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Classification of river morphology and hydrology to support management and restoration

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Abstract

As part of an hierarchical, multi-scale, hydromorphological framework for European rivers that has been developed within the REFORM project, a procedure for classifying rivers has been devised. The procedure includes components that categorise river channel morphology, floodplain morphology, flow regime, and groundwater—surface water interactions, and is designed for operational use in the context of river management. Channel morphology is classified at a first level by a basic river typology interpreted using remotely sensed images, and at a second level by an extended river typology that integrates information from field observations. Floodplains are classified by adopting the Nanson and Croke typology with specific reference to the types of floodplain that are most likely to be encountered widely across Europe. Nine flow regime types are identified using a series of hydrological indicators. Finally, where groundwater has a significant influence on river flows, a range of potential groundwater—surface water interactions are identified reflecting the morphological river type and its geological and climatic setting. Within the REFORM project, the river typology has been tested using case studies representative of a wide variety of European catchment conditions. Four case studies are used to illustrate the classification procedure and to discuss its main strengths and limitations.

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Acknowledgments

The work leading to this paper has received funding from the European Union’s FP7 programme under Grant Agreement No. 282656 (REFORM). The classification procedure was developed within the context of deliverable D2.1 of the REFORM programme, therefore, all partners who contributed to the development of this deliverable also contributed to some extent to the methodology described in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Via S.Marta 3, 50139, Florence, Italy

    M. Rinaldi

  2. School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    A. M. Gurnell

  3. E.T.S. Ingeniería de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    M. González del Tánago

  4. Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome, Italy

    M. Bussettini

  5. Deltares, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    D. Hendriks

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  1. M. Rinaldi
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Correspondence to M. Rinaldi.

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Rinaldi, M., Gurnell, A.M., del Tánago, M.G. et al. Classification of river morphology and hydrology to support management and restoration. Aquat Sci 78, 17–33 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-015-0438-z

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