Fluvial geomorphology and riverine processes

Summary

Fluvial depositional sequences such as alluvial floodplains and terraces are significant features in the geomorphic development of inland channel systems. Floodplain morphology and chronology provide critical insights to the history of a river's development. The drainage of Australian streams since European settlement has resulted in widespread incision, with catastrophic widening leading to increases in sediment yield. In eastern Australia alone, it affects in excess of 50,000 km of valley floor streams. This has left many streams entirely isolated from their floodplains, resulting in the loss of geomorphic complexity. With impacts on stream health, riparian function and water flows, understanding fundamental fluvial forms and processes for sustainable landscapes is crucial.

Selected publications:

Erskine W., Keene A., Bush R., Cheetham M., Chalmers A. (In press). Influence of riparian vegetation on channel widening and subsequent contraction on the sand-bedded Widden Brook, Australia since European settlement. Geomorphology. Accepted Manuscript

Cheetham, M.D., Bush, R.T., Keene, A.F., Erskine, W.D. 2010. Nonsynchronous, episodic incision: Evidence of threshold exceedance and complex response as controls of terrace formation. Geomorphology, n/a-n/a. DOI:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.07.024

Cheetham, M.D., Keene, A.F., Erskine, W.D., Bush, R.T., Fitzsimmons, K., Jacobsen, G.E., Fallon, S.J., 2010. Resolving the Holocene alluvial record in south-eastern Australia using luminescence and radiocarbon techniques. Journal of Quaternary Science, n/a-n/a. DOI: 10.1002/jqs.1396

Cheetham, M., Keene, A., Bush, R., Erskine, W. and Fitzsimmons, K. (2010). Longitudinal Correlation of Late Quaternary Terrace Sequences of Widden Brook, South-Eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 57: 97-109.

Cheetham M.D., Keene A.F., Sullivan L.A., Erksine W.D., Bush R.T. (2008) A comparison of grain-size analysis methods for sand-dominated fluvial sediments. Sedimentology 55, 1905-1913.

Cheetham M.D., Keene A.F., Bush R.T., Erskine W.D. (2008) Connecting the disconnected: longitudinally correlating river terrace remnants in the upper Hunter valley, Australia. In: Sediment dynamics in changing environments. (Eds. J. Schmidt, T. Cochrane, C. Phillips, S. Elliot, T. Davies & L. Basher). IAHS Publication 325. (IAHS Press). pp. 123-129.

Keene A.F., Bush R.T., Cheetham M.D., Chalmers A., Erskine W.D. (2008) Pool-riffle reformation and bed armouring induced by structures and riparian revegetation that sequester sand. In: Sediment dynamics in changing environments. (Eds. J. Schmidt, T. Cochrane, C. Phillips, S. Elliot, T. Davies & L. Basher). IAHS Publication 325. (IAHS Press). pp. 576-583.

Keene A.F., Bush R.T., Erskine W.D. (2007) Changes to the connectivity of stream and alluvial ground waters from restoration works in an incised sand bed stream. In: 'Proceedings of the 5th Australian Stream Management Conference, Australian rivers: making a difference'. (Eds. A.L. Wilson, R.L. Dehaan, R.J. Watts, K.J. Page, K.H. Bowmer & A. Curtis). 21-25 May 2007, Albury Australia. (Charles Sturt University). pp. 187-192.