Methods in Geomorphology: Investigating River Channel Form

Abstract

No single approach effectively synthesizes analysis of river channel form. The diversity of river channels renders research aims and site specificity critical to any investigation, framed within an open-ended approach to enquiry. This inevitably entails a trade-off between resolution, scale, and time: information collected must reflect the specific needs of the task at hand at a given site. In this article, investigative techniques used to assess river channel form are appraised in relation to channel planform, cross section, long profile, and three-dimensional morphology. Analysis of three-dimensional forms provides the most rigorous approach to link form adjustment to channel processes, enabling predictive modeling of river behavior.