Masters or PhD Student - Diagonal Bar Dynamics

A conceptual model of diagonal bar evolution Damia Vericat and I developed and have started to test on rivers in Spain.

October 2018 Update: I floated this last Fall but the stars did not align. I'm going to try and make this one happen this year.

I am seeking a Masters or PhD Student to shed light on diagonal bar dynamics. Diagonal what?  Diagonal bars are by far the most common mid-channel bar throughout the world's rivers and streams, yet many people have never heard of them. Diagonal bars split flow around themselves in a characteristically asymmetrical fashion, creating complex in-channel habitat and leaving behind distinctive islands and floodplain topography. Diagonal bars start their lives as margin or bank attached bars on the inside-bend of flow, but then proceed to detach from the bank via a process of chute cutoff formation along the inside bend. They seem to evolve through a similar progression in extremely different fluvial environments. Diagonal bars are an excellent geoindicator of river-health in many reach types (e.g. wandering gravel bed rivers) as they often disappear when lateral adjustment is artificially confined. Basic empirical data on diagonal bars, their occurrence, their evolution and their prevalence is largely lacking from the geomorphic literature and restoration practitioners are largely unaware of their importance. This student would work with myself and Damia Vericat to build-out, refine, and rigorously test a conceptual model of diagonal bar evolution we developed, and build important insights into this poorly understood but pervasive bar form.