CAUSES FOR CHANGE IN STREAM-CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY

Chad A. Whaley, Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Alabama,

MobileAL, 36688. E-MAIL: caw408@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
The ultimate goal of this project was to determine the causes for change in stream
channel morphology. With the use of Geographic Information Systems, a horizontal
profile of Spring and Moore Creeks was created. The examination of both these profiles
can help us understand and analyze the causes of erosion, sand deposits and sediment
transport by measuring elevation changes. By comparing the elevation changes from the
profile with the actual land, it can then be determined if changes in the stream channel are
due to human or natural causes. Findings supported a conclusion that changes in
elevation along both creeks were due to human activity. Long-term adjustments can now
be made in relation to drainage changes or base-level changes through the use of
horizontal profiling. This technique can be useful for predictions of up to several decades,
which can in turn provide valuable information to the surrounding community and Dog
River Clearwater Revival.
Keyword: stream, channel, morphology, Geographic Information Systems,
horizontal profiling, sedimentation.

Introduction:

Covering a total area of approximately ninety-five square miles, The Dog

River Watershed (DRW), encompasses most of Mobile’s streams and creeks. Nearly

60% of the watershed lies within in the city’s boundary. Dog River serves as not

only a drainage way for Mobile, but also as recreational waters for surrounding

residents (ADEM, 1994). As with any watershed, there are major concerns that affect

people and the environment in a variety of different ways. Erosion, runoff, sediment

transportation, deposition are just a few of the concerns. To better understand the causes

of these watershed problems, research has been conducted on changes in stream channel

morphology within the Dog River Watershed.

Geomorphology is the study of landforms including the origin, evolution and the

processes that form them. These processes are each influenced differently by climate,

ecology, and human activity. Present day structures are studied not only to help us
understand the geological features we see today and the forces that created them, but also

to help us understand the features from previous ages that we see recorded in geological

history (Schumm 1977).

River morphology is the field of science dealing with changes of river form and

cross-section shape mainly due to sedimentation and erosion processes. River

morphology is a complex subject, which can be subdivided into several different areas

that are often related to each other. These areas include: overland flow and channel flow,

drainage systems and channel networks, stream channels, stream flow, and stream stages,

stream discharge and basin area, horizontal profiling and profile development, stream

erosion and transportation (Schumm 1977). The focus of this research is the aspect of

horizontal profiling on stream channels.

A good way to understand stream channel morphology is to conduct a

horizontal profile of the actual streams. The monitoring of the profile can help us to

understand and analyze the causes of erosion, sand deposits and sediment transport by

measuring elevation changes across set transects on a stream over time (Russell, 1895).

Streams, creeks and rivers are all landforms that are subject to rapid change in

channel shape and flow pattern. Water and sedimentation build up can determine the

dimensions of a stream channel (width, depth, meander wavelength, and gradient).

What is the significance? The physical features of stream channels reflect the magnitude

of water and sediment discharges. In the absence of different hydrologic data, an

understanding of stream morphology through horizontal profiling, can help to conclude if

any environmental changes have taken place (Chang, 1988).

When looking at changes in stream channel morphology, people often wonder

why these changes have taken place. Are the changes due to human or natural causes or

even both? Land use changes, such as land clearance, construction, farming and forestry

can all have an effect on streams and rivers. Climatic events such as heavy rainfall,

flooding, and tectonic activity are believed to be the primary cause for morphology

changes. Assumptions are also being made that human activity is to blame for

changes in stream morphology over time.

Research Question:

It has been my research goal to examine changes in stream morphology by

horizontal profiling and to assess if the changes were associated with management,

topography or other factors. Are there similarities and/or differences in the morphology

of nearby streams? Is there some natural or human cause for erosion, sedimentation

transport or deposition in a certain area of the streams’ profile? What are the causes?

Through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), I will inform the surrounding

community that horizontal profiling can prove beneficial to the assessment of the causes

and effects regarding changes in stream channel morphology.

Methods:

Geographic information system (GIS) is a computer system capable of

integrating, storing, editing, analyzing, sharing, and displaying geographically-referenced

information. In a more generic sense, GIS is a tool that allows users to create interactive

queries (user created searches), analyze the spatial information, edit data, make maps, and

present the results of all these operations(Goodrich 2007). The goal of this study was

to derive predictive relationships for stream channel characteristics using a high-

resolution ArcInfo GIS database.

 I chose Spring and Moore Creeks, located in the Dog River Watershed, to

examine in my study. Utilizing GIS technology, I investigated the morphological

relationships of the two creeks previously mentioned.

The City of Mobile offers a wide variety of shape files that can be used to produce

various types of maps using GIS software. Obtaining the data for Dog River Watershed

area, streams, water bodies, major roads, 2-foot contour lines and an aerial photograph of

the City of Mobile

was the first step in

the process. The

area of Spring and

MooreCreeks,

Figure 1, were

selected from the

watershed data file.

With this specific

area, I created a

map using ArcMap,

a GIS software with

the capabilities Figure 1: Dog River Watershed, Mobile AL.

Source: Dog River Watershed Website 2007
of producing, editing

and analyzing maps of all varieties. I displayed streams, major roads, bodies of water and

the aerial photograph of the city designated area. To measure or analyze any elevation

changes, a surface layer had to be created in order to make observations and derive
conclusions. Using the topographic to raster image function in ArcMap spatial analyst, a

surface layer was created from the 2-foot contour file (2002) of the Spring and Moore

Creek’s vicinity. With an elevation surface now established on a map, the horizontal

profile of the two creeks could then be created. The length of Spring and Moore Creeks

were then digitized from the head waters (beginning) down to the mouth (end) of both

creeks. Horizontal profiles of Spring and Moore Creeks were then established. Studying

the completed profiles and analyzing the creeks’ elevation changes, I then measured

distances along both creeks in the map so that reference points could be made on the

profile graphs. Once reference points were accounted for, I then chose two sites along

each creek where there were obvious changes in elevation. I went out in the field to the

actual creeks and compared and contrasted the data that was presented to pin point the

causes of change in morphology whether natural or manmade.

Results:

After creating a horizontal profile for both Spring and Moore Creeks and doing

field observations, I came to the conclusion that the most drastic elevation changes in the

profiles were due to human activity or manmade causes. From the horizontal profile of

Spring Creek, Figure 2, two sites on the graph were chosen that were of interest. The

first major elevation change was simply due to a major road, Cottage Hill, being in

the path of the creek. Also located here was a large pond which was only visible from an

aerial photo of this particular place, (Figure 3). The elevation gradually decreased by
 Cottage Hill
Rd

Government
Blvd.
Girby Rd. Demetropolis
Rd.
Halls
Mill Rd.

Figure 2: Horizontal Profile of Spring Creek

Source: City of Mobile GeoDatabase, 2007

the pond and then increased

as the creek approached

Cottage Hill Rd. The

elevation again began to

decrease on the other side

of the road. A very drastic

change in the graph occurred

towards the mouth of the

creek where there were four

simultaneous peaks in Figure 3: Spring Creek at Cottage Hill Rd.

Source: City of Mobile GeoDatabase 2007
elevation. This is where Spring

Creek crosses four major roads, Girby Rd., Government Blvd, Demetropolis Rd., and
Halls Mill Rd. At the corner of Government and Demetropolis is an elevated shopping

center which also leads to differences in elevation, (Figure 4). With respect to Spring

Creek, my research

concluded that any

morphologic

changes were a

result of manmade

changes to the

landscape, through

the construction of

ponds, shopping

centers, parking lots

and major roads.

Figure 4: Spring Creek at Government Blvd.
Source: City of Mobile GeoDatabase 2007

When examining the horizontal profile of Moore Creek, (Figure 5), and making

field observations, the conclusion was made that the changes in stream morphology were

also due to human activity. The first major change in elevation was where Moore Creek

ran underneath Government Blvd. On the south side of Government Blvd. There were a

series of drop offs causing the first significant drop in elevation, (Figures 6 & 7). On the

north side of Governemnt Blvd., I noticed some sedimentation buildup upstream. The

elevation peaked at Government and decreased rapidly due to the drop offs. The

other drop in elevation was due to a manmade dam where Moore Creek meets the

Montlimar Canal at Halls Mill Rd, Figure 8. There was also some sedimentation buildup
upstream from the dam. I did not find any other changes in morphology.

Government Blvd.
and series of
manmade drop offs

Moore Creek
meets Montlimar
Canal at Halls Mill
Rd.

Figure 5: Horizontal Profile of Moore Creek

Source: City of Mobile GeoDatabase 2007

Figure 6: Moore Creek Embankment Figure 7: Moore Creek Embankments

@ Government Blvd. @ Government Blvd.

My research concluded that changes in Moore Creek were a result of manmade changes

to the morphology through the construction of roads, small dropoffs, and a small dam.
 Figure 8: Dam where Moore Creek meets the Montlimar Canal.

Discussion and Conclusions:

An emerging interest in environmental quality highlights the importance in

determining what the natural and human impacts are on streams and rivers. In the

absence of data such as water flow rates, sediment deposits, or other hydrologic

parameters, analyzing and monitoring stream morphology through horizontal profiling

proves to be very useful and beneficial. With natural impact and human causes such as

urbanization and construction, runoff and sediment loads increase, causing geomorphic

changes in size and form. In the Spring Creek profile, noticing 4 peaks in elevation due to

the presence of roads is a possible indicator that sedimentation might occur between these

peaks of elevation. It is extremely important to understand and predict these channel

changes since they are often associated with flooding, sedimentation, water quality, and

even fish habitat problems (Leopold, 1915). There are so many ways and techniques

used to study the physical character of stream channels. Hydrologic parameters such as

channel flow direction, flow rates, deposition of sediments, slope, roughness, bed-

material size, cross sectional shape, erosion/runoff and an understanding of stream

morphology, can help identify environmental changes of many sorts (Harrelson 1994).

Due to certain technical and timing issues though, geomorphologic analysis on large and

complex study areas has been prohibitive. With the advent of Geographic Information

Systems, watershed and hydrologic modeling can now be carried out rapidly and

accurately. With the completed research, I anticipate that the Dog River Clearwater

Revival will gain valuable information on the causes for change in stream channel

morphology through the horizontal profiling. It would be in my interests to further my

research and to conduct a more complex study on river geomorphology through the use

of GIS and field observations in the Dog River Watershed.

References Cited:

ADEM. Alabama Department of Environmental Management. 1994 A Survey of the

Dog River Watershed Mobile.

Chang, H.H. 1988. Fluvial processes in river engineering. New York: John Wiley &
Sons.

City of Mobile GeoDatabase, GeoDatabase, no date

http://maps.cityofmobile.org/metadata/geodatabasename.aspx (20 March 2007)

Goodrich, David C., Guertin, Phillip D., and Miller, Scott N. 2007. Investigating Stream
Channel Morphology Using a Geographic Information System.
http://gis.esri.com/library/userconf/proc96/TO300/PAP291/P291.HTM (13 March 2007)

Harrelson, C.C., C. Rawlins, and J. Potyondy, 1994. Stream Channel Reference Sites: An
Illustrated Guide to Field Techniques. USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Forest and
Range Experiment Station General Technical Report RM-245, 67 p.

Leopold, Luna B., Miller, John P., Wolman, Gordon M. 1915. Fluvial processes in
geomorphology. San Francisco, W. H. Freeman, 1964

Russell, Richard J. 1895. River and delta morphology. Baton Rouge, Louisiana State
University Press, 1967.

Schumm, S. A. 1977. The fluvial system. New York: John Wiley & Sons.