Elli Papangelakis

McMaster University | McMaster · School of Earth Environment & Society

The quantification of bedload sediment transport in rivers is possible from statistics of individual particle displacements. However, there is a lack of empirical basis for a universal relation between particle displacement distance and hydraulic drivers. Previous work suggests that a simple linear relation exists between the energy of a flood and...

Successful watershed planning requires a watershed-scale approach to the assessment of erosion hazards. Stream power, or the rate of energy expenditure of flowing water, is a driver of river erosion and morphologic change. Stream Power Index for Networks (SPIN) is a newly developed GIS-based toolbox that uses simple inputs to calculate total stream...

The alluvial cover in channels with non‐alluvial beds is a major morphologic feature in these rivers and has important geomorphic and ecologic functions. Although controls on the extent of the alluvial cover have been previously researched, little is known about the role of channel meanders in shaping the three‐dimensional morphology and bedload tr...

Watershed urbanization and stormwater management (SWM) alter the hydrologic processes of rivers. Although differences have been documented in channel morphology and sediment yield pre‐ and post‐ urbanization, little is known about how the modified hydrology affects grain‐scale bedload transport dynamics. This study aims to characterize the bedload...

Radio frequency identification (RFID) tracer stones are an increasingly popular tool in sediment transport research. A key limitation of RFID tracers is the sensitivity of their detection zone shape to the orientation of the transponder. The variability in detection zone shapes reduces detection rates by obscuring tracer positions and creating comp...

Flume experiments are popular tools for investigating questions of sediment transport and channel evolution but are less often used to assess the performance of river restoration projects. We present the design, construction, and preliminary results of a set of flume experiments that aim to test the performance of a river restoration design in Pent...

Bedload particle tracking is a technique used to better understand sediment dynamics in rivers. Despite technical advances, tracers may be missed in field surveys. The missed tracers may bias the study results even where recovery rates are high, for example if they are preferentially buried close to the seeding site or transported downstream of the...

It has been observed that the relation between sediment storage and sediment transport rate in gravel-bed rivers exhibits counter-clockwise hysteresis, or aggradation-degradation cycles. Previous work has attributed these cycles to external changes to the sediment supply rate. We present a set of nine flume experiments that test the hypothesis that...

In partially-alluvial channels, an understanding of cover formation over a non-alluvial substrate is necessary for effective river management or restoration. Urban rivers, for example, are often sediment starved such that the underlying substrate may be exposed. Few experiments have investigated cover development in meandering channels, particularl...

Successful management of natural and engineered channels with discontinuous allu-vial cover requires knowledge of how the cover develops and evolves. We report on physical model experiments designed to compare alluvial cover dynamics in straight and sinuous fixed-bed channels at a range of gravel-bed material supply rates and constant discharge con...

This research is part of a project to understand urban channel degradation and assess the benefits of stormwater management and channel restoration. Specific objectives are to i) describe the development and field testing of a new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracer with a self-righting inner ball (a 'Wobblestone') and ii) describe the var...

Although there is increasing consensus that river restoration should focus on restoring processes rather than form, proven techniques to design and monitor projects for sediment transport processes are lacking. This study monitors bedload transport and channel morphology in a rural, an urban unrestored, and an urban restored reach. Objectives are t...

Watershed urbanization and stormwater management (SWM) alter the hydrologic processes of rivers. Although differences in channel morphology and total sediment yields pre- and post- urbanization have been documented, little is known about how the altered hydrology affects the grain-scale bedload transport dynamics. This study aims to characterize th...

The impact of urbanization on stream channels is of interest due to the growth of cities and the sensitivity of stream morphology and ecology to hydrologic change. Channel enlargement is a commonly observed effect and channel evolution models can help guide management efforts, but the models must be used in the proper geologic and climatic context....

This study uses a unique 10-year tracer dataset from a small gravel-bed stream to examine bed mobility and sediment dispersion over long timescales and at a range of spatial scales. Seasonal tracer data that captured multiple mobilizing events was examined, while the effects of morphology on bed mobility and sediment dispersion were captured at thr...