Morphological Evolution Characteristics of River Cross-Sections in the Lower Weihe River and Their Response to Streamflow and Sediment Changes

Abstract

River cross−section morphology and water and sediment conditions are deeply connected. In recent years, the lower Wei River has experienced regular flooding and drastic changes in river channel shape, causing significant harm to the economy and development of the lower reaches. This research investigated the morphological evolution features based on annual extensive cross−section data and water and sediment data from the hydrological stations of Xianyang, Lintong, and Huaxian in the lower Weihe River from 2006 to 2018 of river cross−sections and the reaction to water and sediment variations. The findings indicated that the lower Wei River’s cross−sectional alterations between 2006 and 2018 exhibited a trend of “flushing at both ends and siltation in the middle” while continuing to exhibit “non−flood flushing and flood siltation” features. The incoming sediment coefficient in the lower Weihe River declined dramatically, whereas the median diameter of suspended sediment particles grew significantly at the Lintong station. The average elevation of the river channel was highly synchronized with the change in the coming sediment coefficient, and the impact of big floods dramatically influenced the shape of the river cross−section. Human activities such as river management have directly affected the morphology of the river cross−section at Lintong station and caused a significant increase in the median diameter of suspended sediment particles, resulting in siltation in the Lintong river. The study’s findings can serve as a theoretical foundation for water and sediment regulation and river training in the lower Weihe River, reducing flooding damage.

The Processes of Aggradation and Incision in the Channels in the Terek River Basin, the North Caucasus: The Hydrological Fluvial Archives of the Recent Past

“…This method was used to estimate the deformations of the channel beds of the lowland rivers in China [16] and Russia [29] and of Subcarpathian rivers in Romanian [15] river channels and is included in the handbook on fluvial processes [30]. This is the main method used in the current paper.…”

“…At the same time, there are other available fluvial archives of another type: the hydrological data on discharges and water levels at gauging stations. These archives on paper or in digital form make it possible to estimate with high accuracy the magnitude and rate of long-term changes of water stages and channel bed deformations of river channels in the recent past [15,16] brought about both by human activity and natural causes. Probably, Herodotus [17] described the first example of the application of the fluvial archive of this type to estimate the rate of the vertical growth of natural levees of the Nile River.…”

Application of Vertical Electrical Sounding and Toxicity Tests for the Analysis of Vertical Hydraulic Connectivity through the Vadose Zone

“…The hydrological and environmental characteristics of rivers and streams are integrally linked to their respective hydrographic basins; therefore, potential disruptions may have negative direct impacts on runoff not only in the magnitude of the flow but also in the duration of its occurrence as well as the quality of the flowing water. Naturally, these parameters are controlled by the volume and intensity of the precipitation, the infiltration into the subsoil, and evaporation and plant transpiration [11][12][13].…”