In spite of decades of related research, stream channel initiation is still not well understood. Current theories of channel initiation are grounded in research conducted by Montgomery and Dietrich, largely in the transport limited, temperate, humid climate of the Pacific Northwest, USA. This field data driven work concluded that the drainage area required for channel initiation is directly correlated to the slope of the contributing area. However, there are a host of related variables that have yet to be examined in the field. This study revisits the slope-area relationship focusing on ephemeral overland flow in headwaters of both the Pacific Northwest and an environmentally contrasting island in Greece. By seeking greater understanding of the variables, such as soil properties, vegetation type, and lithology that may influence channel initiation, the study sought to find an equation for remote determination of where ephemeral flow concentrates. However, results indicated that a universal equation does not exist. Rather, the location of ephemeral flow concentration is linked to landscape type, transport versus weathering limited slopes, and corresponding overland flow type. As a result, there is potential for regional models to be developed. Two such models were found as part of this study. One indicates that in a weathering limited environment, Hortonian overland flow is the dominant ephemeral flow type and the driving force behind where it concentrates on the landscape. The other demonstrates that in a transport limited environment, ephemeral flow concentration is due saturated overland flow, with the key to location of concentration being the point of return flow.

Estudos biogeomorfológicos integrando a geomorfologia fluvial, neotectônica e a vegetação foram aplicados na ilha da Marchantaria, com a finalidade de analisar a distribuição da vegetação de várzea nas feições geomorfológicas. A planície do rio Amazonas é um mosaico de feições morfológicas de dimensões espaciais ora menores, ora maiores tais como ilhas, bancos arenosos, furos, paranás e lagos, que pela dinâmica fluvial estão continuamente se modificando. No canal do rio Amazonas, a ilha da Marchantaria, situada no baixo curso do rio Solimões motiva relevante interesse, tendo em vista a sua evolução areal nos últimos quarenta anos, bem como, a sua proximidade ao Encontro das Águas de Manaus EAM. A partir do arranjo dos elementos neotectônicos que condicionam as formas quaternárias atuais da ilha foram identificadas duas unidades estruturais distintas: Depósito Aluvial Subrecente (DASr) e Depósito Aluvial Recente (DAR). Também, foram definidas as unidades morfossedimentares holocênicas: feições espiras de meandro e barras de soldamento. A distribuição espacial da vegetação sobre as diferentes elevações do terreno foram agrupadas em duas unidades: vegetação lenhosa e vegetação herbácea. Os resultados mostram que: a) a vegetação distribui-se espacialmente nos diferentes níveis tectono-topográficos; b) a erosão fluvial, à montante da ilha, remove gradativamente a vegetação árborea, no entanto, à jusante, está ocorrendo sedimentação, propiciando a colonização de espécies herbáceas; c) a vegetação da ilha apresenta-se alterada devido à ação antrópica. / Biogeomorphologics studies, integrating fluvial geomorphology, neotectonic and vegetation, were applied on the island of Marchantaria, in order to analyze the distribution of vegetation in the floodplain geomorphological features. The Amazon River floodplain is a mosaic of morphological features from sometimes smaller spatial dimensions, sometimes larger such as islands, sandbars, furos, multichannels and lakes, the river dynamics that are continually changing. In the channel of the Amazon River, the island of Marchantaria, located on the lower course of the river Solimões, motivates relevant interest given its areal developments in the last forty years, as well as its proximity to the Encontro das Águas de Manaus - EAM. From the arrangement of neotectonic elements that condition the current quaternary forms of the island, two distinct structural units were identified: Sub-recent Alluvial Deposit (SrAD) and Recent Alluvial Deposit (RAD). The Holocene morpho-sedimentary units were also defined: features of scroll bars and annexation bars. The spatial distribution of vegetation on different ground elevations were grouped into two units: woody vegetation and herbaceous vegetation. The results show that: a) vegetation is distributed spatially in different tectono-topographic levels; b) fluvial erosion, the upstream of the island, gradually removes the arboreal vegetation, however, the downstream sedimentation is occurring, leading to colonization of herbaceous species; c) the island\'s vegetation is altered due to human action.

Na presente pesquisa investiga-se a geomorfologia da planície fluvial do rio Pinheiros entre os bairros de Pinheiros, Butantã e Cidade Jardim, na cidade de São Paulo. Para tal, propõe-se uma carta geomorfológica de detalhe deste setor da planície na escala de 1:20.000, confeccionada a partir de pesquisa arquivística prévia e, principalmente, de fotografias aéreas e de mapas antigos. A análise da carta e a sua correlação com informações sedimentológicas e estratigráficas encontradas, principalmente, em recentes relatórios de engenharia para a construção do Metrô de São Paulo, permitem a caracterização do sistema fluvial deste setor do rio Pinheiros, bem como de parte da morfodinâmica atuante no sistema antes da perturbação antrópica de alto impacto decorrente da urbanização que ali se instalou a partir da década de 1930. A pesquisa permitiu também a interpretação de uma provável sequência de eventos geomorfológicos atuantes no setor estudado durante o Pleistoceno Superior e o Holoceno. Parâmetros morfométricos tais como índice de sinuosidade de canais e paleocanais e largura da planície no trecho estudado evidenciaram aspectos da influência da estrutura geológica em sua evolução. O reconhecimento de sistemas geomorfológicos em seu estágio préperturbação antrópica é essencial para a compreensão dos processos atuais, principalmente em meios intensamente modificados como as áreas urbanas. A pesquisa apresenta então este tipo de reconhecimento, colaborando assim na compreensão dos processos antecedentes às grandes rupturas que se instalam no sistema a partir das ações antrópicas na superfície. / This research investigates the geomorphology of part of Pinheiros River fluvial plain in São Paulo city. This study main result is a detailed geomorphologic map - 1:20,000 - that used ancient aerial photographs and maps obtained from formal archival surveys. The descriptions of floodplain units were associated to stratigraphic and sedimentologic data obtained from recent engineering projects reports of São Paulo underground (such as subway). This association allows the understanding of part of Pinheiros River fluvial system and morphodynamic before urbanization. The research also allowed offering a sequence of geomorphological events related to the floodplain and channel systems over the Holocene. Morphometric parameters, such as width and sinuosity index of channels and paleo-channels of floodplain meandering system, appear as an evidence of the structural influence in geomorphological evolution of this system. The recognition of geomorphologic systems in pre-disturbance stage is essential for understanding the current processes, mainly in environments greatly modified by human actions, such as urban areas. This research presents this kind of recognition and contributes to the understanding of processes in the system before human actions in the surface.

Estudos biogeomorfológicos integrando a geomorfologia fluvial, neotectônica e a vegetação foram aplicados na ilha da Marchantaria, com a finalidade de analisar a distribuição da vegetação de várzea nas feições geomorfológicas. A planície do rio Amazonas é um mosaico de feições morfológicas de dimensões espaciais ora menores, ora maiores tais como ilhas, bancos arenosos, furos, paranás e lagos, que pela dinâmica fluvial estão continuamente se modificando. No canal do rio Amazonas, a ilha da Marchantaria, situada no baixo curso do rio Solimões motiva relevante interesse, tendo em vista a sua evolução areal nos últimos quarenta anos, bem como, a sua proximidade ao Encontro das Águas de Manaus EAM. A partir do arranjo dos elementos neotectônicos que condicionam as formas quaternárias atuais da ilha foram identificadas duas unidades estruturais distintas: Depósito Aluvial Subrecente (DASr) e Depósito Aluvial Recente (DAR). Também, foram definidas as unidades morfossedimentares holocênicas: feições espiras de meandro e barras de soldamento. A distribuição espacial da vegetação sobre as diferentes elevações do terreno foram agrupadas em duas unidades: vegetação lenhosa e vegetação herbácea. Os resultados mostram que: a) a vegetação distribui-se espacialmente nos diferentes níveis tectono-topográficos; b) a erosão fluvial, à montante da ilha, remove gradativamente a vegetação árborea, no entanto, à jusante, está ocorrendo sedimentação, propiciando a colonização de espécies herbáceas; c) a vegetação da ilha apresenta-se alterada devido à ação antrópica. / Biogeomorphologics studies, integrating fluvial geomorphology, neotectonic and vegetation, were applied on the island of Marchantaria, in order to analyze the distribution of vegetation in the floodplain geomorphological features. The Amazon River floodplain is a mosaic of morphological features from sometimes smaller spatial dimensions, sometimes larger such as islands, sandbars, furos, multichannels and lakes, the river dynamics that are continually changing. In the channel of the Amazon River, the island of Marchantaria, located on the lower course of the river Solimões, motivates relevant interest given its areal developments in the last forty years, as well as its proximity to the Encontro das Águas de Manaus - EAM. From the arrangement of neotectonic elements that condition the current quaternary forms of the island, two distinct structural units were identified: Sub-recent Alluvial Deposit (SrAD) and Recent Alluvial Deposit (RAD). The Holocene morpho-sedimentary units were also defined: features of scroll bars and annexation bars. The spatial distribution of vegetation on different ground elevations were grouped into two units: woody vegetation and herbaceous vegetation. The results show that: a) vegetation is distributed spatially in different tectono-topographic levels; b) fluvial erosion, the upstream of the island, gradually removes the arboreal vegetation, however, the downstream sedimentation is occurring, leading to colonization of herbaceous species; c) the island\'s vegetation is altered due to human action.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T17:30:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andrey Luis Binda.pdf: 3846554 bytes, checksum: bff1c6b39e4b9f07d3cbffa410b26168 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Trees, twigs and leaves fallen inside of the channel, form a significant component of the fluvial environment and natural occurrence in fluvial systems that cut forested areas. All these vegetal materials that are found inside of the channel are called wood debris. The wood debris play a key function in the ecology and geomorphology of channels, being able to affect the processes of the channels in an ample reach: since the hydraulic roughness, retention and sized grain of bed sediments, until the creation of steps and pools, being able to the times to control the standard of the channel and distance and/variation of fluvial features that are basic for the formation of aquatic habitat. In this context, the present research had as objective, to verify the influence of accumulations of wood debris on the morphology and sedimentology of stream bed in the river Guabiroba, Guarapuava, Center-South of the Paraná. The used techniques had included: installation of permanent transversal profiles (to the upstream and downstream of the accumulations) and sections of batimetric measurement, survey of the longitudinal profile and grain sized characterization of bed sediments. The measurement was carried throughout 15 months (December of 2007 the March of 2009) in four sections located in the main course of the river. The rainfall during the measurement allowed to particularizing the occurrence of only one period with rains above average (3 - 4ª Campaign). The results indicate the occurrence of sedimentation in the second and fifth measurement and processes of erosion in the third and fourth measurement. These processes erosive-depositional can in part be attributed to the pluviometric regime, with the periods of high entailed concentration of rains to the erosion of the stream bed and periods of related scarce and not concentrated rains with the deposition of sediments. The analysis of the data allows to establish some consideration: 1) predominance of processes of erosion in the sections of batimetric measurement; 2) bigger rate deposition in downstream cross-sectional profiles of the accumulations; 3) predominance of coarser sediments (gravel medium - sand very coarse) to upstream and finer sediments (gravel fine - sand medium) to downstream; 4) bigger diversity of depths in the immediacy of the accumulations; 5) establishment of riffles by the forced deposition of sediments and pools for the scour of the stream bed. / Árvores, galhos e folhas caídos dentro do canal formam um significativo componente do ambiente fluvial e de ocorrência natural em sistemas fluviais que cortam áreas florestadas. Toda essa carga de material de origem vegetal que se encontra dentro do canal é chamada de detritos lenhosos. Os detritos lenhosos desempenham função chave na ecologia e geomorfologia de canais, podendo afetar os processos do canal em um amplo alcance: desde a rugosidade hidráulica, retenção e grânulometria dos sedimentos de leito, até a criação de degraus e depressões, podendo, às vezes, controlar o padrão do canal e a distância/variação de feições fluviais que são fundamentais para a formação de habitat aquáticos. Num contexto desses, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar a influência de acumulações de detritos lenhosos sobre a morfologia e a sedimentologia de leito no Rio Guabiroba, município de Guarapuava, mesorregião Centro-Sul do Paraná. As técnicas utilizadas incluíram: instalação de perfis transversais permanentes (a montante e a jusante das acumulações) e seções de monitoramento batimétrico, levantamento do perfil longitudinal e caracterização grânulométrica de sedimentos do fundo. O monitoramento foi realizado ao longo de 15 meses (dezembro de 2007 a março de 2009) em quatro pontos localizados em dois trechos no curso principal do rio. A pluviosidade durante o monitoramento permitiu individualizar a ocorrência de apenas um período com chuvas acima da média (3ª a 4ª campanha). Os resultados indicam a ocorrência de sedimentação na segunda e quinta campanhas e processos de erosão na terceira e quarta campanhas. Esses processos erosivo-deposicionais podem, em parte, ser atribuídos ao regime pluviométrico, com os períodos de alta concentração de chuvas vinculados à erosão do leito e períodos de chuvas escassas e não concentradas relacionados com a deposição de sedimentos. A análise dos dados permite estabelecer algumas considerações: 1) predominância de processos de erosão nas seções de monitoramento batimétrico (Blocos 3D); 2) maior taxa de deposição nos perfis transversais situados a jusante das acumulações; 3) predomínio de sedimentos mais grossos (seixo médio - areia muito grossa) a montante da acumulação do que a jusante (seixo fino - areia média); 4) maior diversidade de profundidades nas imediações das acumulações; 5) estabelecimento de soleiras pela deposição forçada de sedimentos e depressões pela escavação do leito.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:42:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andrey Luis Binda.pdf: 3846554 bytes, checksum: bff1c6b39e4b9f07d3cbffa410b26168 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Trees, twigs and leaves fallen inside of the channel, form a significant component of the fluvial environment and natural occurrence in fluvial systems that cut forested areas. All these vegetal materials that are found inside of the channel are called wood debris. The wood debris play a key function in the ecology and geomorphology of channels, being able to affect the processes of the channels in an ample reach: since the hydraulic roughness, retention and sized grain of bed sediments, until the creation of steps and pools, being able to the times to control the standard of the channel and distance and/variation of fluvial features that are basic for the formation of aquatic habitat. In this context, the present research had as objective, to verify the influence of accumulations of wood debris on the morphology and sedimentology of stream bed in the river Guabiroba, Guarapuava, Center-South of the Paraná. The used techniques had included: installation of permanent transversal profiles (to the upstream and downstream of the accumulations) and sections of batimetric measurement, survey of the longitudinal profile and grain sized characterization of bed sediments. The measurement was carried throughout 15 months (December of 2007 the March of 2009) in four sections located in the main course of the river. The rainfall during the measurement allowed to particularizing the occurrence of only one period with rains above average (3 - 4ª Campaign). The results indicate the occurrence of sedimentation in the second and fifth measurement and processes of erosion in the third and fourth measurement. These processes erosive-depositional can in part be attributed to the pluviometric regime, with the periods of high entailed concentration of rains to the erosion of the stream bed and periods of related scarce and not concentrated rains with the deposition of sediments. The analysis of the data allows to establish some consideration: 1) predominance of processes of erosion in the sections of batimetric measurement; 2) bigger rate deposition in downstream cross-sectional profiles of the accumulations; 3) predominance of coarser sediments (gravel medium - sand very coarse) to upstream and finer sediments (gravel fine - sand medium) to downstream; 4) bigger diversity of depths in the immediacy of the accumulations; 5) establishment of riffles by the forced deposition of sediments and pools for the scour of the stream bed. / Árvores, galhos e folhas caídos dentro do canal formam um significativo componente do ambiente fluvial e de ocorrência natural em sistemas fluviais que cortam áreas florestadas. Toda essa carga de material de origem vegetal que se encontra dentro do canal é chamada de detritos lenhosos. Os detritos lenhosos desempenham função chave na ecologia e geomorfologia de canais, podendo afetar os processos do canal em um amplo alcance: desde a rugosidade hidráulica, retenção e grânulometria dos sedimentos de leito, até a criação de degraus e depressões, podendo, às vezes, controlar o padrão do canal e a distância/variação de feições fluviais que são fundamentais para a formação de habitat aquáticos. Num contexto desses, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar a influência de acumulações de detritos lenhosos sobre a morfologia e a sedimentologia de leito no Rio Guabiroba, município de Guarapuava, mesorregião Centro-Sul do Paraná. As técnicas utilizadas incluíram: instalação de perfis transversais permanentes (a montante e a jusante das acumulações) e seções de monitoramento batimétrico, levantamento do perfil longitudinal e caracterização grânulométrica de sedimentos do fundo. O monitoramento foi realizado ao longo de 15 meses (dezembro de 2007 a março de 2009) em quatro pontos localizados em dois trechos no curso principal do rio. A pluviosidade durante o monitoramento permitiu individualizar a ocorrência de apenas um período com chuvas acima da média (3ª a 4ª campanha). Os resultados indicam a ocorrência de sedimentação na segunda e quinta campanhas e processos de erosão na terceira e quarta campanhas. Esses processos erosivo-deposicionais podem, em parte, ser atribuídos ao regime pluviométrico, com os períodos de alta concentração de chuvas vinculados à erosão do leito e períodos de chuvas escassas e não concentradas relacionados com a deposição de sedimentos. A análise dos dados permite estabelecer algumas considerações: 1) predominância de processos de erosão nas seções de monitoramento batimétrico (Blocos 3D); 2) maior taxa de deposição nos perfis transversais situados a jusante das acumulações; 3) predomínio de sedimentos mais grossos (seixo médio - areia muito grossa) a montante da acumulação do que a jusante (seixo fino - areia média); 4) maior diversidade de profundidades nas imediações das acumulações; 5) estabelecimento de soleiras pela deposição forçada de sedimentos e depressões pela escavação do leito.

This study investigates the relationship between channel complexity and nutrient spiraling along 31 reaches of an urbanized watershed in Portland, Oregon. Much research shows that urbanization has an effect on watershed hydrology and nutrient loading at the watershed scale for various sized catchments. However, the flux of nutrients over short reaches within a stream channel has been less studied because of the effort and costs associated with fieldwork and subsequent laboratory analysis of the surface water samples. In this study I measure channel complexity and uptake velocity of nitrate to determine if this relationship is indicative of a healthy, functioning stream. I take field measurements and samples to determine the complexity and uptake velocity of each reach. Using ion-selective electrodes, the fluxes of nitrate were measured within each reach; when combined with channel geometry and velocity measurements these measurements allow for the transformation of nitrate fluxes into spiraling metrics. Results show that 18 of the 31 reaches had uptake velocity. Discharge and sinuosity were positively correlated with nitrate uptake velocity. Complexity and nitrate concentration were negatively correlated with nitrate uptake velocity. Grass landcover was positively correlated with nitrate uptake velocity and negatively correlated with nitrate concentration. These results indicate that land use and channel complexity both are related to the in-stream processing of nitrate. The implication of this study is that channel complexity is an important driver of nutrient flux in an urban watershed, and that this technique can be applied in future studies to better characterize water quality of stream channels over short reaches to entire catchments.

La télédétection est une technique de plus en plus utilisée dans le domaine fluvial, et si des images acquises à haute, voire très haute altitude via des vecteurs aéroportés et satellites sont traditionnellement utilisées, l’imagerie in situ (ou « imagerie de terrain ») constitue un outil complémentaire qui présente de nombreux avantages (facilité de mise en place, coûts réduits, point de vue oblique, etc.). Les possibilités de programmer les prises de vue fixes à des fréquences relativement élevées (de quelques dixièmes de secondes dans le cas de vidéos, à quelques heures par exemple) mais aussi de pouvoir observer les évènements au moment où ils surviennent, est sans commune mesure avec les contraintes associées à l’acquisition de l’imagerie « classique » (dont les plus hautes fréquences s’élèvent à quelques jours). Cela permet de produire des jeux de données conséquents, dont l’analyse automatisée est nécessaire et constitue l’un des enjeux de cette thèse. Le traitement et l’analyse de jeux de données produits sur cinq sites test français et québécois ont permis de mieux évaluer les potentialités et les limites liées à l’utilisation de l’imagerie in situ dans le cadre de l’étude des milieux fluviaux. La définition des conditions optimales d’installation des capteurs en vue de l’acquisition des données constitue la première étape d’une démarche globale, présentée sous forme de modules optionnels, à prendre en compte selon les objectifs de l’étude. L’extraction de l’information radiométrique, puis le traitement statistique du signal ont été évalués dans plusieurs situations tests. La classification orientée-objet avec apprentissage supervisé des images a notamment été expérimentée via des random forests. L’exploitation des jeux de données repose principalement sur l’analyse de séries temporelles à haute fréquence. Cette thèse expose les forces et les faiblesses de cette approche et illustre des usages potentiels pour la compréhension des dynamiques fluviales. Ainsi, l’imagerie in situ est un très bon outil pour l’étude et l’analyse des cours d’eau, car elle permet la mesure de différents types de temporalités régissant les processus biophysiques observés. Cependant, il est nécessaire d’optimiser la qualité des images produites et notamment de limiter au maximum l’angle de vue du capteur, ou la variabilité des conditions de luminosité entre clichés, afin de produire des séries temporelles pleinement exploitables. / Remote sensing is more and more used in river sciences, mainly using satellite and airborne imagery. Ground imagery constitutes a complementary tool which presents numerous advantages for the study of rivers. For example, it is easy to set up; costs are limited; it allows an oblique angle; etc. It also presents the possibility to set up the triggering with very high frequency, ranging, for instance, from a few seconds to a few hours. The possibility to monitor events at the instant they occur makes ground imagery extremely advantageous compared to aerial or spatial imagery (whose highest acquisition frequency corresponds to a few days). Such frequencies produce huge datasets, which require automated analyses. This is one of the challenges addressed in this thesis. Processing and analysis of data acquired at five study sites located in France and Québec, Canada, facilitated the evaluation of ground imagery potentials, as well as its limitations with respect to the study of fluvial systems. The identification of optimal conditions to set up the cameras and to acquire images is the first step of a global approach, presented as a chain of optional modules. Each one is to be taken into account according to the objectives of the study. The extraction of radiometric information and the subsequent statistical analysis of the signal were tested in several situations. In particular, random forests were applied, as a supervised object-oriented classification method. The datasets were principally exploited using high frequency time series analyses, which allowed demonstrating strengths and weaknesses of this approach, as well as some potential applications. Ground imagery is a powerful tool to monitor fluvial systems, as it facilitates the definition of various kinds of time characteristics linked with fluvial biophysical processes. However, it is necessary to optimize the quality of the data produced. In particular, it is necessary to minimize the acquisition angle and to limit the variability of luminosity conditions between shots in order to acquire fully exploitable datasets.

Because the volume of flow through an inlet is proportional to the tidal range and the area of the tidal basin, Texas tidal inlets have some of the largest tidal basins relative to their entrance area of any inlet. Matagorda Bay at Pass Cavallo has an area of about 200 square miles, but only a mean diurnal tidal range of about 1.1 feet. From tide gage records the most important events modifying tidal currents in Pass Cavallo are the numerous wind tides each year that occur most frequently during the cooler months, November through May. Wind tides are most noticeable in Matagorda Bay because the astronomical tidal range is small, the fetch long (10-20 miles) and the depth only about 12 feet. Hurricanes and river floods that would raise water levels in Matagorda Bay by even 0.5 foot occur too infrequently to affect equilibrium conditions in the inlet. Pass Cavallo has passed through three time periods since 1856: 1856-1930, 1930-1965, and post 1965. Each time period was characterized by a different, and subsequently smaller tidal discharge, cross-sectional area and tidal channel length. The tidal discharge decreased between 1929 and 1935 when the Colorado River delta cut off part of east Matagorda Bay to reduce the tidal area of Matagorda Bay, and in 1965, the Matagorda Ship Channel was dredged across Matagorda Peninsula to reduce the volume of water passing through Pass Cavallo. Other features that changed with decreasing discharge, but remained stable during each time period, were the channel pattern, and location and shape of the Gulf bar and Pelican Island. During all three periods Pass Cavallo maintained stable cross-sectional shape, and tidal flow by-passing characteristics, except during the post 1965 when neither tidal flow by-passing nor bar by-passing were dominant. Since 1856 Pass Cavallo has remained geographically stable relative to its width. The axial trough has migrated southwestward about 1000 feet during the past 100 years--or about 1/9th the distance between Matagorda Peninsula and Matagorda Island. Shorelines adjacent to the inlet also have tended to move southwestward, but at a faster rate than the axial trough. Along the western side of the pass, shoreline erosion is related to jetties interrupting sediment transport southward from the western shoreline of Matagorda Bay, and to storms eroding the constructional beach extending northward from Matagorda Island. The modern flood delta at Pass Cavallo consists of a large, sandy platform, that is lobate into Espiritu Santo Bay with salt marsh, storm-tidal flats and tidal channels. The flood delta is located to the side of the channel pattern of Pass Cavallo, and appears to be active only during the high tides of hurricanes, tropical storms and "northers". There are three informal physiographic provinces on the flood delta, each one reflecting a different sediment supply and energy regime inherent in each bay and in the Gulf. 1) The Gulf of Mexico Province has the largest and best-developed intertidal beaches, surge channels, storm-tidal flats and mounds of all three provinces. Sand is the dominant sediment. 2) Matagorda Bay Province includes large marsh islands and tidal channels with fewer large vegetated mounds. Shell is very abundant in mounds, and a storm-tidal flats contain more mud and encroaching salt marsh than in the Gulf province. 3) Espiritu Santo Bay Province is composed mostly of sandy mud or muddy sand sediment, with the exception of erosional shell beaches that face a north or south fetch of 1 to 2 miles. This is the richest area biologically, consisting mostly of salt marsh and grassflats. / text

Killbuck-Mud Creek Subwatershed (KBMC) stream channels have been extensively modified to facilitate the drainage for agricultural purposes. To identify the feasibility of stream restoration, the natural conditions of the subwatershed were estimated from the current basin morphometry, hydrology, and channel sediment load. The historic conditions for KBMC were assembled from literature and remote sensing to tabulate the conditions controlling the drainages through time. Using the Rosgen Classification of Natural Rivers the morphology of the natural streams was predicted.The dredged channels of KBMC follow glacial outwash channels. The glacial channels were silted in and hardwood forests added woody debris to create slow moving swampy conditions in the drainages. These conditions did not allow for agriculture prior to stream modifications. Only the installation of channel conditions not previously found in KBMC can be used as a stream restoration option, other management practices are suggested for the subwatershed. / Department of Geology