Typhoon-dominated influence on wood debris distribution and transportation in a high gradient headwater catchment

Abstract

Abstract Wood debris is an important component of mountain streams. It causes serious damage and renders difficulty of water resource management in Taiwan. In this study, the quantity of wood debris and variation of migratory wood debris during flood events were examined. The downstream of Gaoshan Creek and Qijiawan Creek, located at Central Taiwan, was selected as the study area. The distribution and dynamic of wood debris in a high gradient headwater catchment were quantified using field surveys. A formula of critical depth for wood debris entrainment was used to evaluate the wood debris migration during three flooding events. In the study area, wood abundance and unit volume increased downstream, and wood density decreased downstream within a channel network. The channel morphology, riparian vegetation, and wood debris characteristics were found to influence the wood storage. As a result, the wood debris has an irregular accumulative distribution in the steep stream, and it migrates easily in the stream because of a high flow discharge. Strong relationships between the channel width and wood debris variables are discovered. Moreover, wood debris has a tendency to accumulate at sites with low stream power and wood debris dams, topographical notches, and unique geological structures. Our findings assist in the understanding of the effects of channel characteristics on distributions of wood debris in steep stream systems.