Paper Title
Modifications of the Bed of a River under Extreme Flow Conditions
Abstract
In the current context of climate change, the impact of extreme events that have become very frequent irreversibly alters the fluvial dynamics of the watercourse. In this work, degradation phenomena in fluvial beds having uniform sediments is explored experimentally under extreme flow conditions. Laboratory experiments were conducted in a rectangular cross-section channel for different flow conditions, channel characteristics, and sediment properties at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (Strasbourg, France). Tests were carried out in two conditions: (1) equilibrium condition, where, once the steady and uniform flow conditions were achieved for a given slope and discharge, the channel was fed with variable sediment discharges until the bed-load sediment transport achieved an equilibrium condition; and (2) non equilibrium condition, where the sediment feeding was instantaneously stopped, and the bed levels were measured over time. Experimental results enabled assessing the erosion rates and determining the empirical mathematical model to predict the bed level changes.
Keywords - Climate Change, Environmental Impact, Fluvial Beds, Sediment, Sediment Disposition, Erosion.