BASIC LAWS AND LOCAL FEATURES OF DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED RIVERBEDS (results of monitoring observations)

Abstract

The article describes the results of monitoring of stream-bank erosion on small and medium-sized rivers of Central Russia - the wide-bottomed Kerzhents and Sherna and the narrow-bottomed embedded Tarusa. It was found that horizontal channel deformations generally occur according to the expected patterns: erosion of concave banks of bends, alluvium of their convex banks, curvature and then straightening. However, both on medium and small rivers, local non-fluvial factors interfere with this process, disrupting the interaction of the flow and the valley floor, bringing elements of unpredictability to typical channel deformations. This is especially noticeable on embedded rivers that lack a wide floodplain - a natural buffer that protects the channel from the effects of slope and other processes occurring on the slopes and in the near-valley parts of the watersheds.