Resistance Analysis of Morphologies in Headwater Mountain Streams

River flow velocity is determined by the energy available for flow motion and the energy fraction lost by flow resistance. We compared the performance of different equations for the Darcy-Weisbach resistance coefficient (f) and empirical equations to predict flow velocity. The set of equations was tested using data from the Quinuas headwater mountain river in the Andean region. The data was collected in three Cascades, two Step-pools, and one Plane-bed covering a wide range of velocity magnitudes. The results reveal that nondimensional hydraulic geometry equations (NDHG) with a Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency index (EF) varying from 0.6-0.85 provide the most accurate velocity prediction. Furthermore, the study proposes a methodology applicable to all morphologies for defining the NDHG parameters using easily measured field data. The results show an improvement in predictability with EF values in the range of 0.81-0.86. Moreover, the methodology was tested against data from the literature, which was not divided into morphologies providing EF values of around 0.9. The authors encourage the application of the presented methodology to other reaches to obtain additional data about the NDHG parameters. Our findings suggest that those parameters could be related to reach characteristics (e.g., certain characteristic grain size), and in that case, the methodology could be useful in ungauged streams.

Automated summary

The study compared different equations for predicting river flow velocity and found that nondimensional hydraulic geometry equations provided the most accurate predictions. A methodology for defining parameters using easily measured field data was proposed, leading to improved predictability. The authors encourage further application of the methodology to enhance understanding of parameters related to reach characteristics.