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Chapter 1 - Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 April 2020

Bruce L. Rhoads
Affiliation:
University of Illinois
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Summary

This introductory chapter discusses what a river is; why rivers are important, both as natural features that shape the Earth’s surface and as resources for society; the science of fluvial geomorphology, including a brief history of this field; the process-oriented perspective of the book; rivers as dynamic natural systems; general concepts, such as dynamic equilibrium, thresholds, and nonlinear system dynamics, that have been employed to describe the dynamics of river systems; and the importance of both physical processes and environmental/historical contingency as factors influencing the dynamics of river systems. It presents a conceptual model defining rivers as dynamic systems characterized by interaction among flow, sediment transport, and channel form. It defines a hierarchy of spatial and temporal scales relevant to the characterization of river systems.

Type
Chapter
Information
River Dynamics
Geomorphology to Support Management
, pp. 1 - 14
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Introduction
  • Bruce L. Rhoads, University of Illinois
  • Book: River Dynamics
  • Online publication: 30 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108164108.001
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Save book to Dropbox

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  • Introduction
  • Bruce L. Rhoads, University of Illinois
  • Book: River Dynamics
  • Online publication: 30 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108164108.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • Bruce L. Rhoads, University of Illinois
  • Book: River Dynamics
  • Online publication: 30 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108164108.001
Available formats
×