Hydromorphology as a component part of ecological condition of water bodies

Today, the study of fluvial-morphological processes is focused on evaluating hydromorfological status of streams and on proposing restoration measures. A fundamental prerequisite for assessing the current hydromorphological status of streams is establishing reference conditions for each stream type that serve as a benchmark and represent the target status after restoration. The aim of this thesis is to describe type-specific hydromorphological reference conditions for rivers on the territory of the Czech Republic with the help of determining river types, developing the REFCON method for establishing reference sites and recording characteristics of reference status. The approach to establishing reference sites is based on meeting the criteria of having minimal anthropogenic impact that are first assessed using cartographic data and subsequently verified through field survey. Parameters - altitude, sinuosity, and valley floor slope - for classifying river reaches into types were determined on the basis of the results of statistical methods applied on 3197 river reaches covering the whole territory of the Czech Republic. The classification of river reaches into 9 river types was verified through field survey at 44 sites. Detailed field survey and measurements of characteristics of natural channel..