The mechanism of barrier river reaches in the middle and lower Yangtze River

doi:10.1007/s11442-017-1433-1

Abstract

Abstract:

Alluvial channel has always adjusted itself to the equilibrium state of sediment transport after it was artificially or naturally disturbed. How to maintain the equilibrium state of sediment transport and keep the river regime stable has always been the concerns of fluvial geomorphologists. The channel in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is characterized by the staggered distribution of the bifurcated river and the single-thread river. The change of river regime is more violently in the bifurcated river than in the single-thread river. Whether the adjustment of the river regime in the bifurcated river can pass through the single-thread river and propagate to the downstream reaches affects the stabilities of the overall river regime. Studies show that the barrier river reach can block the upstream channel adjustment from propagating to the downstream reaches; therefore, it plays a key role in stabilizing the river regime. This study investigates 34 single-thread river reaches in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. On the basis of the systematic summarization of the fluvial process of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the control factors of barrier river reach are summarized and extracted: the planar morphology of single-thread and meandering; with no flow deflecting node distributed in the upper or middle part of the river reach; the hydraulic geometric coefficient is less than 4; the longitudinal gradient is greater than 12‰, the clay content of the concave bank is greater than 9.5%, and the median diameter of the bed sediment is greater than 0.158 mm. From the Navier-Stokes equation, the calculation formula of the bending radius of flow dynamic axis is deduced, and then the roles of these control factors on restricting the migration of the flow dynamic axis and the formation of the barrier river reach are analyzed. The barrier river reach is considered as such when the ratio of the migration force of the flow dynamic axis to the constraint force of the channel boundary is less than 1 under different flow levels. The mechanism of the barrier river reach is such that even when the upstream river regime adjusts, the channel boundary of this reach can always constrain the migration amplitude of the flow dynamic axis and centralize the planar position of the main stream line under different upstream river regime conditions, providing a relatively stable incoming flow conditions for the downstream reaches, thereby blocking the upstream river regime adjustment from propagating to the downstream reaches.

Key words: barrier river reaches, flow dynamic axis, channel boundary, the middle and lower Yangtze River

Xingying YOU, Jinwu TANG, Xiaofeng ZHANG, Weiguo HOU, Yunping YANG, Zhaohua SUN, Zhaohui WENG. The mechanism of barrier river reaches in the middle and lower Yangtze River[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2017, 27(10): 1249-1267.

Figures/Tables 9

Figure 1

Table 1

Barrier control factors of single-thread reaches in the middle and lower Yangtze River"

Reach	No.	Reach name (Abbreviation)	Reach length (km)	Distance from Yichang (km)	River pattern	Presence location of flow deflecting nodes	Hydraulic geometric coefficient	Presence of barrier property
Jingjiang	1	Douhudi (DHD)	9.9	175	Single meandering	Non	2.55	Yes
	2	Shishou (SS)	8	234	Single meandering	In the middle	2.86	No
	3	Nianziwan (NZW)	15	242	Single meandering	Non	4.76	No
	4	Hekou (HK)	7	257	Single meandering	Non	3.19	No
	5	Tiaoguan (TG)	13	264	Single meandering	Non	2.61	Yes
	6	Laijiapu (LJP)	12	277	Single meandering	Non	3.32	No
	7	Tashiyi (TSY)	14	289	Single meandering	Non	2.98	Yes
	8	Damazhou (DMZ)	10.5	330	Single meandering	In entrance	6.68	No
	9	Zhuanqiao (ZQ)	9	338	Single meandering	Non	3.66	Yes
	10	Tiepu (TP)	12	347	Single straight	Non	4.31	No
	11	Fanzui (FZ)	6.5	356	Single straight	Non	3.11	Yes
	12	Qigongling (QGL)	7.8	380	Single meandering	In the middle	3.29	No
Chenglingji-Wuhan	13	Luoshan (LS)	11	419	Single straight	In entrance	6.25	No
	14	Shitouguan (STG)	9	456	Single meandering	In export	5.08	No
	15	Longkou (LK)	9.6	483	Single meandering	In export	3.42	Yes
	16	Hanjinguan (HJG)	10.9	519	Single meandering	Non	3.25	Yes
	17	Paizhouwan (PZW)	15	542	Single meandering	Non	2.14	No
	18	Zhuankou(ZK)	12	610	Single straight	In the middle	5.79	No
	19	Wuqiao (WQ)	13	628	Single straight	In entrance	4.47	No
Wuhan Hukou	20	Yangluo (YL)	15	658	Single meandering	In entrance	3.46	No
	21	Huguang (HG)	10	679	Single meandering	In entrance	3.93	No
	22	Bahe (BH)	9.4	723	Single straight	In entrance	4.52	No
	23	Huangshi (HS)	15.5	753	Single meandering	In export	2.70	Yes
	24	Guniusha (GNS)	17	773	Single meandering	In entrance	4.07	No
	25	Gepaiji (GPJ)	15	802	Single meandering	Along both banks	0.79	Yes
	26	Wuxue (WX)	13	830	Single meandering	In entrance	4.87	No
	27	Jiujiang (JJ)	16	853	Single meandering	Non	3.17	No
Hukou- Datong	28	Shangxiasanhao- Madang (SXSH-MD)	6	938	Single meandering	In export	2.05	Yes
	29	Madang-Dongliu (MD-DL)	8	972	Single meandering	Non	2.96	Yes
	30	Dongliu-Guanzhou (DL-GZ)	9	995	Single meandering	In the middle	3.47	No
	31	Guanzhou-Anqing (GZ-AQ)	16	1023	Single meandering	In the middle	2.71	No
	32	Anqing-Taiziji (AQ-TZJ)	8.4	1054	Single meandering	In export	1.71	Yes
	33	Taiziji-Guichi (TZJ-GC)	10.5	1078	Single meandering	Non	4.16	No
	34	Datong (DT)	16	1101	Single straight	In entrance	4.29	No

Table 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Table 2

Figure 6

Figure 7

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