Author(s): Farhad Bahmanpouri; Silvia Barbetta; Tommaso Moramarco

Linked Author(s): Farhad Bahmanpouri, Tommaso Moramarco

Keywords: Hydraulic complexity; Ecohydraulics; Velocity components; River hydrodynamics; Po River

Abstract: Hydrodynamic characteristics, especially in terms of velocity gradients, in non‐uniform river flows are the most dominant factors to justify the availability of a diverse set of aquatic habitats. The hydraulic complexity metrics known as M1, M2, and M3 are of particular interest in the 3D spatial analysis of habitat metrics in terms of ecological functions. The first two parameters M1 and M2 specify the magnitude of drag forces implemented on aquatic organisms that are moving between two places, while, the third parameter M3 may yield potential habitat energy required by an organism to remain in a location without spinning. The present research aims to evaluate the hydraulic complexity parameters in river flows. In this direction, the field-collected data of Po River, as the longest one in Italy with 652 km length and drainage area equal to 70,000 km2, forming Italy’s widest and most fertile plain, were considered. The cross-sectional velocity components in vertical and transverse directions were used to calculate the hydraulic complexity parameters. The results highlighted that the hydraulic complexity parameters may add some insights about the habitat heterogeneity as well as evaluating ecological patterns in rivers with remarkable flood rates such as Po River.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/IAHR-39WC2521711920221243

Year: 2022