environmental DNA5 min read
Environmental DNA Arrives with a Travel History
A river-water sample can reveal elusive life while carrying evidence from elsewhere. Its journey is part of the interpretation.
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Rivers6 min read
What a gravel bar records after a flood
An exposed gravel bar holds traces of material carried, deposited and left in place. Its stones tell a fuller flood story when read with the river's earlier shape and flow record.
Rivers6 min read
The changing shape of a meander
A river bend changes as flow scours banks, builds and erodes bars, and sometimes cuts a shortcut across its floodplain. Its shape keeps an uneven record.
Rivers6 min read
Why a floodplain needs more than a boundary line
A mapped flood line represents one modelled water level. Depth, rainfall history, changing channels and floodplain life show why a river's low ground needs a fuller description.
rivers5 min read
Reconnecting the River, Rebuilding Its Habitats
Fish passage, suitable habitat, sediment movement, and population persistence are different parts of river reconnection.
Rivers5 min read
The sediment a reservoir holds back
A reservoir slows a river enough to store sand, gravel and silt. That deposit takes up water-storage space and changes the supply reaching channels and coasts downstream; surveys show why the outcome differs from one dam to another.
Rivers5 min read
A river stone keeps only part of its journey
A round pebble has met other surfaces, but its smoothness is no odometer. Rock type, broken edges, intermittent floods and recycled gravel complicate the journey it seems to show.
Rivers5 min read
A river gauge measures height before it measures flow
A streamflow graph depends on field measurements and a changing relationship between height and discharge. Floods and ice show why that relationship needs care.