Developing a typology of streams in the Anthropocene: disconnections between controls on river characteristics
Publication Date
July 24, 2020
Creator
Abstract
River processes and characteristics have been substantially modified in the Anthropocene. As such, river classification systems are unsuitable for human-modified river systems because they rely on the morphological processes which may only occur in natural streams. Hence, the aim of this project was to create a new typology based on biological, chemical, hydrological and physical input categories.
Cluster analysis was used to create a typology which accounted for anthropogenic impacts and assessed the relative significance and comparability of controls on river type, using streams in the Midlands, UK to test how processes may have changed. The clusters found were compared against previous classifications and different categories of input data, then investigated to understand how anthropogenic factors may have influenced stream groupings.
Between two and three clusters were delineated for each category of variables, and a subset of river sites were found to co-occur across all variable groups. Healthy and unhealthy river types did not map on to Water Framework Directive ecological and chemical classifications, suggesting a disconnection between the Water Framework Directive and the observed morphology and condition of rivers indicated by empirical data. Categories of input data did not align with each other once cluster analysis had been performed. This inferred that system processes and responses, that the literature claimed to maintain similarities between categories, had changed.
This research has important implications for river restoration which typically focuses on one goal and category. Differences between policy- and data-driven river classifications suggest orthodox classifications may not be fit for purpose as the concept of a “natural river” does not align with how rivers are shown to respond to human influence and modification in their catchment. Therefore, research needs to focus on how rivers function in these “anthromes” and how management should respond to the disconnections between categories.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
MScRes
Supervisors
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
School of Geography
eprints ID
59686
UoN Repository URI
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