Modeling Low Flow Hydraulics in Alluvial Channels (pools-Riffles, Open)
The investigation of the flow condition has become important in recent years as a means of determining critical levels of water pollution, aquatic habitat and instream flow needs. To assess these critical conditions, it is necessary to predict the hydraulic response of a river system to a given low flow discharge. Conventional flow models, however, are often inaccurate at low discharges due to the geometric and hydraulic channel features peculiar to these flow conditions. The dominant channel feature at low stages is the pool-riffle sequence, where pools are distinguished by deep, slow moving water and riffles by shallow, relatively rapid moving flow. Conventional flow models have difficulty effectively representing the highly nonprismatic channel geometry, the rapidly changing flow hydraulics, and the dominating influence of flow resistance characteristic of pool-riffle sequences.
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign