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Large Wood and River Morphodynamics

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Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 3

Abstract

Large wood is recognised as a key component of river systems that affects river morphology and dynamics. However, the precise influence of large wood varies with properties of the wood (size, form, density, ability to sprout) and properties of the river system with which the wood is associated (size, planform, bed material). In the last decade, there has been an enormous expansion in research on the properties, dynamics and impacts of wood in rivers, and several exciting new perspectives have been proposed. This paper reviews the history of river wood research and then synthesises concepts that have arisen within the last decade to consider how large wood functions as a geomorphic agent. Research needs to extend beyond generalised considerations of the fluvial geomorphic role of large wood and to focus more on the tree species that generate the wood.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK

    Angela M. Gurnell

Authors
  1. Angela M. Gurnell
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Correspondence to Angela M. Gurnell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. for Geo-hydrological Protection, National Research Council (CNR), Turin, Italy

    Giorgio Lollino

  2. Inst. for Geo-hydrological Protection, National Research Council (CNR), Turin, Italy

    Massimo Arattano

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Massimo Rinaldi

  4. Dept. of Geotechn. Engin. & Geosciences, Technical University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Orazio Giustolisi

  5. Water, Environment, and Ecotechnologies, French Geological Survey, Montpellier, France

    Jean-Christophe Marechal

  6. Pacific Northwest Research Station Forestry Sciences Laboratory 280, USDA Forest Service, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    Gordon E. Grant

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Gurnell, A.M. (2015). Large Wood and River Morphodynamics. In: Lollino, G., Arattano, M., Rinaldi, M., Giustolisi, O., Marechal, JC., Grant, G. (eds) Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09054-2_25

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