TY - GEN
T1 - Assessing streambank stability of oklahoma ozark streams with rapid geomorphic assessments
AU - Heeren, D. M.
AU - Mittelstet, A. R.
AU - Fox, G. A.
AU - Storm, D. E.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - Streams in the Ozark Ecoregion naturally meander and have a high degree of sinuosity. Changes in land use have resulted in accelerated rates of streambank erosion. Numerous benefits may be achieved from streambank stabilization, but more information is needed on the most critical locations for investing limited funds. Rapid geomorphic assessments (RGAs) are indices proposed to aid in prioritizing sites. This research (1) evaluated two RGAs, the Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI) and the Channel Stability Index (CSI), on several stream sites along the Barren Fork Creek and Spavinaw Creek, and (2) developed a new RGA specific to the ecoregion. The performance of the RGAs was assessed based on lateral bank erosion estimated from five years of aerial photography. Correlations between the existing RGAs and lateral bank erosion were relatively low with coefficients of determination, R2, of 0.23 and 0.19 for CSI and BEHI, respectively. The two RGAs failed to indicate the same reaches as the most unstable. Primary limitations were not considering the streambank's cohesion and the difficulty in accurately assessing some metrics. Therefore, the Ozark Stream Erosion Potential Index (OSEPI) was developed by including parameters to account for bank cohesion and stream curvature. The OSEPI had the highest correlation (R2 of 0.31 for all sites; R2 of 0.46 for sites with similar soils) to measured streambank erosion and aided in prioritizing sites.
AB - Streams in the Ozark Ecoregion naturally meander and have a high degree of sinuosity. Changes in land use have resulted in accelerated rates of streambank erosion. Numerous benefits may be achieved from streambank stabilization, but more information is needed on the most critical locations for investing limited funds. Rapid geomorphic assessments (RGAs) are indices proposed to aid in prioritizing sites. This research (1) evaluated two RGAs, the Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI) and the Channel Stability Index (CSI), on several stream sites along the Barren Fork Creek and Spavinaw Creek, and (2) developed a new RGA specific to the ecoregion. The performance of the RGAs was assessed based on lateral bank erosion estimated from five years of aerial photography. Correlations between the existing RGAs and lateral bank erosion were relatively low with coefficients of determination, R2, of 0.23 and 0.19 for CSI and BEHI, respectively. The two RGAs failed to indicate the same reaches as the most unstable. Primary limitations were not considering the streambank's cohesion and the difficulty in accurately assessing some metrics. Therefore, the Ozark Stream Erosion Potential Index (OSEPI) was developed by including parameters to account for bank cohesion and stream curvature. The OSEPI had the highest correlation (R2 of 0.31 for all sites; R2 of 0.46 for sites with similar soils) to measured streambank erosion and aided in prioritizing sites.
KW - Oklahoma
KW - River bank stabilization
KW - Rivers and streams
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79960395760&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79960395760&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1061/41173(414)408
DO - 10.1061/41173(414)408
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:79960395760
SN - 9780784411735
T3 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011: Bearing Knowledge for Sustainability - Proceedings of the 2011 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress
SP - 3907
EP - 3916
BT - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011
T2 - World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2011: Bearing Knowledge for Sustainability
Y2 - 22 May 2011 through 26 May 2011
ER -