Flood plain and channel dynamics of the Quinault and Queets Rivers, Washington, USA
Connor JE, Jones MA, Haluska TL. 2003. Flood plain and channel dynamics of the Quinault and Queets Rivers, Washington, USA. Geomorphology. 51(2003):31-59
From the Abstract: "Observations from this study and previous studies on the Queets River show that channel and flood-plain dynamics and morphology are affected by interactions between flow, sediment, and standing and entrained wood, some of which likely involve time frames imilar to 200-500 year flood-plain half-lives. On the upper Quinault River and Queets River, log jams promote bar growth and consequent channel shifting, short-distance avulsions, and meander cutoffs, resulting in mobile and wide active channels. On the lower Quinault River, large portions of the channel are stable and flow within vegetated flood plains. However, locally, channel-spanning log jams have caused channel avulsions within reaches that have been subsequently mobile for several decades. In all three reaches, log jams appear to be areas of conifer germination and growth that may later further influence channel and flood-plain conditions on long time scales by forming flood-plain areas resistant to channel migration and by providing key members of future log jams. Appreciation of these processes and dynamics and associated temporal and spatial scales is necessary to formulate effective long-tem approaches to managing fluvial ecosystems in forested environments."
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Connor, Jim; Jones, Myrtle; Haluska, Tana
- Units
- OLYM
- Keywords
- Aquatic Sciences, channel migration, Flood Plain, hydraulogy, Large Woody Debris, logging impacts, Olympic National Park, Queets River Watershed, Quinault River Watershed, Sediment Transport