Flow Resistance in Very Rough Channels

Flow resistance in open channels determines the average flow velocity in a river, with important implications for downstream and at-a-station hydraulic geometry and sediment transport in natural channels. However, flow resistance in steep mountain channels is challenging to understand and predict due to heterogeneous channel morphology and spatially variable flow. Using a double-averaging approach appropriate for very rough channels, the width, reach, and double-averaged variables for steady, uniform flow in an open channel are derived. Using an empirical model for the coefficient of form drag, a flow resistance model is derived that compares well to a large data set of flow velocity in natural channels. Several parameters that together describe bed morphology are observed to be relatively consistent in the data set used and compare well to previous estimates of their values. This implies a degree of self-organization in bed morphology that may simplify the challenging problem of predicting flow resistance in steep mountain rivers.ISSN:0043-1397ISSN:1944-797