Hydraulics and morphology of mountain rivers; literature survey

Present knowledge on fluvial processes in mountain rivers should be expanded to enable the development of projects dealing with mountain rivers or mountain-river catchment areas. This study reviews research on hydraulic and morphological features of mountain rivers. A major characteristic of mountain rivers is the variability of the hydraulic and morphological parameters. Flows can change from extremely non-uniform flow over large roughness elements at low stages to relatively uniform flow at high stages. The irregularity of geometry complicates the modelling of the turbulent, non-uniform and/or unsteady behaviour of water and sediment. It can be concluded that, due to the complexity of the conditions observed, a proper, general description of sediment movements in mountain rivers is not possible yet. Description or prediction of morphological developments at present is limited to exceptionally isolated phenomena. Morphological responses of a river to a flood depend on (i) the size-distribution of the bed material and (ii) the distribution in time and place of hydrographs and sediment supply. The effects and relevancy of extreme hydraulic conditions have to be investigated, to enable description and prediction of long-term morphological evolution. Considering the importance of extreme, and subsequently low-frequency variables, the prospect of theoretical simulation models of morphological processes in mountain rivers seems rather remote.Civil Engineering and Geoscience