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Uncertain restoration of gravel-bed rivers and the role of geomorphology

Uncertain restoration of gravel-bed rivers and the role of geomorphology
Uncertain restoration of gravel-bed rivers and the role of geomorphology
River restoration projects in gravel-bed rivers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex as river managers and scientists attempt to deliver the goals of catchment- scale ecosystem restoration. With increased sophistication, come the dual challenges of recognizing and responding to the uncertainty inherent in the restoration process. Uncertainty is rarely explicitly recognised in current restoration projects and, where it is, the scope and definition are limited. In this paper we argue that uncertainty is a fundamental element of river restoration and that the sources of uncertainty are varied. A typology for understanding and communicating uncertainty in terms of these sources is presented. One of the myths surrounding uncertainty is the notion that being uncertain is the same as not knowing anything. In fact, when uncertainty is expressed as a statement of plausible outcome and/or significance, expressing uncertainty is a very informative statement of knowledge. The significance of uncertainty is explored conceptually and quantified for two contrasting examples from two gravel-bed river restoration projects. Respectively, these demonstrate that uncertainty in the conceptual model applied to a restoration project can have significant impacts on the restoration process and that unreliability uncertainties can affect the design of bankfull channel dimensions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the approaches to incorporating uncertainty in river restoration projects, and argues for one that embraces uncertainty. We present an approach for embracing geomorphic uncertainty in physical habitat restoration, that uses coupled habitat and landscape evolution models to define the plausible outcomes for a given restoration project.
11
739-760
Elsevier
Sear, David A.
ccd892ab-a93d-4073-a11c-b8bca42ecfd3
Wheaton, Joseph M.
0d7be603-4296-4406-a46f-814288839dc2
Darby, Stephen E.
4c3e1c76-d404-4ff3-86f8-84e42fbb7970
Habersack, H.
Piegay, H.
Rinaldi, M.
Sear, David A.
ccd892ab-a93d-4073-a11c-b8bca42ecfd3
Wheaton, Joseph M.
0d7be603-4296-4406-a46f-814288839dc2
Darby, Stephen E.
4c3e1c76-d404-4ff3-86f8-84e42fbb7970
Habersack, H.
Piegay, H.
Rinaldi, M.

Sear, David A., Wheaton, Joseph M. and Darby, Stephen E. (2007) Uncertain restoration of gravel-bed rivers and the role of geomorphology. In, Habersack, H., Piegay, H. and Rinaldi, M. (eds.) Gravel-Bed Rivers IV: from Process Understanding to River Restoration. (Developments in Earth Surface Processes, 11) Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Elsevier, pp. 739-760. (doi:10.1016/S0928-2025(07)11162-7).

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

River restoration projects in gravel-bed rivers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex as river managers and scientists attempt to deliver the goals of catchment- scale ecosystem restoration. With increased sophistication, come the dual challenges of recognizing and responding to the uncertainty inherent in the restoration process. Uncertainty is rarely explicitly recognised in current restoration projects and, where it is, the scope and definition are limited. In this paper we argue that uncertainty is a fundamental element of river restoration and that the sources of uncertainty are varied. A typology for understanding and communicating uncertainty in terms of these sources is presented. One of the myths surrounding uncertainty is the notion that being uncertain is the same as not knowing anything. In fact, when uncertainty is expressed as a statement of plausible outcome and/or significance, expressing uncertainty is a very informative statement of knowledge. The significance of uncertainty is explored conceptually and quantified for two contrasting examples from two gravel-bed river restoration projects. Respectively, these demonstrate that uncertainty in the conceptual model applied to a restoration project can have significant impacts on the restoration process and that unreliability uncertainties can affect the design of bankfull channel dimensions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the approaches to incorporating uncertainty in river restoration projects, and argues for one that embraces uncertainty. We present an approach for embracing geomorphic uncertainty in physical habitat restoration, that uses coupled habitat and landscape evolution models to define the plausible outcomes for a given restoration project.

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More information

Published date: October 2007

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 57947
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/57947
PURE UUID: 02d7e535-462c-4064-9dc5-499b86eca43e
ORCID for David A. Sear: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0191-6179
ORCID for Stephen E. Darby: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8778-4394

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Date deposited: 11 Aug 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:59

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Contributors

Author: David A. Sear ORCID iD
Author: Joseph M. Wheaton
Editor: H. Habersack
Editor: H. Piegay
Editor: M. Rinaldi

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