CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Egozi, R.; and Ashmore, P.
Date : 2005.
Title : A comparison of braiding intensity indices.
Publication : Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association of Geographer. Tuesday, May 31 to Saturday, to June 4, 2005. University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario.
Issue :
Page(s) :
Abstract
In order to assess variation in the complexity of braided river planforms in relation to external controls it is necessary to choose or devise reliable measurements of the braided channel network characteristics. Previous studies on braided river channel pattern have developed a number of such measurements and indices for 'braiding intensity' used to measure the complexity of the channel pattern (e.g. Brice, 1964; Howard et al., 1970; Rust, 1978; Mosley, 1981; Germanoski and Schumm, 1993). Most of the existing descriptors of braiding intensity attempt to quantify the channel network usually as static snap shot of the braided pattern as seen on aerial photographs (e.g. Brice, 1964; Hong & Davies, 1979; Tal et al. 2004) or based on topographic maps (e.g. Howard et al. 1970; Friend & Sinha, 1993) and at unknown discharge or stage. Furthermore, the effects of additional variables such as confinement, vegetation, channel migration or recent flood history on the apparent braiding intensity are not known. At present it is unclear which of these indices is preferable or if, in fact, they all yield equivalent information. It is also unclear over what length or time the braided pattern should be measured in order to get a stable, precise measurement of braiding intensity. Therefore our study directly compares the various braiding intensity indices, measured from vertical images every hour for 72 hours, at channel-forming flows in three experimental physical models with differing complexity and stability of braided pattern.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology