A study on river regime

White, W.R. and Bettess, R. (1986) A study on river regime. Technical Report. Hydraulics Research Wallingford.

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Abstract

The purpose of regime theory is to predict the size and shape of stable alluvial channels. The theory was first developed from empirical studies based on extensive field measurements. Recent improvements in our understanding of sediment transport processes, however, have introduced the possibility of relating the size of regime channels to these fundamental sediment transport processes. The general approach is described together with a number of extremal hypotheses which have been suggested to determine regime conditions. These extremal hypotheses assume that the channel dimensions are such to maximise or minimise the value of some appropriate functional. The predictions of channel dimensions using various extremal hypotheses and sediment transport relationships are compared with observed channel data. The application of regime theory to natural rivers requires the definition of a dominant discharge. A number of proposed expressions for dominant discharge are investigated and compared with data from gravel rivers.

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