-balance modeling shows that under common atmospheric conditions, most steady-state volcanic lakes are unlikely to maintain a temperature in excess of 45-50 7C. Validation of the volcanic lake model was performed using published data from Yugama Lake (Japan) and the Keli Mutu lakes (Indonesia). Also, the model was applied to 24 natural systems to provide a baseline assessment of energy fluxes under the model assumptions so future work on those systems can identify nuances in individual systems that deviate from the simple model conditions. We recommend the model for use in assessing temperature variations and volcanic lake stability in settings with known physical and atmospheric conditions. Application of the energy/mass balance calculations of model lakes provides a genetic classification scheme largely based on physical process parameters.
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