2025 CSDMS meeting-030
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Comparative Influence of Channel Morphology and Sediment Lithology on Downstream Sediment Impacts in Several Rivers of Washington State
Fatemeh Shacheri,
(She, her),Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia, United States. sfatemeh@vt.edu
Ashanie Long-Reid, Western Washington University Bellingham Washington, United States. longrea@wwu.edu
Brian Pinke, Western Washington University Bellingham Washington, United States. pinkeb@wwu.edu
Allison Pfeiffer, Western Washington University Bellingham Washington, United States. pfeiffa@wwu.edu
Jonathan Czuba, Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia, United States. jczuba@vt.edu
Climate change is expected to significantly increase the frequency of severe alpine mass-wasting events, with profound implications for mountainous regions and their downstream ecosystems. Concurrently, there is a rapid growth in urban populations within the lowland areas of the Pacific Northwest, located downstream from these sources. The timing and attenuation of sediment pulse transport can trigger cascading downstream impacts, including heightened flood risks for downstream communities and significant alterations to riverine habitats. This study investigates the contrasting roles of channel characteristics and sediment lithology in shaping downstream sediment transport and associated impacts in rivers with distinct geomorphic attributes: the White River, Suiattle River, and White Salmon River in Washington State, USA. The analysis employs the Network Sediment Transporter (NST), a Lagrangian 1-D morphodynamic modeling framework within Landlab, which simulates the movement and interaction of bed sediment throughout a river network, offering valuable insights into sediment dynamics. The Network Sediment Transporter (NST) models channel reaches as interconnected links within a network grid. Sediments are represented as discrete parcels, each characterized by uniform properties such as grain size, volume, abrasion rate, and particle density, allowing for detailed tracking of their transport and interaction dynamics throughout the river network. We apply the Network Sediment Transporter (NST) to assess the hypothesis that the lithologic characteristics of sediment pulses play a more significant role in shaping downstream channel responses than other commonly considered factors, such as channel geometry or sediment properties. The distinct features of these rivers provide an excellent opportunity to examine how differences in upstream sediment lithology influence downstream impacts. By shedding light on these dynamics, this study aims to improve our understanding of sediment transport processes and support better management of downstream sediment-related challenges.
