Effect of altered flow regime on bankfull area of the Lower Yellow River, China

Abstract The adjustment of the bankfull channel area in the Lower Yellow River has been dramatically affected by altered flow regimes caused by human activities. This paper presents a study on the effects of altered discharge and suspended sediment load on the bankfull area at Gaocun, a representative hydrometric station in the Lower Yellow River. The analysis demonstrates the cumulative effect of previous years' flow and sediment conditions on channel adjustment, a phenomenon commonly occurring in geomorphic systems due to the delayed channel response to flow and sediment conditions. A methodology for the prediction of bankfull area was developed based on the general concept that the rate of adjustment is proportional to the difference between the bankfull area and its equilibrium value. The proposed methodology is not only applicable for the prediction of the bankfull area in response to the changes in flow and sediment conditions in the Lower Yellow River, but can also be extended to other studies where the response times have a key role to play in the assessment of channel adjustment to external changes. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.