Morphological diversity of channel patterns of br aided rivers

The paper presents the description of main channel types of braided rivers distinguished in the channel pattern classification produced in the Moscow State University. It is shown that the diversity of braided channels is determined by various conditions of their formation, different degree of channel stability and other factors. This diversity is defined by the number, size and shape of islands, formation of islands in channel arms, composing bifurcations of the 2nd and 3rd orders, presence of floodplain branches (floodplain multi‑channel), symmetry or asymmetry of braided reaches themselves, development of the bends of the branches, water discharge of the branches and distribution of runoff over them in different phases of water regime, high‑ and low-water years, etc. Also braided channel reaches occur when cut‑off meanders are formed (incomplete meandering). On the largest rivers there are braided reaches which are characterized by the development of branches in different parts of the river valley bottom and differing in their channel and even water regime. Certain features are typical for braided reaches of wide‑floodplain or incised channels, for rivers with a one‑sided floodplain. As a result single, conjugated, floodplain, parallel branches, one‑sided, alternate one‑sided braided reaches can be either simple (for example, single or parts of conjugated formed by one island) or complex, and the latter are represented by several varieties. The identification of various morphological types, subtypes and varieties of braided channel reaches is directly connected and determines the methods of channel processes management in water economy and water transport development of rivers, construction of communications through rivers, etc.

1. Chalov R. S. Ruslovedenie: teoriya, geografiya, praktika. T. 2. Morfodinamika rechnyh rusel (Riverbed science: theory, geography, practice. Vol. 2. Morphodynamics of river channels). M.: KRASAND, 2011. 960 s. (in Russ.)

2. Ruslovye processy i wodnye puti na rekah bassejna Severnoj Dviny (Channel processes and navigable waterway of the Severnaya Dvina River basin). M.: OOO ”Zhurnal “RT”, 2012. 492 s. (in Russ.)

3. Ruslovye processy i wodnye puti na rekah Obskogo bassejna (Channel processes and navigable waterway of the Ob’ River basin). Novosibirsk: RIPEL plus, 2001. 300 s. (in Russ.)

4. Chalov R. S., L’vovskaj E. A., and Ruleva S. N. Gidrologo-morfologicheskiy analiz razvetvlennogo rusla r. Pechory (Hydrologic‑morphological analysis of the braided channel of the Pechora River). Vest. Mosk. un-ta. Ser. 5. Geografiya. 2015. No. 1. S. 78‑85. (in Russ.)

5. Wodnye puti bassejna Leny (Navigable waterway of the Lena River basin). M.: MIKIS, 1995. 600 s. (in Russ.)

6. Makkaveev N. I. Ruslo reki b erosija v ee bassejne (River channel and erosion in its basin). M.: Izd‑vo AN SSSR, 1955. 347 s. (in Russ.)

7. Proektirovanie sudovyh hodov nf svobodnyh rekah (Designing ship operations on free rivers). Tr. ZNIIEWT. Vyp. 36. 1964. 262 s. (in Russ.)

8. Rossinski K. I. and Kuz’min I. A. Zakonomernosti formirovania rechnyh rusel (Relations of river channels formation). Ruslovye process. M.: Izd‑vo AN SSSR, 1958. S. 5‑14. (in Russ.)

9. Cheryschov F. M. Powyschenie effektivnosti putevyh rabot na mnogorukavnyh uchastkah sulohodnyh rek (Increasing of the track works efficiency on multi‑braided reaches of navigable rivers). Novosibirsk: NIIWT, 1973. 324 s. (in Russ.)

10. Chalov R. S. Geograficheskie issledovania ruslovyh processov (Geographical research of channel processes). M.: Izd‑vo MGU, 1979. 292 s. (in Russ.)

11. Chalov R. S. Ruslovedenie: teoriya, geografiya, praktika. T. 1. Ruslovye processy: factory, mehanizmy, formy projavlenija i uslovija formirovanija rechnyh rusel (Riverbed science: theory, geography, practice. Vol. 1. Channel processes: factors, mechanisms, forms of manifestation and forming conditions). M.: Izd‑vo LKI, 2008. 608 s. (in Russ.)

12. Pzhanicyn N. A. Rusloformiruyshchie prozessy rek (River channels formation processes). L: Gidrometeoizdat, 1985. 264 s. (in Russ.)

13. Chalov R. S., Alabjan A. M., Ivanov V. V., Lodina R. V., and Panin A. V. Morfodinamika rusel ravninnyh rek (Morphodinamics of plain river channels). M.: GEOS, 1998. 288 s. (in Russ.)

14. Kondrat᾿ev N. E., Popov I. V., and Snishchenko B. F. Osnovy gidromorfologicheskoi teorii ruslovyh processov (Basics of hydromorphological theory of channel processes). L.: Gidrometeoizdat, 1982. 272 s. (in Russ.)

15. Alekseevskij N. I. and Chalov S. R. Gidrologicheskie funkcii razvetvlennogo rusla (Hydrological impacts of braided cyannels). M.: Geogr. f‑t MGU, 2009. 240 s. (in Russ.)

16. Schumm S. A. The fluvial system. New Jork: Wiley, 1977. 338 p.

17. Rosgen D. L. A classification of halural rivers. Catena. 1994. No. 22. P. 169‑199.

18. Knighton D. Fluvial forws and processes. London: Arnold, 1998. 383 p.

19. Schen Yichan and Gyn Go Yuan. Rechnaja geomorfologia (Fluvial geomorphology). Pekin: Nauka, 1986. (in Chine)

20. Chalov R. S. Slozhnorazvetvlennye rusla ravninnyh rek: uslovija formirovanija, morfologia i dinamika (Complicated braided channels of plain rivers: formation conditions, morphology and channels development). Wodnye resursy. 2001. T. 28. No. 2. S. 166‑171. (in Russ.)

21. L᾿vovskaja E. A. Retrospektivnyi analiz, sovremennoe sostojanie i ocenka vozmozhnyh izmenenii ruslovyh processov na bolschih rekah severa ETR (Retrospective analysis, current state and assessment of possible changes of channel processes on large rivers of the North of the European Territory of Russia). Abstract of PhD thesis. M.: MGU, 2016. 30 s. (in Russ.)

22. Chalov R. S. Ruslovye processy (ruslovedenie) (Channel processes (Riverbed Science). M.: INFRA‑M, 2017. 569 s. (in Russ.)

23. Chalov R. S. Morfologicheskie tipy rusel ravninnyh rek, razvetvlennyh na rukava (Morphological types of braided channels of plain rivers). Wodnye resursy. 2001. Vol. 25. No. 2. S. 179‑185. (in Russ.)

24. Chalov R. S. and Liu Shuguan. Pojimennye protochno-ozernye razvetvlennia na Obi i Janczy (Floodplain lake‑channel systems of the Ob’ and Yangtze Rivers). Dvadcat pervoe plenarnoe mezhvuz. koordinac. sovezhch. Po probleme erozionnyh, ruslovyh i ust, evyh processov, Cheboksary. 2006. S. 213‑214. (in Russ.)

25. Chalov R. S., Vlasov B. N., Liu Shuguan, Chzhao Ean, and Yuj Ven’chou. Specificheskie formy razvetvlennogo rusla r. Janczy i ih evoljuciya (Specific channel patterns of the braided reach of the Yangtze River and their evolution). Geografiya i prirodnye resursy. 2006. No. 2. S. 151‑157. (in Russ.)

26. Samjhin M. A. and Chalov S. R. Mnogoletnii rezhim i principy regulirovaniya pojmennyh protochno-ozernyh razvetvlennij (na primere rek Janczy i Tereka) (Long‑term regime and regulation methods of floodplain lake‑channel systems (the case of Yangtze and Terek rivers). Geografiya i prirodnye resursy. 2008. No. 3. S. 17‑25. (in Russ.)

27. Chalov R. S. Factory ruslovyh processov i ierarhija ruslovyh form (Channel processes factors and channel forms ranking). Geomorfologiya (Geomorphology RAS). 1983. No. 2. S. 16‑26. (in Russ.)

28. Atlas ruslovoi morfodinamiki nizhnej Volgi (Vogograd — Astrahan’) (Atlas of the channel morphology and development of the Lower Volga river (Vologograd‑Astrakhan). M.: Izd‑vo MGU, 2009. 232 s. (in Russ.)

29. Zavadskij A. S. and Zima J. V. Estestvennye i antropogennye izmenenia rusla reki Arguni (v svete ee pogranichnogo polozhenia) (Natural and anthropogenic changes of the Argun’ River channel (considering its borderline location). Wodnoe hozjaistvo Rossii. 2011. No. 4. S. 4‑16. (in Russ.)

30. Ruslovye process na rekah SSSR (Channel processes of the USSR rivers). Maschtab 1:4000000. Dlja bysschtj schkoly. M.: GUGK SSSR, 1990. 4 l. (in Russ.)

31. Ruslovye processy na rekah. Morfologia i dinamika rusel rek Obi I Irtyscha (River channel processes. Morphology and channel development of the Ob’ and Irtish Rivers). Atlas Hanty‑Mansijskogo avtonomnogo okruga — Jugry. T. II. Priroda i ekologija. Hanty‑Mansiisk: Izd‑vo HMAO, 2005. S. 74‑75. (in Russ.)

32. Baker V. R. Stream‑channel response to floods, with eхamples form Central Teхas. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 1977. Vol. 88. No. 8. P. 1057‑1071.

33. Komar P. D. Shaper of streamlined island on the Earth and Marth: Eхperiments and analyses the minimum — drag form. Geology. 1983. No. 11. Р. 651‑654.

34. Tarbeeva A. M. Formirovanie i evoljuzija ostrovov v rusle Obi (Formation and evolution of the islands in the Ob’ River channel). Erozionnye i ruslovye processy i problemy gidroekologii. M.: Izd‑vo MGU, 2009. S. 202‑208. (in Russ.)

35. Chalov R. S., Zavadsrij A. S., and Ruleva S. N. Parallel’no-rukavnye razvetvlennija rechnyh rusel: uslovija formirovanija, morfologia i dinamika (Parallel‑branches braided reaches: formation conditions, morphology and development). Wodnye resursy. 2008. T. 35. No. 2. S. 166‑174. (in Russ.)

36. Chalov R. S. Vremennaja transformacija morfodinamicheskih tipov rusel bolschih ravninnyh rek (Temporal transformation of channel pattern types of big plain river channels). Vest. Mosk. un-ta. Ser. 5. Geografiya. 2018. No. 3. S. 3‑13. (in Russ.)

37. Chalov R. S. and Chalov S. R. Morfologia skalnogo rusla reki Angary na uchastkah Boguchanskogo i Moteginskogo vodohranilishch (Bedrock channel morphology of the Angara River on the reach of Boguchanskoe and Mytychinskoe water reservoirs). Geografiya i prirodnye resursy. 2009. No. 1. S. 103‑110. (in Russ.)

38. Chalov R. S., Zavadskij A. S., Kamyschev A. A., Mihailova N. M., and Ruleva S. N. Morfodinamicheskie tipy rusla i razvitie izluchin reki Obi (v predelah Tomskoi oblasti) (Morphodynamic channel patterns and meanders development of the Ob’ River (within the Tomsk region). Geografiya i prirodnye resursy. 2018. No. 1. S. 81‑91. (in Russ.)