Planform evolution of neck cutoffs on elongate meander loops, White River, Arkansas, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-22-2016

Abstract

During the formation of a neck cutoffon a compound elongate loop, the upstream and downstream limbs can become oriented roughly subparallel with flow in opposite directions separated by a narrow meander neck. Immediately following cutoffof this thin neck, flow from the upstream limb is sharply redirected into the downstream limb over a short distance, leading to complex patterns of three-dimensional velocities that have implications for the evolution of the cutoffchannel and the transformation of the abandoned bend into an oxbow lake. This paper investigates the process dynamics and planform evolution of neck cutoffand oxbow lake formation using measurements of flow velocities and time-series analysis of aerial photography for three neck cutoffs along the White River, Arkansas (USA)-each representing a different stage in the morphologic evolution from cutoffto oxbow lake. Results from this study suggest that the planform geometry of neck cutoffon an elongate meander loop can influence the spatial patterns of sediment erosion and deposition within the abandoned loop leading to increased hydrologic connectivity to the main channel, and contribute to the overall morphodynamics of highly sinuous meandering rivers.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

River Flow 2016: Iowa City, USA, July 11-14, 2016

Number

520

First Page

1730

Last Page

1735

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