Fish assemblages and stream hydraulics: consistent relations across spatial scales and regions

General relationships between organisms and their habitat, consistent across spatial scales and regions, suggest the existence of repeatable ecological processes and are useful for the management of stream networks. From published data, we defined four guilds of European fish species with contrasting preferences for microhabitat hydraulics within stream reaches. At the scale of stream reaches and across 139 French sites (590 460 fishes sampled), we analysed how fish guild proportions were related to reach hydraulics (proportion of pools vs. riffles %POOL; median discharge by unit width Q50/W). The strongest correlations were observed between two fish guilds and %POOL (p < 0.001, r² ≥ 0.41) and between one fish guild proportion and Q50/W (p < 0.001, r² = 0.10). These reach–scale relationships were consistent across six large French basins, and consistent with the analyses made at the microhabitat scale. Therefore, microhabitat preferences for hydraulics are strong enough to generate consistent reach‐scale community responses to hydraulics across regions, despite the influence of other filters such as temperature, nutrient levels or history. The distribution of basic geomorphic features (pools, riffles) in streams and their modification (by dams, weirs and dikes) can modify the proportion of fish guilds by up to 80%, probably contributing to the long‐term decline of riffle‐dwelling species in Europe. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于聚类和动态LOD的三维地形建模方法

为提高基于DEM高程数据的三维大地形绘制效率,提出基于K-means聚类和动态LOD的三维地形建模方法。对高程数据集使用K-means聚类分析方法,发现地形数据的自相似性,建立数据采样点与地貌特征分类的自动关联;依据采样点的地貌属性值完成粗化处理,构建不规则三角网模型;采用局部优化算法进行有限域内的三角形分裂以实现三角网的动态更新,结合克里金插值法实现插入点的精确计算,形成LOD层次细节多分辨率模型。实验结果表明,该方法对不同类型地形都获得了较高的数据简化率,提高了三维模型的绘制效率,具有较好的地形特征保持性。     

Large wood aids spawning Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in marginal habitat on a regulated river in California

To determine whether large wood (LW, ≥1‐m length, ≥10‐cm diameter) plays a role in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) redd (i.e. egg nest) placements in a regulated, Mediterranean‐climate, medium‐sized river (where channel width is less than the upper quartile of length of potential instream wood pieces), characteristics of 527 large wood pieces, locations of 650 redds, and mesohabitat delineations (riffle, run, glide, pool) were collected during a spawning season along a 7.7 km reach directly below Camanche Dam on the Mokelumne River, CA. LW was regularly distributed across the study reach an average 70 LW pieces km^‐1. Some LW clustering was evident at islands and meander bends. Spawners built 85% of redds within one average channel width (31 m) of LW. Spawners utilized LW within a 10 m radius 36% of the time in the upper 3 km rehabilitated reach, and 44% of the time in the lower 4.7 km marginal habitat reach. A greater percentage of LW was utilized in riffles in the upper 3 km reach where 90% of redds were built, while a larger percentage of spawners used LW in riffles in the lower 4.7 km reach. LW‐redd interactions occurred at greater rates than by random chance alone in the lower 4.7 km reach, which implies that LW aids spawning in marginal habitats. River managers and salmonid spawning habitat rehabilitation (SHR) projects should take LW additions into consideration as an important component of river rehabilitation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LINKING RIVER MANAGEMENT TO SPECIES CONSERVATION USING DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE‐SCALE MODELS

Efforts to conserve stream and river biota could benefit from tools that allow managers to evaluate landscape‐scale changes in species distributions in response to water management decisions. We present a framework and methods for integrating hydrology, geographic context and metapopulation processes to simulate effects of changes in streamflow on fish occupancy dynamics across a landscape of interconnected stream segments. We illustrate this approach using a 482 km² catchment in the southeastern US supporting 50 or more stream fish species. A spatially distributed, deterministic and physically based hydrologic model is used to simulate daily streamflow for sub‐basins composing the catchment. We use geographic data to characterize stream segments with respect to channel size, confinement, position and connectedness within the stream network. Simulated streamflow dynamics are then applied to model fish metapopulation dynamics in stream segments, using hypothesized effects of streamflow magnitude and variability on population processes, conditioned by channel characteristics. The resulting time series simulate spatially explicit, annual changes in species occurrences or assemblage metrics (e.g. species richness) across the catchment as outcomes of management scenarios. Sensitivity analyses using alternative, plausible links between streamflow components and metapopulation processes, or allowing for alternative modes of fish dispersal, demonstrate large effects of ecological uncertainty on model outcomes and highlight needed research and monitoring. Nonetheless, with uncertainties explicitly acknowledged, dynamic, landscape‐scale simulations may prove useful for quantitatively comparing river management alternatives with respect to species conservation. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Quasi‐equilibrium conditions of urban gravel‐bed stream channels in southern Ontario,Canada

Urban gravel‐bed stream channels in southern Ontario, Canada identified to be in a state of quasi‐equilibrium have been studied over the past 15 years and compared against rural gravel bed stream channels of the same hydrophysiographic region. Bankfull width and depth versus bankfull discharge were not found to increase as a function of increasing urbanization as has been found in many other studies. The observed annual frequency of bankfull discharge was typically less than a 1‐year return period with many sites ranging between 2 and 18 bankfull events per year with higher intensity and shorter duration urban flood responses, which further identified significant limitations in using annual peak discharge methods for predicting morphological forming flows in urban watersheds. The cumulative volume of bankfull and larger flood events from the urban stream channels were very similar to the same annual event volumes in the rural comparison study reaches. Bed material supply was found to decrease with increasing urbanization and the reduction in bed material supply appears to be off‐set by the smaller bankfull channel width, depth and access to floodplains during large flood events. Field evidence may also suggest a even greater reduction in channel width trajectory, relative to the rural setting, with expansive floodplains to maintain quasi‐equilibrium conditions as bed material supply continues to decrease with increased anthropogenic activity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydromorphology Meets Mammal Ecology: River Morphological Quality,Recent Channel Adjustments and Otter Resilience

The need for a multidisciplinary approach for characterizing water bodies in terms of morphological, chemical and ecological quality has hastened the growth of hydromorphology as a cross‐disciplinary topic at the interface of hydrology, geomorphology and ecology. Many authors have analysed how hydroecology may affect freshwater biodiversity, although little is known about how this biodiversity might be affected by river morphological quality. We examined how well the presence of the semi‐aquatic Eurasian otter can be predicted by the rivers' morphological quality and its adjustments over the last decades. We tested the morphological quality index (MQI) methodology in 38 reaches of five rivers in southern Italy, 23 of which were positive to otter presence. In each reach, we examined 28 indicators contributing to the MQI and its 11 sub‐indices. The results showed a significant relationship between the probability of the presence of otters, MQI, and some sub‐indices. The best performing sub‐indices were related to channel adjustments and the continuity of river processes. A more detailed analysis of channel adjustments showed a detrimental effect of channel incision (>3 m) and a positive effect of narrowing, particularly where it occurred simultaneously with the development of forest in the new floodplain. The continuity of river processes has driven the migration of river banks and the development of ponds and secondary channels, likely increasing the availability of dens and resting sites and the hunting capabilities of otters. Our results stressed the importance of fluvial dynamics and sustainable adaptive river management for the habitat quality of semi‐aquatic species. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

THREE‐DIMENSIONAL SEISMIC GEOMORPHOLOGY OF PALEOKARST IN THE CRETACEOUS MACAÉ GROUP CARBONATES,CAMPOS BASIN,BRAZIL

Three‐dimensional seismic data from an oilfield in the Campos Basin, SE Brazil, was used to characterize a karstified unconformity surface at the top of the Albian – Cenomanian Macaé Group. Macaé Group carbonates underwent intense karstification associated with subaerial exposure during a period of some 10 to 15 Ma resulting in the development of canyons, valleys, sinkholes and cave systems. The carbonates host commercial oil accumulations at a number of important oil fields. Understanding how the karstification process has affected the carbonates' reservoir properties is essential for future exploration, not only to improve recovery rates but also to avoid drilling‐related issues such as thief zones. In this context, this study aims to characterize the top‐Macaé Group paleokarst system by investigating the morphology of the associated reflectors recorded on seismic data, together with endokarst features in the underlying carbonate succession such as cave systems and collapse structures. The top‐Macaé Group seismic horizon can be divided into two principal geomorphological domains: highlands, characterized by abrupt relief with well‐developed erosional features; and lowlands, marked by a smoother topography. Collapse sinkholes occur in both domains and take the form of closed circular depressions. The study of endokarst features from an analysis of amplitude anomalies (bright spots) indicates the presence of heterogeneous cave systems. The interpreted data contributes to a better understanding of the spatial distribution of the paleokarst system in the Macaé Group carbonates and may assist with future hydrocarbon exploration in the Campos Basin.     

天津滨海新区全新世沉积特征和沉积过程

从地貌、沉积和年代等方面分析了天津滨海新区的形成演变过程。研究区中部和南部主要为不同时期的古黄河三角洲,每期古黄河三角洲发育时均形成前三角洲、三角洲前缘和潮间带等沉积层序,三角洲的不同部位分别形成河控三角洲和潮控三角洲,三角洲废弃后,形成三角洲平原—贝壳堤—滨海沙坝的地貌体系。研究区北部的沉积层序和地貌特征反映了少泥沙河流在海洋动力逐渐减弱条件下的河海相互作用过程。     

IDENTIFICATION OF FLUVIAL WOOD USING GOOGLE EARTH

Fluvial wood has long been known to enhance stream complexity by creating aquatic habitat and by increasing complexity in channel hydraulics and morphology. Although the presence and dynamics of large wood in river floodplains have been studied in a multitude of settings due to its importance in monitoring and managing ecohydrologic systems, limitations occur when studying fluvial wood on a basin scale. I postulate that with the employment of Google Earth, satellite images may be used to identify large wood and measure floodplain width across broader spatial scales previously inhibited by expensive and incomplete geospatial data. In this study, large wood was correctly identified within the floodplain of the Queets River, Washington, USA, through Google Earth; however, correct identification within the wetted channel was only possible during low flow if at least 50% was above water level. Within the study area, fluvial channel widths are measured as well. Google Earth proves to be an effective tool to discern large wood across greater spatial scales if the high‐resolution imagery is available for the study area. Results of statistical analyses derived from the downstream hydraulic geometry of the river reveal that this channel is influenced by bankfull width, the orientation of the wood to the channel, and whether it is located on a bar or within the wetted channel. In addition, wood counts analyzed in the context of the geometry of the river indicate that the fluvial wood has an influence on overall channel behavior. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating bedload transport rates in a gravel-bed river using seismic impact plates: Model development and application

A data-driven, uncertainty-bound estimation technique for bedload transport rates is developed based on passive sensing devices. The model converts sediment samples to a mass in transit for each instantaneous discharge according to impacts detected and a Monte Carlo simulation of the load determined at random from the particle size distribution. Using impact count data autogenically produces a supply-limited, location-specific and high-resolution time-series of bedload rates, while the probabilistic approach inherently accommodates the stochastic nature of bedload transport. Application to the River Avon (Devon, U.K.) provides cross-sectional bedload rate estimates within the bounds of experimental data and calibrated to observed field behaviour. This new procedure offers an alternative ‘class’ of bedload estimation to existing approaches and has the potential for wide-ranging applications in river management and restoration, while contributing to the integration of ‘big data’ into a progressive agenda for hydrogeomorphology research.