On the Problem of Meanders

Abstract

The problem of meanders has been discussed for a long time, and yet there are many arguments and opinions on it.The term, meander, is derived from the name of a river in Turkey, the Büyük Menderes. Since it is a universally accepted term, it may be used in katakana in Japanese, but the Chinese character compound, dako, is preferable as an adverb or a verb.There are various theories about the origin of meanders, but there seems to be no established theory. Most theories explain the origin of meanders according to the phenomena associated with them. In the case of hydraulic geometry of stream channels, the study of meandering channels may be the most advanced field of research. There are many relationships between the geometry of meanders and hydrualic quantity; however, little is known quantitatively about the interrelationships among the parameters such as discharge, slope, size of bed and bank materials, etc.Two opposing views exist regarding the origin of incised meanders. One view recognizes the inheritance from free meanders, but it is not accpted by others. It is doubtful that meanders can develop on relatively “steep” slopes of 30° or so, judging from present surrounding landforms. Dury (1964, 1965) dealt intensively with meandering valleys and underfit streams, but he did not explain the origin of incised meanders specifically. However, there is a possibility in Dury's theory for considering meanders from the viewpoint of climatic geomorphology in responding to criticisms such as that of Hack (1965).