In‐channel woody vegetation controls on sedimentary processes and the sedimentary record within alluvial environments: a modern example of an anabranch of the River Loire, France

Abstract

AbstractA multidisciplinary approach was used to analyse the role of pioneer trees (Populus nigra) on bar formation in the modern fluvial system of the River Loire (France). Data were collected on seven plots located on a secondary channel, chosen for their vegetation cover and their sedimentary context. Physical features of vegetation, topographical evolution, sediment grain size and flow velocity were investigated during and after floods between 2001 and 2003. Woody vegetation responds morphologically to fast‐flowing waters and sediment deposition. These adaptations influence the role played by trees on local sedimentary processes. Some morphological types of trees exert a strong influence during flood events by deflecting, reducing or increasing the flow energy. As a consequence, the evolution of bedforms, distribution of sediment grain size and slopes are controlled by the flood type, the morphological context (i.e. high‐ or low‐energy zones), the morphology of the vegetated bar and the characteristics of vegetation. Conceptual models are proposed to account for local processes and evolution of tree groves. The first model, which describes the behaviour of groves during a single flood, underlines the sediment deposition downstream of the trees and the trapping of bedload sediments. During the falling stage of the flood, the reorientation of current streams, constrained by both local bed topography and woody vegetation, induces transverse sediment fluxes. For these water levels, the control exerted by trees on small‐scale sedimentary processes becomes significant. The second model shows the evolution of vegetation bands over several flood events. In particular, it describes the influence of vegetation on the fixing and reworking of bedload sediments during the falling limb of the hydrograph. The coalescence of vegetation‐induced bedforms and the resulting morphological changes increase the deflection power of the vegetated bar, inducing the deposition of finer sediments.