Structure and utilisation possibilities of channel digital model in example of Vistula river in Warsaw

Abstract

Abstract Structure and utilisation possibilities of channel digital model in example of Vistula river in Warsaw. During the analysis of channel processes, high dynamicity of fluvial environments in the area of Polish Lowland imposes the necessity to use spatial channel models, always defined for specific flow conditions. In this paper, a procedure to construct a digital model of the Vistula channel zone morphology in a GIS environment has been proposed, based on: results of the bathymetric examinations conducted by means of an assembly consisting of an echosounder coupled with a DGPS receiver; GNSS RTK measurements; analysis of remote sensing materials and digital terrain model. Examples regarding the use of so created models to characterise the environment of the Warsaw Vistula channel have been presented. The Vistula channel within the examined segment is a form with diverse morphodynamics. It consists of a quasi-natural zone, characterised by a relative ease of erosion and deposition processes, and an engineered channel zone. Apart from the hydrotechnical structures, a factor which conditions the character of contemporary channel processes along the engineered segment is its geological structure, mainly morphology and lithology of the contemporary Vistula alluvia substratum.