Author(s): Rohan Benjankar; Daniele Tonina

Linked Author(s): Rohan Benjankar

Keywords: Hydraulic variability; Floodplain width; Channel confinement; Ecohydraulics; River restoration

Abstract: We developed two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic and aquatic habitat models to evaluate the impacts of channel confinement on hydraulic variability and fish habitat across four different discharges. Our results show that relative floodplain width does not influence aquatic habitat between moderately confined and confined reaches for flows below bankfull. For overbank flows, hydraulic variability and habitat availability increased with relative floodplain width. This study provides quantitative relations among floodplain width, hydraulic variability and habitat that inform river restoration design.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64697/iahr.proc.ise2026.abs.290

Year: 2026