Alluvial Morphodynamics of Bedrock Reaches Transporting Mixed‐Size Sand. Laboratory Experiments

Abstract

AbstractResearch on the morphodynamics of bedrock rivers has primarily focused on bedrock incision, and little is known about the alluvial morphodynamics of rivers with exposed bedrock surfaces. More specifically, there is a lack of information on the morphodynamics of low slope bedrock reaches due to the recent recognition of such systems. Here, we present the results of laboratory experiments specifically designed to gain novel insight into flow resistances, flow hydrodynamics, and sediment transport processes in equilibrium partially exposed bedrock reaches transporting nonuniform sand as bed material in low slope areas. The experiments show that (1) downstream of a stable alluvial‐bedrock transition flow depth decreases in the streamwise direction, (2) bedform amplitude may decrease in the streamwise direction, and (3) stable patterns of downstream fining may form. Given the bedrock geometry, the water surface elevation at downstream boundary and the characteristics of the bedform regime in an alluvial channel subject to the same flow rate and sediment supply at equilibrium control bedform characteristics and sediment sorting patterns in the bedrock reach. When this distance is significantly smaller than the alluvial equilibrium flow depth or when the alluvial equilibrium bedform regime is close to the dune‐antidune transition, bedforms in the bedrock reach are closer to the dune‐antidune transition than at alluvial equilibrium with a consequent reduction in bedform amplitude. If the distance between the water level at the downstream boundary and the bedrock surface is close to the alluvial equilibrium flow depth and the alluvial equilibrium bedforms are well in the dune regime, a stable pattern of downstream fining can be expected. The comparisons between experimental and modeled sediment transport rates and equilibrium grain size distributions of the sediment further show that surface‐based bedload transport models derived for alluvial systems reasonably predict equilibrium sediment transport rates and bed surface size distributions in bedrock reaches if the presence of exposed bedrock is accounted for in terms of alluvial cover fraction.