The stream restoration industry has been growing since the addition and modification of Section 404 to the Clean Water Act. Many projects follow the guidelines of Natural Channel Design and use in-stream structures to stabilize stream channels. Post-project monitoring rarely exceeds 3-5 years, and the lack of guidance, funding, and pre-restoration data prevents meaningful post-project assessment of the design techniques. The Virginia Tech Stream Research, Education, and Management (StREAM) Lab is a research facility where a stream restoration project was completed along 1.3 km of Stroubles Creek in 2010. The study site provides a unique opportunity to compare the use of three restoration treatments with different intensities of restoration actions. Following exclusion of cattle from all three sites, the first treatment reach was left to naturally revegetate (Treatment 1) and along Treatment 2 the streambanks were re-graded to a 3:1 slope and replanted. An additional inset floodplain was constructed within the active channel of Treatment 3. Pre-restoration data, including topographic surveys and erosion pin measurements, provided a baseline for quantification of morphological response 11 years post-restoration. This project utilized as-built survey data from 2010 and a follow-up survey in 2021. The spatial data were analyzed to quantify important stream metrics: cross-sectional area, width, maximum depth, hydraulic depth, and width-to-depth ratio. Overall, the percent change per year of each metric decreased substantially following the restoration, indicating an increase in stability. While Treatment 3 continues to show minor erosion on average (+3.3% in area, +3.2% in width, and +11.2% in maximum depth), Treatments 1 (excluding cross section 5) and 2 decreased on average in area (-3.4% and -18.6%) and hydraulic depth (-13.3% and -10.8%). Treatment 1 eroded by an average of 11.7% in width compared to a decrease of -13.4% in Treatment 2 and an increase in 3.2% in Treatment 3. Comparisons of each treatment to Virginia Mitigation Banking Standards indicated Treatment 1 met the fewest number of criteria, followed by Treatment 2 and then Treatment 3, indicating that hard structures are not necessary to meet mitigation bank standards, even in urban watersheds. In an urban, incised channel with cattle impacts, re-grading the streambanks, actively planting woody riparian vegetation, and incorporating an inset floodplain will accelerate the establishment of channel stability, as compared to the more passive approach of simply removing cattle access to the channel. / Master of Science / The stream restoration industry has been growing since the addition and modification of Section 404 to the Clean Water Act. Specific design models, such as Natural Channel Design which focuses heavily on preventing the stream from moving using stone and wood structures, guide many projects. Post-project monitoring rarely exceeds 3-5 years, and the lack of guidance, funding, and pre-restoration data prevents meaningful post-project assessment of the design techniques. The Virginia Tech Stream Research, Education, and Management (StREAM) Lab is a research facility in which human interactions in the Stroubles Creek Watershed can be evaluated. A stream restoration project was completed on Stroubles Creek at the StREAM Lab property in 2010. This project provides a unique opportunity to compare three different intensities of restoration actions. Following exclusion of cattle from all three sites, plants were left to naturally regrow in the first treatment reach and Treatment 2 re-shaped the banks to a gentler slope and replanted. Like Treatment 2, an additional inset floodplain was constructed within the active channel of Treatment 3. Pre-restoration data, including topographic surveys and bank erosion measurements provided a baseline for quantification of physical response 11 years post-restoration. This project utilized survey data from immediately post-restoration in 2010, and a follow-up survey in 2021. The surveys were analyzed using AutoCAD Civil3D and cross-sectional area, width, maximum depth, hydraulic depth (area/top width), and width-to-depth ratio were calculated. Overall, the percent change per year of each metric decreased substantially following the restoration, indicating an increase in stability. While Treatment 3 continues to show minor erosion (+3.3% in area, +3.2% in width, and +11.2% in maximum depth), Treatments 1 (excluding cross section 5) and 2 decreased on average in area (-3.4% and -18.6%) and hydraulic depth (-13.3% and -10.8%). Treatment 1 eroded by an average of 11.7% in width compared to a decrease of -13.4% in Treatment 2 and an increase in 3.2% in Treatment 3. Comparisons of each treatment to Virginia Mitigation Banking Standards indicated Treatment 3 met the highest number of criteria, followed by Treatment 2 and then Treatment 1, indicating that hard structures are not necessary to meet mitigation bank standards, even in urban watersheds. In an urban, incised channel with cattle impacts, regrading the streambanks, actively planting woody riparian vegetation, and incorporating an inset floodplain will accelerate the establishment of channel stability, as compared to the more passive approach of simply removing cattle access to the channel.

Logsdon River is a major, base-level stream within the Turnhole Bend Drainage basin of the Mammoth Cave System. The Logsdon River system has provided a unique opportunity to examine the geochemical evolution of a stream flowing through a major karst conduit that can be traversed for 10 km. This study examines CO2 inputs at the upstream portion of the river, which provide major control for the river’s hydrochemistry. Samples were collected from the upstream portion of Logsdon River at what is referred to as the S-188 sump and also nearby at Crowbar Dome over the course of 44 weeks from May 2012 through April 2013. The concentrations of CO2 for samples were calculated from field and laboratory analysis. The CO2 concentrations were examined during the study period to assess potential sources of CO2 input to the karst system in the context of seasonal variation. Seasonal fluctuations were found to be greatest in the near surface sample site, Crowbar Dome. Attenuation of seasonal variation of CO2 pressures in the upstream Logsdon River S-188 Sump suggests both surface inputs plus additional inputs of CO2 entering the system, perhaps from the decay of organic material in the saturated passages upstream beyond the accessible portion of the Logsdon River S-188 Sump. This in-cave source of CO2 has some control on hydrochemistry, and thus waterrock interaction and speleogenesis of the karst landscapes in south-central Kentucky

Master of Arts / Department of Geography / Richard Marston / Slope failures play a significant role as a mass movement hazard in the deglaciated mountain canyons in Grand Teton National Park. The park’s geologic and glacial histories are unique in comparison to other areas in the Rocky Mountain range. However, few detailed maps and statistical analyses of slope failures as hazards exist for park officials and visitors. The purpose of this study is to produce a comprehensive map of slope failures in five of the most accessible and commonly used canyons of the park: Cascade, Death, Garnet, Granite, and Paintbrush. This project combined fieldwork, LiDAR imagery, and GIS mapping to document five main categories of slope failures—rock slides, rock/debris flows, rock falls, and snow avalanches, as well as complex slope failures involving a combination of these categories. Summary statistics, maps, and histograms of average slope gradient, aspect, and curvature conditions as well as precipitation conditions at the “source” area of slope failures were generated for individual canyons as well as the entire study area. Snow avalanche source areas where debris flows were not readily present occurred most commonly on north and northeast facing slopes, slopes averaging a 40% gradient, and slightly convex slopes. Debris flow source areas occurred most commonly on south and southeast facing slopes, slopes with an average 42% gradient, and on slightly convex slopes. Rock fall source areas were most common on north facing slopes, slopes of an average 55% gradient, and a mostly flat curvature. Rock slide source points were most common on north facing slopes, slopes of an average 54% gradient, and flat to slightly concave slopes. Rock Mass Strength (RMS) values were sampled at a rate of every 0.5 kilometers on the hiking trail of each canyon to provide an introductory insight into rock stability conditions in each canyon. Slope failures not only impact the physical landscape of canyons in Grand Teton National Park but can affect human structures as well. Physical attributes and locations of slope failures were compared to locations of camping zones and hiking trails in the Park to determine areas of common human usage that were most susceptible to past movement events.

The Ethiopian Plateau is one of the few tectonically-active regions on Earth that is situated in continental rift zones. About 1.6 km deep gorge of the Nile was carved by the Blue Nile River on the Ethiopian Plateau, as the plateau has been experiencing continuous uplift and exhumation in the Cenozoic. Here, we used quantitative analysis of longitudinal rive-profile forms and parameters (knickpoint and normalized steepness-index ksn) of the Blue Nile tributaries to tease out regional tectonic signals. 244 knickpoints were examined in the tributaries, majority (>80%) of which are unassociated with lithology or geological structures. Knickpoint distribution throughout the plateau reveals three incision phases. The novel approach of correlation of ksn with mantle tomography suggests that higher and lower ksn values occur above low-velocity and high-velocity zones, respectively, indicating that thermal upwelling beneath the plateau linked to Afar mantle plume largely controls the uplift thus incision of the plateau.

Trinity, East, and Wine Islands make up the eastern half of the Isles Dernieres barrier arc in south-central Louisiana. Formed following the abandonment of the Lafourche delta complex, subsidence and storm erosion have led to rapid deterioration of the system. Since 1887, the land area of the islands has decreased seventy-seven percent, and the gulf shoreline has retreated landward more than a kilometer. Wave ravinement on the shoreface of the islands is responsible for the most sediment loss; liberated sediment travels longshore to tidal inlets. The dominant ebb tidal currents then transport the sediment to where it is deposited in ebb tidal deltas or carried to the west, out of the system. A large lobe of sediment bypassing Cat Island Pass is entering the system from the eastern lower shoreface, which helps replace some of the sediment lost through wave ravinement to the upper shoreface.

Com base nos procedimentos metodológicos da Geomorfologia Antropogênica (RODRIGUES 1997a, 1997b, 2004, 2005 e 2010) e na abordagem da Geomorfologia Urbana Histórica, esse trabalho objetiva avaliar as correlações entre as intervenções urbanas nos sistemas hidromorfológicos e as tendências espaciais e frequência das inundações na bacia hidrográfica do Córrego da Mooca. Para essa avaliação foram gerados o mapa da morfologia original na escala de 1:25.000, para o reconhecimento das tendências originais dos processos hidromorfológicos, e os mapas do uso do solo de diversos anos (1952, 1962, 1972, 1994 e 2008), para investigar a história cumulativa das intervenções urbanas e obter dados de indicadores morfológicos e de materiais superficiais para a avaliação dos impactos da urbanização (RODRIGUES, 2010). Foram também identificados os eventos de inundação que ocorreram na bacia do Córrego da Mooca entre os anos de 1971 e 2011, com base nos reportagens dos jornais Gazeta da Vila Prudente e Folha de Vila Prudente. Os 85 eventos de inundação identificados no levantamento histórico foram mapeados e suas informações sistematizadas no quadro de geoindicadores de mudanças. Com base nessa sistematização foram selecionados indicadores para a avaliação das variáveis antrópicas e naturais na ocorrência das inundações. Os resultados obtidos permitiram avaliar que as inundações ocorrem em setores da antiga planície de inundação onde as tendências da morfologia original foram potencializadas pela morfologia antropogênica. Identificou-se também que os eventos de inundação relatados ao longo de 40 anos foram mais frequentes nas faixas de precipitação com o total diário de até 60 mm, sendo que 82,5% ocorreram na faixa entre 0,1 e 15 mm. Além disso, concluiu-se que há uma tendência positiva entre o aumento da frequência e magnitude das inundações e as transgressões nos sistemas hidromorfológicos pela urbanização. Dessa forma, as derivações antrópicas são variáveis indispensáveis para o entendimento das tendências espaço-temporais das inundações em bacias hidrográficas urbanizadas. / Based on the methodological procedures of Anthropogenic Geomorphology (RODRIGUES 1997a, 1997b, 2004, 2005 and 2010) and the approach of the Urban Historical Geomorphology, this work aims to evaluate the correlation between urban interventions in hydromorphological systems and spatial trends and frequency of flooding in the Mooca Stream basin. For this evaluation and for the recognition of original hydromorphological processes trends were generated a map of the original morphology on the scale of 1:25,000 and land use maps from different years (1952, 1962, 1972, 1994 and 2008). Those maps were used to investigate the cumulative history of urban interventions and obtain data from morphological indicators and surface materials for assessing the impacts of urbanization (RODRIGUES, 2010). Flood events that occurred in the Mooca Stream basin between the years 1971 and 2011, were also identified based on newspaper reports of Gazeta da Vila Prudente and Folha de Vila Prudente. The 85 flood events identified in the historical survey were mapped and their information were systematized in framework geoindicators changes. Based on this systematic indicators were selected for the assessment of natural and anthropogenic variables on the occurrence of floods. The results obtained allowed us to evaluate the occurrence of floods in particular sectors of the old floodplain where original morphology probably were potentiated by anthropogenic morphology. It was also found that the flood events reported over 40 years were more frequent in total daily precipitation of up to 60 mm, and 82.5% occurred between 0.1 and 15 mm. Furthermore, the major positive correlationshipe between the analised variables is the frequency and magnitude of floods with the rate of spatial transgressions in hydromorphological systems by urbanization. Thus it was concluded that more studies that discriminate in the derivations anthropogenic are indispensable for modeling and understanding the spatial and temporal trends of flooding in urbanized watersheds.

abstract: Human endeavors move 7x more volume of earth than the world’s rivers accelerating the removal of Earth’s soil surface. Measuring anthropogenic acceleration of soil erosion requires knowledge of natural rates through the study of 10Be, but same-watershed comparisons between anthropogenically-accelerated and natural erosion rates do not exist for urbanizing watersheds. Here I show that urban sprawl from 1989 to 2013 accelerated soil erosion between 1.3x and 15x above natural rates for different urbanizing watersheds in the metropolitan Phoenix region, Sonoran Desert, USA, and that statistical modeling a century of urban sprawl indicates an acceleration of only 2.7x for the Phoenix region. Based on studies of urbanization’s erosive effects, and studies comparing other land-use changes to natural erosion rates, we expected a greater degree of urban acceleration. Given that continued urban expansion will add a new city of a million every five days until 2050, given the potential importance of urban soils for absorbing anthropogenically-released carbon, and given the role of urban-sourced pollution, quantifying urbanization’s acceleration of natural erosion in other urban settings could reveal important regional patterns. For example, a comparison of urban watersheds to nearby non-urban watersheds suggests that the Phoenix case study is on the low-end of the urban acceleration factor. This new insight into the urban acceleration of soil erosion in metropolitan Phoenix can help reduce the acute risk of flooding for many rapidly urbanizing desert cities around the globe. To reduce this risk, properly engineered Flood Control Structures must account for sediment accumulation as well as flood waters. While the Phoenix area used regional data from non-urban, non-desert watersheds to generate sediment yield rates, this research presents a new analysis of empirical data for the Phoenix metropolitan region, where two regression models provide estimates of a more realistic sediment accumulation for arid regions and also urbanization of a desert cities. The new model can be used to predict the realistic sediment accumulation for helping provide data where few data exists in parts of arid Africa, southwest Asia, and India. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geography 2019

Fluvial terraces contain information about incision, deformation, and climate change. In this study, a chronostratigraphic record of Colorado River terraces is constructed from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of Pleistocene alluvium and real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS surveys of terrace form. This record is analyzed to relate terrace formation to late Pleistocene climate fluctuations, and terrain analyses and longitudinal profile patterns reveal recent salt-related activity in the northern Paradox Basin as well as patterns in Colorado Plateau incision. A well-preserved, correlative suite of mainstem (M) fluvial deposits exists along the Colorado River upstream of Moab, Utah. Absolute dates indicate sedimentation >70 ka (M7, M6/M5), 70-50 ka (M4), 50-40 ka (M3), and 35-25 ka (M2). The M4 and M2 formed during the crescendo to glacial maxima, but the M7, M6/M5, and M3 were deposited during variable climate of marine isotope stages (MIS) 5 and 3. Deposits include thin (<7 m) strath terraces and thick (10-20 m) fill terraces. Our results suggest that terrace sedimentation is linked to enhanced sediment flux during glaciations in Rocky Mountain headwaters (M4 and M2), but major deposits also formed during dryland tributary sediment loading with markedly different timing (M6/M5 and M3). Conversely, incision may be driven by higher deglacial flows. Clast provenance data demonstrate greater percentages of locally-sourced sediment in M6/M5 and M3 deposits. Valley-bottom geometry and neotectonics control terrace form, with strath terraces found in bedrock-restricted reaches and fill terraces in wider valleys. Previously speculated salt deformation in this area is confirmed by localized collapse preserved in M4 stratigraphy in the Cache Valley graben and ~15 m of broader subsidence upstream. Concavity and knickzone distributions in tributary profiles are discordant and represent subtle expressions of salt-tectonic activity. Finally, a surprisingly rapid incision rate of ~900 m/Ma over the past ~70 ka suggests that the Colorado River may be responding to flexural rebound in the central plateau, but is faster than that predicted by the debated bull's-eye pattern of regional incision. This locally high rate may also reflect a transient wave of incision, as suggested by increased Pleistocene rates interpreted by studies in Glen and Grand canyons.

An in-depth field study of the Delacroix Island producing field illustrates the evolution of the east-trending Delacroix Island Fault during the last 13 My. Well log correlations and 3-D seismic interpretation of 22 subsurface bio-stratigraphic horizons across the fault reveal variable stratigraphic thicknesses and displacement. Wells, with well log curve data as shallow as 31 m (100 ft) below the surface, were used to calculate interval thicknesses, expansion indices, sediment accumulation rates, burial history and magnitudes of displacement. Through these analyses, a correlation was found between the positioning of ancient Miocene depocenters over Delacroix Island and a period of increased fault activity. Historic satellite imagery (last 34 yrs) of the field depicts a lineation on the modern marsh surface coincident with the upward projected fault plane. Continuous wetland loss on the downthrown side of the fault trace suggests that recent and continued fault movement may be contributing to marsh submergence.

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating beach ridge sediments is one method for resolving barrier island growth at intermediate scales (decades-centuries), information that is lacking for Louisiana. This research combines OSL, GPR, aerial imagery, and cores to document temporal and spatial evolution of a Louisiana barrier island. Grand Isle is composed of beach ridges organized in distinct, unconformable sets that began forming 0.75 ka until 0.575 ka when deposition ceased, the ridges were partially eroded, and deposition resumed in a more eastward direction. The central ridges formed between 370±30 and 170±10 years ago at a rate of one ridge every 11.6 years with sand from the eroding Caminada headland that, with flanking barriers, forms the Bayou Lafourche transgressive depositional system. Grand Isle’s lithosome (92,600,000 cubic meters) requires an annual longshore transport of 128,625 cubic meters. The lithosome thickness (10 meters) and steady sediment supply stabilize the island relative to other Louisiana barriers.