Dr. Caamaño-Avendaño, Diego

Recent work in the undeveloped Rio Murta Basin, located in Chilean Patagonia, identified an evolutionary trend in the fluvial system as it progresses toward and away from dynamic equilibrium. A location-for-time-substitution model employed over the longitudinal extent of a 16 km study site assessed the performance of extremal hypotheses in identifying dynamic equilibrium conditions. Numerous extremal hypotheses were successful in identifying the spatial trend, but no means were available to discern differences between them. Thus, this study uses field measurements within the evolutionary trend to propose a new metric for evaluating extremal hypotheses. A thorough review and synthesis of the extremal approach are additionally presented. The new method compares theoretical predictions against field-measured values to determine which extremal hypothesis is most effective in identifying the condition of dynamic equilibrium in a gravel-bed river. Channel width and depth are identified as the dependent stream variables that uniquely differentiate most extremal hypotheses from one another. The results indicate that extremal hypotheses based on energy metrics of the flow are most successful, with the strongest support for minimum kinetic energy and minimum specific stream power.

The indeterminate channel problem arises from uncertainty in finding a closure relation for alluvial channels created by self-organizing erosional and depositional processes. Extremal hypotheses have been proposed as one potential approach to closing the system of governing equations for alluvial channels. Many different extremal hypotheses have been presented, but no substantive evidence has been developed to select which hypothesis may be most appropriate for natural alluvial river systems. This paper evaluates the ability of ten extremal hypotheses to identify dynamic equilibrium across a geomorphic gradient in the remote and undeveloped mid-latitude watershed of Rio Murta, Chile. This study (a) introduces extremal hypotheses, (b) describes the field site and geomorphic conditions, and (c) examines which extremal hypotheses are supported by the field data in identifying the evolutionary trend toward dynamic-equilibrium. The extremal hypotheses that identified dynamic equilibrium within the geomorphic gradient in the field are: (1) minimum kinetic energy, (2) minimum specific stream power, (3) maximum friction factor, and (4) maximum total friction factor, which collectively support minimizing kinetic energy of the system.

Restoration of an alluvial wet-meadow system was conducted in the late 1990s to reestablish hydraulic interactions between the river, floodplain, and groundwater to support aquatic–riparian ecosystem function. A single-discharge approach sized the bankfull channel dimensions to the effective discharge (Qe) and three degrees of channel widening relative to the Qe design were explored to identify which design attained dynamic equilibrium in the shortest time. The three experimental channel designs were implemented with bankfull widths of 96%, 157%, and 191%, respectively, of the Qe geometry. Response trajectories were documented for channel dimensions, sediment mobility, channel morphology, floodplain connectivity, and riparian vegetation for the three channel designs, and the efficacy of a single-discharge approach for restoration was examined. Analysis of 20 years of monitoring data and hydraulic modeling revealed that each design responded differently to the imposed initial channel conditions and evolved at substantially different rates. The design with bankfull dimensions most closely approximating Qe reached dynamic equilibrium within four years of restoration, whereas the moderately over-widened channel (57% larger) exhibited slower responses toward dynamic equilibrium for some metrics and did not fully attain the Qe design dimensions within the monitoring period. The extremely-over-widened channel (91% larger) mainly induced slow rates of bed deposition that are projected to take nearly 300 years for the bankfull dimensions to narrow to the Qe width. All reaches had low bed mobility (bankfull Shields stress < 0.03) 14 years after restoration, demonstrating the challenge of reducing the drivers of channel widening, while maintaining sufficient competence for bedload transport and a sustained supply of coarse bed material for salmonid habitat. Restoration that sizes the channel to Qe can provide rapid dynamic equilibrium, but is a first-order simplification of 1) channel dynamics and 2) the range of flows needed for restoring physical and biological processes in wet-meadow systems.

A remote proglacial stream in Chilean Patagonia was examined at two temporal scales to evaluate the downstream spatial progression of morphodynamics in response to chronic climatic forcing. Historic aerial imagery indicates alluvial channel response to a reduction in glacigenic sediment delivery that is driving reach-scale alterations to the channel planform and affecting the extent and character of geomorphic reaches at centurial timescales. At the decadal timescale, fluvial morphodynamics show a downstream spatial convergence toward dynamic equilibrium. The attainment of dynamic equilibrium is not considered herein, but the trend toward such a condition is discussed. Metrics of flood magnitude, hydraulic energy thresholds, inter-annual energy expenditure, variability of channel dimensions, and continuity of sediment transport capacity illustrate how alluvial systems respond to chronic climatic forcing and deglaciation subject to the constraints of valley conditions. A conceptual proglacial alluvial model is proposed in order to characterize expected fluvial changes and to evaluate the downstream spatial progression. This model is based on a combination of previous observations of alluvial evolution and a location-for-time-substitution approach validated by an intensive 3 year field data collection program.