Author(s): Nicolas Claude; Clement Leroux; Marion Duclercq; Pablo Tassi; Kamal El Kadi Abderrezzak

Linked Author(s): Kamal El Kadi Abderrezzak, Pablo TASSI

Keywords: No Keywords

Abstract: Physical modelling experiments are conducted to investigate if a modification of the Isere River (French Alps) hydrology by changing dams management is able to foster riverbed morphodynamic and, thus limiting riparian plant development. The experimental setup is a 1:35 scale, undistorted movable bed designed to ensure the Froude number similarity and initial conditions for sediment particle motion. The physical model is 35m long, 2.6 m wide, with a sand mixture composed of three grain size classes. Two runs with different flow and bed load conditions are simulated. Preliminary results show an intense riverbed activity when the system reaches a dynamic equilibrium state. Under these conditions, bar mobility is strong enough to limit vegetation encroachment only when water discharges are higher than the discharge of a 5-years flood during more than 10 days. These results indicate that the hydrological characteristics of the Isere River and the actual configuration of the hydropower structures could be not able to release annually the flow conditions needed to control riparian plant development.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20184002015

Year: 2018