Identification of hydromorphological reference sites using the new REFCON method, with an application to rivers in the Czech Republic

Kujanová, Kateřina; Matoušková, Milada

doi:10.1016/j.ecohyd.2017.06.002

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Having established that morphological reference data (e.g., from 'least-disturbed' sites) can serve as valuable environmental guiding principles and support efficient, effective, and sustainable restoration measures (Kujanová and Matouškova 2017, Hey 2006, Newson and Large 2006 while acknowledging that it is next to impossible to find such sites in many regions of the world, like the European Alps (Comiti 2012), we can agree that reference sites must be found elsewhere. 'Least-disturbed' reference sites are not necessarily devoid of any signs of human activity but have suffered the least anthropogenic disturbance within a group of comparable sites (Stoddard et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape Reading for Alpine Rivers: A Case Study from the river Biya

Schmalfuß

Hauer

Yanygina

et al. 2023

GES

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Anthropogenic stressors have altered the hydromorphological characteristics of rivers worldwide. Environmental guiding principles are essential for planning sustainable river restoration measures. The alpine river Biya, located in the Russian Altai mountains, originates from Lake Teletskoye and joins the Katun near Biysk, forming the Ob. The Biya represents a hydromorphological reference system in anthropogenically ‘least-disturbed’ condition. The presented study aimed to assess the river’s undisturbed morphology in relationship with the geological history of three different river stretches based on an adapted landscape reading approach using remote sensing information (ASTER GDEM v3). The established widths of the active channel, active floodplain and morphological floodplain as well as the longitudinal section were used to explain the differences between upper, middle, and lower Biya. The results confirm differences in the geological origins between the upper Biya, which has previously been described as the least developed and narrowest, and the other two stretches based on the analyses of morphological parameters. Morphological floodplain width could best explain the differences between upper (0-86 km), middle (86-196 km), and lower Biya (196-301 km). The study further showed a clear relationship between the variations in river patterns and adjacent topographic structures (valley confinements, tributary interactions), highlighting that any assessment of river morphology must consider the wider surroundings of a river stretch. The presented morphological observations and analyses of the Biya show that easily obtainable parameters can detect differences in the morphological history of river stretches within the same catchment, supporting process understanding.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%