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Official Journal of the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS)

Table 3 Nested hierarchical (cross-scalar) approach to analysis of river systems (after Brierley and Fryirs 2005; Frissell et al. 1986; Gurnell et al. 2016; Naiman et al. 1992; Poff 1997)

From: Truths of the Riverscape: Moving beyond command-and-control to geomorphologically informed nature-based river management

Scale

Attributes

Significance (respect diversity)

Importance for other Truths

Ecoregion

Catchment styles (archetypes)

Biodiversity links to geodiversity

Platform for planning and policy

Appraise catchment-scale similarity/differences

Evolutionary traits (Truth 4)

Catchment

Hydrologically and geomorphologically constrained unit (veins on a leaf)

Pattern of process zones

Drainage network: Tributary-trunk stream and connectivity relationships

Fundamental geomorphic unit—holistic basis for land and water management

Proactive planning that incorporates knowledge of off-site impacts and legacy effects (Truth 4)

Reach (River Style)

Relatively uniform assemblage and pattern of geomorphic units

Planform scale—channel–floodplain linkage

Geomorphic process zone (source, transfer, accumulation)

Balance of flow/sediment flux (regime principles)

Magnitude–frequency relations (range of behaviour) (Truth 2)

Form/capacity for adjustment (sensitivity) (Truth 2)

Key scale for process-based analysis of river condition (Truth 3)

Geomorphic unit

Channel and floodplain landforms

Channel geometry

Dynamic physical habitat mosaic

Morphodynamics—process–form linkage (bed before banks) (Truth 2)

Magnitude–frequency relations (Truth 2)

Bed material size

Bedrock (forced) versus alluvial (freely adjusting)

Flow–sediment interactions—Hydraulic units

Impelling-resisting forces -

Biotopes

Ease of adjustment (rivers love sand) and bank strength (Truth 2)