Where is bankfull in small southern Appalachian stream channels?. Swift, L. Riparian Ecosystmes in the Humid U, 1994.
Where is bankfull in small southern Appalachian stream channels? [pdf]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
The identification of bankfull width and bankfull depth is an important first step in some stream classification systems (e.g., Rosgen's). However, past application of traditional criteria to define bankfull for Appalachian streams has yielded questionable results. Ten gaged streams in the Nantahala Mountains of Western North Carolina were surveyed to identify apparent bankfull depth near each gaging site. Estimated bankfuil discharge was calculated for the measured cross-sections and compared with estimates of bankfull discharge derived from annual peak flow distributions based on the record at each weir. On these streams, the maintenance of channel morphology by bankfull flow appears to be a function of both the magnitude of high flow and the duration of that flow. A subset of field criteria for identifying the bankfull depth on the channel wall was found to produce the most consistent results for Appalachian Mountain streams.

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