Wide river valleys with meandering rivers generally have a high likelihood of holding a large amount of water, both in the main channel and across their adjacent floodplain areas. This is because lowland meandering rivers are typically wide, deep, and located on flat terrain, allowing them to spread laterally and store water not just in the channel but throughout the valley during floods.[1][2]
Characteristics of Wide Meandering Rivers
- Meandering rivers in wide valleys are often associated with lower channel slope and slower flow, which encourage lateral migration and development of broad floodplains.[3][2]
- The river's bends (meanders) increase the effective river length, contributing to water storage within the system and helping dissipate flood energy by slowing flows.[4][5]
- During high flows, water can spill out onto the expansive floodplain, further increasing the total water-holding capacity of the valley system.[2][6]
Hydrologic Function and Water Storage
- Wide valleys allow for the development of wetlands, side channels, and oxbow lakes, all of which act as additional reservoirs for water storage and contribute to the overall hydrologic capacity.[7][8]
- This arrangement supports higher groundwater recharge and sustains surface water availability during drier periods.[8][7]
- The dynamic interaction between channel migration and sediment deposition maintains the ability of wide meandering rivers and their valleys to absorb and retain large volumes of water.[9]
Key Points
- Wide valleys provide more room for rivers to meander and expand, resulting in greater capacity to contain and temporarily store floodwaters.[1][2]
- Hydrologically, these systems are highly effective at holding water compared to confined, non-meandering channels.[8][1]
- The likelihood of a wide, meandering river valley holding a lot of water is therefore quite high, especially in flood-prone or low-gradient landscapes.[9][2][7]
In summary, wide river valleys with meandering rivers are highly likely to hold and store substantial amounts of water, both in normal flows and during overbank flooding events, due to their geomorphic and hydrologic characteristics.[2][7][1]
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- https://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/2004/kcr1547/0404CoreAreasChapter2b.pdf
- http://tecto.caltech.edu/member/outreach_resources/host_caltech/scheingross/sci_sat_program_final.pdf
- https://geo.libretexts.org/Courses/University_of_California_Davis/GEL_109:Sediments_and_Strata(Sumner)/Textbook_Construction/Meandering_Rivers
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meander
- https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0422h/report.pdf
- https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.2546
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21005367
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721045010
- https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/74/11/782/7761973
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169555X23002453
- https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jgrf.20084
- https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.1144/SP540-2024-33
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S100162792500023X
- https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/10.1144/SP540-2022-138
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022169422000725
- https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2024GL110650
- https://sswm.info/sites/default/files/reference_attachments/IMMOR 2006 Classification Rivers.pdf
- https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/15/2717/2011/
- https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2013JF002997
- https://practical.engineering/blog/2023/3/3/why-rivers-move
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