Effect of urbanization on stream hydraulics

Abstract

Urbanization results in major changes to stream morphology and hydrology with the latter often cited as a primary stressor of urban stream ecosystems. These modifications unequivocally alter stream hydraulics, but little is known about such impacts. Hydraulic changes due to urbanization were demonstrated using two-dimensional hydrodynamic model simulations, comparing urban and non-urban stream reaches. We investigated three ecologically relevant hydraulic characteristics: bed mobilization, retentive habitat, and floodplain inundation, using hydraulic metrics bed shear stress, shallow slow-water habitat (SSWH) area, and floodplain inundation area. We hypothesized that urbanization would subst..