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THE BANKFULL DISCHARGE OF A MOUNTAINOUS ANTHROPIZED RIVER: HOW RELEVANT IS FOR THE CHANNEL GEOMORPHOLOGY?

Valeriu Stoilov–Linu, Mihai Niculiță, Dan Dumitriu

Abstract

The paper applies the concept of bankfull discharge for a mountainous anthropized (both in terms of channel, floodplain, and catchment) river: Bistricioara river, Eastern Carpathians, Romania. A review of the literature is done, and several methods are chosen, both based on gauge data and on fieldwork measurements: discharge frequency, hydraulic geometry, and the Gauckler?Manning formula. The resulting discharges are compared to the historical gauge data and are correlated to the long-term channel topography variability monitoring to establish if this concept is valid in the study area context. The results show that the channel is quite stable, even over bankfull discharge, and that important changes appear only at the most important floods. Fieldwork data in between the gauge locations is also used to assess the channel evolution. The results raise an important issue regarding the validity of the bankfull discharge in the geomorphology of the river channels, at least in some context. The Bistricioara river channel is partially stabilized, as is the floodplain. The catchment is partially anthropized from the land-use point of view, and the natural hydrology is altered, but many parts evolve in a non-altered state. The channel is very stable in these conditions, and its lateral and vertical adjustments are small, even at bankfull discharge. In this context, the concept of bankfull discharge only applies if we consider its size to be variable and not only related to actual methods of estimation, especially in anthropized catchments.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2020v/1.3/s02.11

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