CONTENTS
PART I • HOW RIVERS WORK
1. Introduction to the Rivers of California:
The First 4 Billion Years
Introduction
How a River Works
Grade and Equilibrium A Model River System Summary
2. Water in Motion
Introduction
Unsteady, Nonuniform Flow
Moving Water: How Fast, How Deep?
Reynolds Number: Turbulent versus Laminar Flow
Froude Number: Subcritical versus Supercritical Flow
Boundary Layers and Flow Separation: Life in the Fast Lane
Summary
3. A River at Work: Sediment Entrainment, Transport,
and Deposition
Introduction
Stream Power, Competence, and Capacity
Summary
4. The Shape of a River
Introduction
Channel Cross Sections
Channel Pattern
Channel Patterns in Deltas
Summary
5. Origins of River Discharge
Introduction
Monitoring the Pulse of a River: The Hydrograph
Precipitation
Base Flow: Why Rivers Run All Year
Overland Flow
Snowmelt Runoff
Summary
6. Sediment Supply
Introduction
Weathering: The Primary Source of Sediment
Soils: The Source of Most River Sediment
How Erosion Works
Calculating Sediment Yield
Mass Wasting
Sediment Supplied by Channel Erosion
Overall Sediment Budget
Summary
7. River Network and Profile
Introduction
Watersheds in Plan View: Evolution of Drainage Networks
Discharge and Drainage Network Structure
Watersheds in Profile
Summary
8. Climate and the Rivers of California
Introduction
Climate in the Land of Extremes
El Nino Events, Droughts, and Floods
Orographic Effects
Summary
9. Tectonics and Geology of California's Rivers
Introduction
Plate Tectonics: The Unifying Theory of the Geologic Sciences
Plate Boundaries
Plate Boundaries and the Geology of California's Watersheds
California's Rivers in Context
Summary
PART II • LEARNING THE LESSONS: LAND
USE AND THE RIVERS OF CALIFORNIA
10. Rivers of California: The Last 200 Years
Introduction
1800-1900: Arrival of the Europeans and the Discovery of Gold
1900-1950: "Reclamation" and Flood Control
1950-1970: Boom Time
1970-Present: The War of the Special Interests
11. Mining and the Rivers of California
Introduction
Hydraulic Mining: 1853-1884
Abandoned and Inactive Mines
In-stream Sand and Gravel Mining
Summary
12. Logging California's Watersheds
Introduction
Timber Harvest Techniques
On-site Impacts
Cumulative Impacts of Logging on Rivers
Summary
13. Food Production and the Rivers of California
Introduction
The Grazing of California's Watersheds
Agricultural Runoff
Summary
14. A Primer on Flood Frequency: How Much and How Often?
Introduction
FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the 100-Year Floodplain
Flood Frequency: Myths and Misconceptions
Flood Recurrence and the American River: A Case Example
Summary
15. The Urbanization of California's Rivers
Introduction
Urban Stormwater Runoff
The Urban Hydrograph
Flood Control through Channelization of Rivers
Impacts of Channelization
Working with a River
Summary
16. The Damming of California's Rivers
Introduction
Controlling the Variables with Dams and Diversions
Geomorphic Response to Dams
Impacts of Dams on Fisheries and Water Quality
Summary
17. The Future: Changing Climate, Changing Rivers
Introduction
Climate Change: Global Cooling, Global Warming
The Response of California's Rivers to Climate Change
A Final Note
Summary
CONVERSIONS AND EQUIVALENTS
INDEX |
