Velocity profile and depth-averaged to surface velocity in natural streams: A review over alarge sample of rivers

Abstract

For measuring flood discharge with non-intrusive methods, one should know the depth-averaged to surface velocity ratio α. In this paper, a large sample of gauging (3611 gaugings over 176 sites of EDF-DTG) realized with a current meter are analyzed to compute α with three methods: fitting of a log- and a power-law and using the measured surface velocity. Results show that the three methods give very similar results, with a mean value of α of about 0.8, with few dispersion (5th and 95th percentile values being about 0.7 and 0.9). A link between α and the water depth is established, as α increases with the hydraulic radius. The link between α and the bed roughness, or between α and the relative roughness (Rh/d50) is not clear. Results only shows that the mean value of α is 0.8 for natural rivers (sandy, pebbly or boulders rivers), and 0.9 for artificial concrete channels.