Hydrology, Water Resources and River Engineering 2013

Final Project (River Engineering)

Rivers with a bed and banks composed of mobile sediment and/or soil flowing on alluvium (layers of loose
unconsolidated erodible soil or sediment) are called alluvial rivers. A state that does not change in time is called an
equilibrium state, and the longitudinal profile of a river in an equilibrium state is called an equilibrium longitudinal
river bed profile. Let us think of an equilibrium longitudinal bed profile of an alluvial river under given conditions.
Only bedload is taken into account as sediment transport. The time variation of bed elevation is then assumed
to be described in the form

qb
+
=0
t
x

where is the river bed elevation, qb is the sediment transport rate per unit width, and x is the streamwise coordinate
the origin of which is taken at the upstream end. Note that porosity of sediment is ignored in the above equation.
It is not only sediment transport that causes the time variation of bed elevation. Tectonic uplift induced by
subduction of a continental plate under another plate also causes a bed elevation change. Suppose that the whole
region of our concern is uplifted at the constant speed (this takes place in mountain ranges), and the time variation
of bed elevation due to both sediment transport and tectonic uplift can be written in the form
qb
+
=
t
x
Assuming that the river width and the flow discharge are uniform in the whole reach, answer the following
questions:
1. Denoting the sediment transport rate at the upstream end (x = 0) by qb0 , find the distribution of the sediment
transport rate qb as a function of x in an equilibrium state.
2. Find the cross-sectional average flow velocity U and the flow depth H as functions of x in an equilibrium
state with the use of the normal flow assumption that the bed shear stress and the streamwise component of
the gravity force are assumed to be in balance. Note that the bed shear stress can be expressed by
b = C f U 2
where C f is the friction coefficient, which is assumed to be a constant for simplicity herein. In addition,
the streamwise component of the gravity force is gHS, where is the density of water, g is the gravity

qb0

qb

x
L

Definition diagram. Note that the profile shown here is not necessarily correct.

acceleration, and S is the bed slope expressed by

S=

3. Suppose that the sediment transport rate per unit width qb can be approximately expressed by
3/2

qb = b

Find the equilibrium longitudinal bed profile as a function of x. Use the boundary condition that = 0
at the downstream end (x = L). Show a conceptual diagram of the bed profile. What is the elevation at the
upstream end?
4. Precipitation increases due to the global climate change, and the river flow discharge increases in the whole
region. Discuss how the longitudinal river bed profile is affected by the discharge increase. What happens
to the elevation at the upstream end?
Important!!! Do not discuss with others! If you are found to copy somebody elses results, you and the
somebody else will get no score.
Due 17:00 February 7, 2014