Channel processes factors and channel forms hierarchy

Abstract

Main landforms which are modeled by rivers and reflect their channel-forming activity are the following: river valleys; channels (meandering, braided, straight); ridge-like channel bedford (shallows, p-oint bars, ripples). Each landform develops due to a certain complex of channel process factors, which control also combinations of the main varieties of channel deformations, as the forms order increases, they become less frequent and less clearly manifested. On the other hand, special features of channel-forming discharges and the channel stability makes for 2nd and 3rd order bedforms hierarchy, the channel morphology may be extremely complicate in this case. Calculations of channel-forming discharges as an integral characteristic of channel processes permit to reveal regular correlation of channel forms as well as to elucidate a significance of each phase of hydrological regime for the channel deformations.