Check dams decrease the channel complexity of intermediate reaches in the Western Carpathians

Our new article published in Science of the Total Environment focuses on potential degradation of mountain channels affected by direct human interventions. We dealt with four channel complexity dimensions (longitudinal, cross-sectional, large wood and bed sediments) of foothill and steep streams treated by check dams. We observed that check dams altered the channel complexity of intermediate reaches (i.e., reaches between subsequent check dams) when compared with reaches of undisturbed streams. A higher degradation was typical for a foothill unconfined stream (S = 0.01-0.02 m/m), where this stream completely lost its vertical bed oscillations because of the transformation of pool-riffles to a uniform plane bed morphology. On the other hand, a steep stream (S = 0.06-0.12 m/m) indicated an increase in sediment homogeneity when compared to an untreated stream, but this management did not heavily affect longitudinal or cross-sectional heterogeneity. Due to the presence of managed riparian corridors, we did not observe differences in instream wood abundance between treated and untreated streams.

Galia, T., Škarpich, V. Ruman, S., Macurová, T. (2019): Check dams decrease the channel complexity of intermediate reaches in the Western Carpathians (Czech Republic). Science of the Total Environment 662, 881-894. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.305