High-Resolution Analysis of Debris Flow–Induced Channel Changes in a Headwater Stream, Ashio Mountains, Japan*

Abstract

Coupled hillslope and channel processes in headwater streams (HWS) lead to rapid changes in channel dimensions. Changes in channel size and shape caused by a debris flow event along the length of a headwater stream in the Ashio Mountains, Japan, were captured with the aid of repeat high-definition surveys using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques. The HWS was classified into three distinct reaches below the debris flow initiation zone. A large knickpoint separated an upper bedrock reach from a colluvial reach along the midsection of the drainage. The colluvial reach transitioned to a lower bedrock reach that terminated at the master stream. Cross-sectional and morphometric analyses revealed no statistically significant changes in channel size or shape along the upper bedrock reach. Debris flow erosion generated significant differences in channel size and shape along a colluvial reach. Sediment bulking associated with erosion along the colluvial reach led to increases in channel size along the lower bedrock reach, but no statistical differences in channel shape. Morphometric analyses from the TLS point cloud revealed that debris flow erosion produced a distinct nonlinear change in channel dimensions in the downstream direction within the HWS. Variations in channel substrate along the length of HWS contributed directly to this nonlinear response. The episodic nature and nonlinearity of erosion associated with the current debris flow event highlights the importance of debris flows in general in understanding the transport of sediment, coarse to fine particulate organic material, and large woody debris, which are critical to the long-term management of riverine environments. TLS sampling methods show promise as one component of a multianalytical approach needed to continuously monitor and manage the dynamics of HWS.