Understanding the Planform Complexity and Morphodynamic Properties of Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh: Protection and Exploitation of Riparian Areas

Abstract

The Brahmaputra River (BR) is a heavily braided river, due to various intricate paths, high discharge variability and bank erodibility, as well as multi-channel features, which, in turn, cause huge energy dissipation. The river also experiences anastomosing planform changes in response to seasonal water and sediment waves, resulting in a morphology with extreme complexity. The purpose of this study was to provide detailed and quantitative insights into the properties of planform complexity and dynamics of channel patterns that can complement previous studies. This was achieved by investigating the applicability of the anastomosing classification on the Brahmaputra river’s planform, and computing disorder/unpredictability and complexity of fluctuations using the notion of entropy and uniformity of energy conversion rate by the channels, by means of a power spectral density approach. In addition, we also evaluated their correlation with discharge as a dynamic imprint of river systems on alluvial landscapes, in order to test the hypothesis that river flow may be responsible for the development of anastomosing planforms. The analysis suggests that higher discharge values could lead to less complex planform and less fluctuations on the alluvial landscape, as compared to lower discharge values. The proposed framework has significant potential to assist in understanding the response of complex alluvial planform under flow dynamics for the BR and other similar systems.