ABSTRACT

Lake Eyre Basin (LEB) rivers are important but under-researched. This study integrates published and new information into a systematic geomorphological overview, subdividing the LEB into nine landscape zones: basin-margin Uplands with relatively high-energy rivers; Rocky Fringe, piedmont with short rivers and floodouts; Western Rivers, notable for neotectonism and stream capture; low-relief Northern Plains drainages and floodouts; Central Plains dunefield; Channel Country-Vertic Downs, cracking-clay interfluves and valley macrochannels; Channel Country-Stony Domes, rocky or sandy interfluves and complex macrochannels; Lakes & Dunes maintained by saline groundwater; and playas in the Mega-lakes. Zone boundary GIS datasets are available. LEB rivers are shown to be diverse and distinctive, indicating a need for locally relevant knowledge in management and monitoring. Fluvial landform suites include sand-bed rivers, macrochannels hosting coexisting anabranching and anastomosing systems in vertic floodplains, floodouts, low-angle alluvial fans, and three types of waterhole. Channels may be discontinuous or not present; floodplains can dominate flow transmission. Contributing hillslopes are heterogenous in their capacity to generate runoff, while drainage networks may have low to high degrees of integration. Management implications include the importance of in-river terrestrial ecosystems and “patchy” drainage networks, and the inapplicability of some morphometric practices.

摘要

艾尔湖盆地 (LEB) 河流很重要，但研究不足。本研究将已发表的和新的信息整合到系统的地貌概述中，将 LEB 细分为九个景观区：盆地边缘高地，河流能量相对较高；岩石边缘，山前有短河和洪水；西部河流，以新构造运动和河流捕获而闻名；低地势的北部平原排水系统和洪水；中原沙丘；Channel Country-Vertic Downs、裂解-粘土交汇处和山谷大河道；Channel Country-Stony Domes、岩石或沙质交汇处和复杂的大水道；湖泊和沙丘由含盐地下水维持；和大湖中的海滩. 区域边界 GIS 数据集可用。LEB 河流表现出多样化和独特性，表明在管理和监测方面需要当地相关知识。河流地貌套件包括沙床河流、在垂直洪泛区、洪水泛滥、低角度冲积扇和三种类型的水坑中托管并存的分支和吻合系统的大河道。通道可能不连续或不存在；洪泛区可以主导流量传输。贡献的山坡在产生径流的能力方面是异质的，而排水网络的整合程度可能从低到高。管理影响包括河流陆地生态系统和“零散”排水网络的重要性，以及一些形态测量实践的不适用性。