Impact of river regulation on gravel bar decline and vegetation expansion over recent decades

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61988987%3A17310%2F25%3AA2603B45" target="_blank" >RIV/61988987:17310/25:A2603B45 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0341816225002127" target="_blank" >https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0341816225002127</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.108910" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.catena.2025.108910</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Impact of river regulation on gravel bar decline and vegetation expansion over recent decades

Original language description

Many gravel-bed rivers in the Carpathians have undergone extensive regulation that has completely changed their geomorphic regime. Formerly rich in gravel bars, these river systems are now deprived of geomorphologically effective flows and sediment supply, resulting in the disappearance of gravel bars or the loss of their natural dynamic behavior due to vegetation overgrowth. This study examines the effects of regulations on the development of gravel bars by comparing the historical condition in the 1950s (with limited human influence) with the recent period (2000-2022), and by analyzing the effectiveness of hydrological events and the development of in-channel vegetation in the recent period, in two heavily regulated gravel-bed rivers: the dammed Ostravice and the free-flowing Olse. Rivers with abundant gravel bars underwent extensive channel regulations in the 1950s, which significantly reduced bar widths and lengths, as well as the total area of gravel bars. Hydrologically effective flows during bar reworking were associated with large floods (1997, 2010) or high flows in 2014, an effect facilitated by the previous flood event and the lack of resistance of highly vegetated bar surfaces. The remainder of the study period experienced progressive vegetation succession or only partial bar reworking. Overall, the dammed river showed more profound shifts in gravel bar morphology towards progressive bar narrowing and elongation and rapid vegetation succession than the less regulated river. This study provides insights into the development of gravel bars in regulated rivers of Central Europe, and highlights, from a management perspective, the potential loss of ecologically valuable habitats.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10508 - Physical geography

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

CATENA

ISSN

0341-8162

e-ISSN

1872-6887

Volume of the periodical

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Issue of the periodical within the volume

June 2025

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

20

Pages from-to

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UT code for WoS article

001460002800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105001375365