Comparing the Sensitivity of Bank Retreat to Changes in Biophysical Conditions between Two Contrasting River Reaches Using a Coupled Morphodynamic Model

Abstract

Morphodynamic models of river meandering patterns and dynamics are based on the premise that the integration of biophysical processes matching those operating in natural rivers should result in a better fit with observations. Only a few morphodynamic models have been applied to natural rivers, typically along short reaches, and the relative importance of biophysical parameters remains largely unknown in these cases. Here, a series of numerical simulations were run using the hydrodynamic solver TELEMAC-2D, coupled to an advanced physics-based geotechnical module, to verify if sensitivity to key biophysical conditions differs substantially between two natural meandering reaches of different scale and geomorphological context. The model was calibrated against observed measurements of bank retreat for a 1.5 km semi-alluvial meandering reach incised into glacial till (Medway Creek, Ontario, Canada) and an 8.6 km long sinuous alluvial reach of the St. François River (Quebec, Canada). The two river reaches have contrasting bed and bank composition, and they differ in width by one order of magnitude. Calibration was performed to quantify and contrast the contribution of key geotechnical parameters, such as bank cohesion, to bank retreat. Results indicate that the sensitivity to key geotechnical parameters is dependent on the biophysical context and highly variable at the sub-reach scale. The homogeneous sand-bed St. François River is less sensitive to cohesion and friction angle than the more complex Medway Creek, flowing through glacial-till deposits. The latter highlights the limits of physics-based models for practical purposes, as the amount and spatial resolution of biophysical parameters required to improve the agreement between simulation results and observations may justify the use of a reduced complexity modelling approach.

Streambank Erosion: Advances in Monitoring, Modeling and Management

“…The research articles included in this special issue specifically targeted three areas that are key to better understanding streambank erosion and failure, namely, monitoring [8][9][10][11], modeling [12][13][14][15][16][17], and management [18][19][20][21]. As an ensemble, the articles highlight the value of monitoring campaigns to characterize the effect of external drivers (e.g., hydrologic events), the capabilities and limitations of numerical models for predicting the response of the system (e.g., stream restoration design), and the effectiveness of management practices to prevent and mitigate the impacts of streambank erosion and failure.…”

“…Furthermore, they proposed a new technique for running JETs that consists of applying incrementally increasing pressure heads to account for the variation of soil properties during the test. Rousseau et al [16] carried out numerical simulations to examine the sensitivity of the model's predictions to key biophysical conditions between two contrasting fluvial environments. The simulations were performed using the hydrodynamic solver TELEMAC-2D [24] coupled to a physics-based geotechnical module.…”