Causes of 20th century channel narrowing in mountain and piedmont rivers of southeastern France

Abstract

Extensive channel narrowing in southeastern France provides an illustration of geomorphic response to land‐use changes. The study region comprises a range of environments, from large piedmont and intramountain gravel‐bed rivers, to small mountain streams. Field measurements and analysis of historical data demonstrate two distinct periods of channel change. From 1850 to 1950, channel narrowing is interpreted to be the result of a recovery process in response to widespread channel destabilization induced by major floods during the second half of the 19th century. At the time, the largely deforested basins were highly responsive to flooding, whereas the recovery process was accelerated by floodplain and basin‐scale land use changes (afforestation) and torrential control works, which in turn reduced sediment delivery and enabled vegetation development in channels. From 1950 to 1970, channel narrowing accelerated in most of the studied rivers. This recent phenomenon is considered as a human‐induced fluvial adjustment, directly related to forest development on river margins and human abandonment of intensive floodplain land uses. At the same time, long‐profile degradation occurred as a result of long‐term bedload supply decrease. In small mountain streams, channel narrowing is mainly explained by channel incision which seems to progress from upstream where sediment sources are progressively stabilized by afforestation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.