Habitat simulation approaches (e.g., PHABSIM) have been used to model instream flows in thousands of streams and rivers and remain the most widely implemented detailed instream flow methodology. However, recent studies suggest that conventional habitat simulation models incorporate assumptions that may systematically underestimate instream flow needs, particularly for drift‐feeding fish. These include:

We measured coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) transport along a wood‐rich, pool‐riffle mountain stream in the Southern Rockies of Colorado, USA, to examine how spatial variations in storage features and temporal variations in discharge influence the transport of CPOM. Ecologists have found that the majority of annual CPOM export occurs during periods of high discharge. More recently, geomorphologists

The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River has triggered much debate between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on the dam's effects. Once completed, the GERD will be Africa's largest hydropower plant. This study analyzes the implications of cooperative long‐term operation of the GERD for Nile riverine flooding downstream of the dam. A daily river system model of the Eastern

Conditions in freshwater ecosystems are responsible for maintaining biodiversity and other ecosystem services. Identifying and understanding how anthropogenic disturbances affect biotic conditions are important steps in rehabilitating and protecting environmental quality. The relative risk, relative extent, and attributable risk approaches are used to determine ecosystem conditions in ecological monitoring

Water temperature is a fundamental parameter for both hydrological and ecological processes in aquatic systems. Usually, a sinusoidal function is used to represent the seasonal variation of water temperature in natural surface water. However, a large number of dams have been built on rivers worldwide, and water mass transport is retarded due to the reservoir impoundment. As a result, the water temperature

Runoff in many river basins worldwide has shown an alteration under the impact of global climate change and increasing human activities. A detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis on the impact of climate change and human activities is therefore of great significance towards the sustainable water resources planning and management. In this study, the impact of climate change and human activities

Increased nutrient loading in aquatic environments can have a long‐lasting influence on ecosystem processes and functions. The Kootenai River was historically oligotrophic, but nitrate levels have been steadily increasing since the mid‐2000s, while phosphorus levels have remained low. Our study objective was to evaluate the current nutrient distribution throughout the Kootenai River watershed in the

The efficiency of flow energy reduction past emergent vegetation has been typically studied assuming a right angle of the vegetated corridor to the flow direction. However, in many real‐world cases the riparian zones of natural, restored, or engineered rivers and waterways, are found at an oblique angle to the flood flow direction. In the current study, the effect of vegetation angle with respect to

We examined how communities of macroinvertebrates occurring in functional process zones (FPZs) are affected by the location of FPZs in the river continuum. We delineated FPZs for three rivers displaying significant disparities in elevation, annual precipitation, valley shape, and other valley‐scale hydrogeomorphic variables. We extracted corresponding macroinvertebrate community data from the US National

Plankton communities have important roles in aquatic ecosystems, but studies of plankton in lotic systems are infrequent. We collected over 100 water, phytoplankton, and zooplankton samples during 2016–2018 to explore spatiotemporal trends in Minnesota River plankton communities and evaluate relationships with physico‐chemical factors. Phytoplankton and zooplankton community structure exhibited temporal

Large wood (LW) additions are commonly used to restore degraded streams, particularly in regenerating forests that have low LW recruitment due to past logging. While the short‐term effects of LW input on stream structure and function are well studied, the long‐term dynamics of added wood are less documented. We assessed the long‐term movement and condition of LW added to three small (mean discharge

This study assesses the use of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and trace elements in gills (G), liver (L), and muscle (M) of the most commercially important migratory fish from the La Plata Basin, Prochilodus lineatus, as habitat proxies. With this purpose, fish and sediment (S) samples from the Paraná River and Río de la Plata Estuary were analyzed. Results showed differences in the stable isotopic

Small run‐of‐river hydropower plants (RRHPs) have revealed strong harmful effects worldwide on stream habitats (e.g., fragmentation and destruction) and decreased fish species, especially anadromous species abundance. Recently, RRHPs have rapidly been installed in Serbia. Most were installed on montane streams because their steep slopes are most convenient for hydropower energy production at minimal

Fish‐habitat associations are poorly known in offshore areas of very large rivers. We examined physical habitat structure and its effect on habitat use and assemblage formation of benthic fishes in the main channel of the Danube River, Hungary. Principal component analysis of physical variables showed that sample unit (i.e., 500 m long reaches) and cross‐channel transect‐level data of corresponding

The morphodynamics of alluvial rivers is controlled by the mobilization of bed material. However, the details of mobilization of mixed‐texture bed materials at low flows, increasingly common due to climate change, are still unclear. The 161‐km‐long Hungarian alluvial reach of the Drava River, downstream of sections where flow characteristics have been heavily modified by human interference, was investigated

The metacommunity theory is a framework that explains the interdependence of local factors and regional processes as community drivers. In rivers, it has been hypothesized that the metacommunity structure and the relative importance of dispersal and local environmental conditions may vary from headwaters toward lowlands. The aims of this study were (1) to analyze the benthic metacommunity structure

Channel catfish are important to the Mississippi River (i.e., ecologically, commercially, and recreationally). The dynamic rate functions (recruitment, growth, and mortality) of the population are important to proper management. However, different gears can produce varying estimates of these vital rates (e.g., size selectivity or age selectivity). We evaluated the effectiveness of three commonly used

The breeding of common shelduck, Tadorna tadorna, is reported for the first time in the Ziban oasis in the north east of Algerian Sahara. Three pairs with their chicks were observed in the Sidi Mhamed Moussa stream, which contains a variety of habitats that favor the nesting of this species. This wetland is internationally important, and these results underline the need for environmental protection

Water temperatures control life histories and diversity of aquatic species. Hydropower regulation, particularly in high head systems, alters natural water temperature regimes, which may have profound and long‐term impacts on aquatic environments. Temperatures in by‐pass sections and reaches affected by residual/environmental minimum flows fluctuate more than in natural flow regimes, driven more by

Cascade dams segment river connectivity, modify the hydrological process, and change the hydraulic properties, thus influencing the river ecosystem significantly. Ecological effects of dams have been extensively studied, but investigations on zoobenthos in a large area covering tributaries and mainstream with cascade dams are lacking. Here, we studied the features of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages

A geo‐eco‐hydrological approach is developed and applied to assess river condition for three anabranching reaches in the Source Zone of the Yellow River. Building on principles of the River Styles Framework, attributes used to assess river condition are tailored to measure key attributes of the character and behavior for the type of river under consideration. Hydrogeomorphic process linkages with riparian

Climate change has affected the dynamics of the water cycle and its consequent effects on water resources in many regions. The Buyuan River, the largest tributary of the Upper Mekong River, is one of the regions with the strongest climate change in the Mekong River Basin, and its cross‐border impact on water resources has received increasing attention. However, few studies have focused on the runoff

The survival of bighead carp is threatened by the construction and operation of river engineering projects. In order to guide future reservoir regulation to suitably incorporate the ecological requirements of fish, it is important to understand fish egg settlement in static water. Therefore, video capture technology and wavelet analysis in experiments were used to observe and analyze the microscale

Dams, weirs, and hydropower facilities are often cited as migratory barriers which impart significant reductions in fitness among migratory fish species. Even where upstream and downstream passage options are available, barrier passage can still often result in energetic or physical costs which compound delays or cause mortality. Past studies have identified variables associated with such fitness reductions

Small hydroelectric power (SHP) facilities are proliferating around the world, including in Brazil where legislation encourages SHP over other hydropower development, defining SHP as facilities with installed capacities of 3–30 MW and reservoirs <13 km2. SHP facilities are often diversion designs with small or no reservoirs, while other SHPs have more conventional dams that create extensive reservoirs

River‐wide changes in morphologic character following channelization and impoundment alter the occurrence and distribution of surface water and available habitats for aquatic organisms. Quantifying patterns of creation, redistribution or disappearance of habitats at river‐wide and decadal spatiotemporal scales can promote understanding regarding trajectories of different habitat types following alteration

Large wood drives physical and ecological processes in river systems, but the relative roles of continuous individual tree mortality versus episodes of mass mortality in wood recruitment are not well understood. Here, the 2016 Chimney Tops 2 wildfire, a rare severe wildfire in the eastern United States, was used as a case study for examining the role of mass tree mortality in wood loads of streams

Mobile hydroacoustic sampling is increasingly being used to monitor fish populations in large rivers; however, several factors may influence the ability to sample fishes with this gear in these environments. This study sought to address the effects of vessel speed, wind speed, the coefficient of variation (CV) of transducer pitch angle, and beam compensation (BC) on hydroacoustic detectability to advance

Artificial channels are common features in lowland agricultural catchments, and are a potentially significant habitat for aquatic species. Recent studies have suggested communities in managed rivers and artificial channels are broadly similar, but with some compositional differences. However, because relatively few studies have considered how artificial channels may contribute to supporting aquatic

River managers often need estimates of streamflow for ungauged streams. These estimates can be used in water rights acquisitions, in‐stream flow management, habitat assessment, water quality planning, and stream hazard identification. This publication describes new regression models for predicting mean annual and mean monthly streamflow in Colorado. Unlike previous regional regression studies, the

To date, no survey on the diverse channel patterns existing prior to the major phase of river regulation in the mid‐19th–early 20th century has been elaborated at the scale of the whole European Alps. The present paper fills this knowledge gap. The historical channel forms of the 143 largest Alpine rivers with catchments larger than 500 km2 (total length 11,870 km) were reconstructed based on maps

In the mainstream of the Lancang River, eight cascade dams have been constructed. In order to find the effects of the cascade reservoirs on the transformation of nitrate (NO3‐N) and ammonium (NH4‐N) in pore water of sediments, a field survey was carried out both in the upper natural river reach (NRR) and cascade reservoirs reach (CRR) of the Lancang River from January 10 to 20, 2018. The results indicated

River bars often form at river confluences due to variation in flow discharges or in sediment transport capacity; once these bars are grown, they constitute favourable habitats for vegetation development. In this work, we analysed the effect of vegetation above confluence bars on the hydrodynamics of a river reach. The case study considered is the Arno River reach at the Greve junction, where confluence

Floodplains are simultaneously the most productive and threatened ecosystems in the world, with land cover integrity compromised even in “protected” floodplains. Due to their rich biodiversity, monitoring of land cover and understanding the causative drivers becomes imperative in the protected floodplains. This work performs spatio‐temporal assessment of land cover changes and discovers the underlying

Spatially distributed information on water depth is essential for many applications in river research and management and, under certain circumstances, can be inferred from remotely sensed data. Although fluvial remote sensing has emerged as a rapidly developing subdiscipline of the riverine sciences, more widespread adoption of these techniques has been hindered by a lack of accessible software. The

This paper summarizes field trials to evaluate the performance of a prototype compact topo‐bathymetric lidar sensor for surveying rivers. The sensor uses a novel polarization technique to distinguish between laser returns from the water surface and streambed and its size and weight permit deployment from a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) or a boat. Field testing was designed to identify the range

Climatic changes and anthropogenic modifications of the river basin or river network have the potential to fundamentally alter river runoff. In the framework of this study, we aim to analyze and present historic changes in runoff timing and runoff seasonality observed at river gauges all over the world. In this regard, we develop the Hydro Explorer, an interactive web app, which enables the investigation

Physical alterations across the Romanian Carpathians have resulted in an ecocide in the form of the hydromophological disruption of n early every river. The primary cause has been two historical waves of hydropower development. Collectively, these projects were undertaken without consideration for their cumulative impact. Only one, small, ecologically complete and undisturbed river, Râul Alb, has survived

Theoretical models have spurred empirical testing to understand how anthropogenic disturbances cause sudden shifts between alternative functional states. Most studies are done over short periods of time, making it difficult to determine the occurrence of ecological thresholds or regime shifts. This study used carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C) from museum specimens of fish, mussels, and snails over

Stream habitat restoration is an important tool for fisheries management in impaired lotic systems. Although small‐scale benefits of stream habitat restoration are commonly investigated, it is difficult to demonstrate population effects. The Pahsimeroi River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha population was previously restricted to the lower portion of the river by multiple irrigation structures

Suspended sediment plays a critical role in riverine ecosystem health and river processes and is respondent to human alterations such as dams and increased land use. Gavins Point Dam, located on the Missouri River near Yankton, South Dakota, restricts upstream suspended load; yet, suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) increase when the river reaches Sioux City, Iowa. We determined the suspended load

The effects of inland navigation on the aquatic ecosystem are numerous. One of the most relevant impacts from the ecohydraulic point of view is ship‐induced waves, resulting in the local and temporary alteration of the hydrodynamic regime, especially in shallow water areas. In this paper, a novel hydrodynamic modeling‐based evaluation framework is presented and tested for the prediction of habitat

Previous investigations regarding river bifurcation mainly focus on the conditions of a stable bifurcation and how key factors affect the asymmetrical features of a bifurcation. In this paper, a numerical case study is presented of the 2012–2014 north to south shift in the Sanba mid‐channel bar of the Taipingkou waterway's dominant branch in the Yangtze River, China. Numerical reproduction of the bar‐channel

Benthic diatoms are often included in bioassessment programs of river health as sensitive indicators of nutrient status and pollution. Many diatom‐based indices have been developed and are frequently used to infer conditions in water quality. However, concerns have been raised regarding the robustness of these indices in riverine systems that have natural variability in environmental conditions, including

Hydromorphological rehabilitation is increasingly being used to reverse degradation of stream and river ecosystems. River rehabilitation projects have nevertheless been criticised for not meeting their goals or for not being monitored sufficiently well to assess whether their goals were met. There is therefore an urgent need to develop robust approaches to assessing treatment efficacy and to thus guide

River‐groundwater exchanges are crucial for several ecological processes, but difficult to localize. Hyporheic oligochaetes may represent efficient biological indicators of these exchanges, but hydrological disturbance may alter oligochaete distribution and blur the spatial patterns of river‐groundwater exchanges. Oligochaete assemblages were compared in the Drôme River, which is a semi‐natural braided

This study investigates the role of channelization works on water temperatures in the Vermilion River network located in coastal Louisiana, USA. A physically based one‐dimensional (1D) approach is taken for hydrodynamics and heat exchange in the Vermilion River as an initial step toward understanding the cumulative effects of flood control on riverine water quality and aquatic population dynamics.

High‐flow intensity over a well‐developed static armour layer will significantly reduce the stability of a riverbed. However, the intensity at which the static armour layer would completely break is not known. In this study, laboratory flume experiments were conducted to analyze the response of the static armour layer to high‐flow intensity. The static armour layer was developed under the condition

Calls for implementation of environmental flows have been growing over the past 20 years, and their implementation is now being recognized. The need for such assessments to occur in conjunction with maintenance of environmental water temperatures has also been emphasized. When the costs of departures from natural thermal regimes are considered, this moves from being an academic exercise to a tangible

Eurasian beavers, keystone species, have returned to inhabit much of its former range following near extinction. Evidence repeatedly demonstrates that beavers can provide important riparian biotic and abiotic ecosystem services. These abilities to modify their surroundings can cause conflict, especially in prime agricultural landscapes. Understanding how beavers are utilizing and expanding in European

Green infrastructure (GI) and other stormwater management practices are commonly designed to reduce stormflow volume and pollutant loads by using infiltration, retention, and evapotranspiration to capture stormwater. Although these methods are be designed to reduce impacts of stormwater volumes and pollutant loads, they may not be designed to mitigate thermal load from stormwater runoff in urban areas

Anthropogenic dewatering of aquatic habitats can cause stranding and mortality of burrowed larval lampreys; however, the effects of dewatering have not been quantified. We assessed: (a) changes in spatial distribution, abundance, and emergence of larvae dewatered at Leaburg Reservoir (OR); (b) emergence and mortality of larvae dewatered in a laboratory; and (c) bias, precision, and interpretation of

Many rivers are heavily fragmented, resulting from anthropogenic cross‐channel structures. Cost‐effective solutions are needed to restore habitat connectivity for migratory fishes, including those of conservation concern, such as the European river lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis). Studded material is becoming increasingly used as a low‐cost retrofit solution for lamprey passage at sloping weirs, although

Spawning behaviour of the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in large rivers is poorly understood, complicating the approach to fish‐friendly hydroelectric design and mitigation. In 2006, dam safety concerns prompted the need to modernize the spillway infrastructure of the 100‐year old Pointe du Bois Generating Station on the Winnipeg River, Manitoba. The associated regulatory process provided an

This paper presents a unique case study of Nanshi River in Taiwan which may be able to serve as the basis for decision making and river maintenance operations or as a reference for other cases. This study area is composed of regions from upstream alluvial channel to delta‐front and the Guishan Dam reservoir, with a surplus of material supply to transport capacity in the whole region. Dredging is a

Reservoir “eco‐operation” is an ecological flow regulation measure, such as mimicking a flood process to stimulate fish spawning. Since 2011, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) eco‐operation trials have been carried out to facilitate the spawning of the four major Chinese carps (FMCC) below the Gezhouba Dam. Until now, the response of FMCC spawning to new hydrologic conditions is seldom documented. Using

Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are intended to simulate natural beaver dam ecohydrological functions including modifying stream hydrology and enhancing stream‐riparian hydrological connectivity. River restoration practitioners are proactively deploying BDAs in thousands of degraded streams. How various BDAs or their configurations impact stream hydrology and the riparian water table remains poorly understood

We developed the habitat suitability criteria for the black‐necked Crane (BNC) to manage their wintering habitat in the Nyamjang Chu River in Zemithang valley, India. We generated habitat suitability criteria (HSC) curves for BNC based on the habitat availability in the river channel and use by the BNC. The HSC curves indicated that BNC preferred velocity ranged from 0 to 0.2 m/s and depth ranged from