In process-based restoration, the objective is not to create a complex river form directly; instead, interventions are intended to “prompt” the natural processes to restore such forms. The improvements in ecological conditions are actually made over time by flowing water during floods (using the stream’s energy), and by the growth of riparian vegetation (using incoming solar energy). On the Aire River in Geneva, ecological function was restored to a formerly canalized river by providing the river with an espace de liberté. A grid of channels cut into the valley bottom allowed the river to freely flood, erode its bed and banks, and deposit bars, creating complex surfaces on which riparian vegetation established to support the food web of the riverine ecosystem. The diamond-shaped bits of land left between these channels (“lozenges”) gradually erode and evolve as the river migrates, creating complex channel forms. The Isar River in Munich restoration involved adding coarse sediment load, creating erodible bed and banks in place of formerly rigid boundaries, expanding process space for river migration, erosion, and deposition, and increased human access to the river over 8 km. Since restoration, natural transport of sediment has resulted in deposition of gravel bars, whose forms evolve during floods, supporting diverse habitats. The Isar and Aire Rivers provide compelling examples of process-based restoration meeting 4 criteria for process-based restoration: space, energy, materials, and time. They demonstrate the possibilities of urban river restoration to achieve both ecological and social goals through restoration of fluvial process. The paper is available under open access here.
Author: riverlab
The Network for Engineering with Nature (NEWN) is a multi-institutional research entity for studying the role of natural, built, and social systems as part of an infrastructure portfolio. The network has a major research focus area on the interplay between infrastructure and biodiversity objectives. We are hiring a postdoctoral scholar to generally examine how engineering and design practices can more seamlessly incorporate biodiversity as both a design outcome and a benefit to engineering performance. Specifically, this position will focus on long-term asset management of dams and other freshwater infrastructure (e.g., decisions about removal, repair, divestment, etc.). Additionally, the position will collaborate closely with other NEWN investigators on a variety of other cutting-edge topics related to natural infrastructure and nature-based solutions. Click here for more info.
Please also note that N-EWN has other postdoctoral positions currently available on other topics as well. Please refer to here for more info.
Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is a highly influential NGO providing expertise to California officials on various policy issues, including a strong emphasis on water. PPIC is hiring one or more temporary, full- or part-time research project assistants. This could be a 6-month full-time position, or for current students a 10-20 hrs/wk position. Dataset management and quantitative analysis in R, STATA, or similar programs, and/or expertise in GIS. Guaranteed consideration for applications received before December 15. The posting for the position can be found here. The position is written assuming the San Francisco office as a base, but remote work would be possible for the right candidate.
The Symposium was held online on December 10th this year and featured a keynote talk by Brian Cluer and presentations of graduate student research. More than 130 participants attended the event. For more information, check out our symposium webpage!
Restoration Design Group is a small, interdisciplinary landscape architecture and engineering firm focused on open space design, planning, and ecological restoration. They are seeking a motivated individual interested in creek restoration with the ability to draft construction documents in AutoCAD, produce graphic materials, and conduct occasional outdoor field work. Click here to read more about the hiring.
Additional information about RDG can be found on their website: www.RestorationDesignGroup.com and also our social media accounts (@RDG_Inc on Twitter and @RestorationDesignGroup on Instagram).
In this Entry Level Water Resources Staff Engineer position, you will apply your knowledge of principles of hydrology and hydraulics to respond to a broad range of water resources engineering assignments in surface-water riverine and estuarine environments to:
- Study open channel flow, sediment transport, scour, stability, and deposition issues in rivers and reservoirs.
- Estimate flood hazards and risk. Develop mitigation measures and alternatives for watersheds, including flood forecasting and inundation mapping.
- Evaluate complex water resource systems including watersheds receiving rain and snow.
- Perform integrated hydrologic modeling including potential impacts on surface and groundwater due to climate changes.
- Conduct dam/levee engineering and safety investigations to include dam breach analysis, feasibility planning, operations studies, drainage analysis, water control manual updates.
- Work as part of a project team to develop high quality deliverables for our clients.
More and more projects bill themselves as ‘process-based’. What distinguishes a real process-based project? Damion Ciotti and co-authors provide a concise summary in their new paper, ‘Design Criteria for Process-Based Restoration of Fluvial Systems’. The paper is freely available online from the journal Bioscience.