Self-Adjustment Process of Flow Pathway in a Narrow Curved Channel

Abstract

This study focuses on river bed fluctuation of the curved channel with channel width narrowing, where is located in the inlet of the old meandering river with 30 (m) width from straightened one with 80 (m) in the Kushiro Wetland. From field survey, in response to change in water and sediment discharges, significant streamwise variation in water flow width in the curved channel adjusts in order to establish the dynamic equilibrium. Along the outer bank of curved channel, the secular bed deposit beside the outer bank is increasing, and as a result, the main streamline flows into the old river along the inner bank as left bank. Moreover, this narrowing curved channel easily leads to overspill some flood water including rich suspended sediment and to deposit some fine sand near channel side flood plain. We intend to explain above significant bed variations by using movable bed experiments with the distorted model. As a result, we suggest, though qualitatively, that the existence of the sandbar upstream of the curved channel causes the autonomous specification of the flow path width in the curved channel with a narrowing width, and that this flow path is formed.