Vegetation dams have a significant impact on flow routing (photo by Ben Erickson).
Capture of channel by vegetation at bifucation. Differences in bed elevation result in parts of the bed being exposed during the low flow and subsequently colonized.
(photo by Ben Erickson)
(photo by Ben Erickson)
Using back-lighting to highlight relief of channels and banks.
Meander bends
Bedforms and standing waves
   
   
Headcutting channel
Headcutting channels in the floodplain
Alfalfa seedlings and mature sprouts Platte River, Central Nebraska, late 1800's.

Platte River today following a century of hydrologic controls.

 

Waitaki River, South Island, NZ vegetation expansion following hydrologic controls

Following the last experiment we imaged the sediment from the bed with an ESEM. A layer of organic material had formed as a result of the vegetation. This is an imageimage shows clean quartz grains several cm's below the surface magnified 150X.

In contrast, these two images show the upper layers of the sediment. The organic material between the grains can been seen. This material was a source of bank cohesion even after the vegetation (stems and roots) were removed manually.