The Shape of Rivers

About the lecture

In this first module, we look at the shape over rivers and how it changes as a river flows through a landscape. We focus on: (i) the significance of rivers in our society; (ii) a cross section of a river, pointing out its key structures and features; (iii) some examples of rivers from across the world; (iv) how the shape of a river might change as it passes through a landscape, focussing on river discharge, velocity, gradient and depth; (v) a case study of a river in the UK (The River Wharfe).

About the lecturer

I am an Associate Professor in Water Research, with a general interest in earth surface forms and processes, applied to a range of environments. Over the last few decades I have developed an expertise in high resolution field surveys of complex topographies and methods of parameterising these to quantify fluxes and better understand surface processes. I apply this to a variety of environmental settings both in the UK and overseas, including: The effect of hydrological processes and flooding in major African river systems on malaria transmission at both the catchment and continental scale. Better understanding the operation and benefits of Natural Flood Management techniques (from Large Woody Dams to peatland restoration) and consequences of other events (e.g. gravel mining, UK peatland wildfires) for water and sediment transport. Producing better estimates of glacier ice surface melt by understanding and quantifying near-surface heat fluxes and surveying melt rates morphometrically.