H. Hidayat

Sharp bends associated with deep scours in a tropical river: The river Mahakam (East Kalimantan, Indonesia)

Autogenic scouring in sharp river bends has received ample attention in laboratory and modeling studies. These studies have significantly advanced our understanding of how flow processes are influenced by strong curvature and how they affect the bathymetry. Here we present a 300 km reach of the Mahakam River in Indonesia, which features several sharp bends (W/R > 0.5), providing a unique field data set to validate existing knowledge on sharp bends. Scour depths were found to strongly exceed what can be expected based on existing understanding of sharp bends and are highly correlated with curvature. A comprehensive stream reconnaissance was carried out to compare the occurrence of sharp bends and deep scours with lateral bank migration. Histograms of the occurrence of erosive, stable, advancing, and bar-type banks as a function of curvature quantify the switch from a mildly curved bend regime to a sharp bend regime. In mild bends, outer banks erode and inner banks advance. In sharp bends the erosion pattern inverts. Outer banks stabilize or advance, while inner banks erode. In sharply curved river bends, bars occur near the outer banks that become less erosive for higher curvatures. Inner banks become more erosive for higher curvatures but nevertheless accommodate the larger portion of exposed bars. No relation was found between the land cover adjacent to the river and the occurrence of sharp bends. Soil processes may play a crucial role in the formation of sharp bends, which is inferred from iron and manganese concretions observed in the riverbanks, indicating ferric horizons and early stages of the formation of plinthic horizons. Historical topographic maps show the planform activity of the river is low, which may relate to the scour holes slowing down planimetric development.

Simulations of the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system, Indonesia

Abstract Large rivers often present a river–lake–delta system, with a wide range of temporal and spatial scales of the flow due to the combined effects of human activities and various natural factors, e.g., river discharge, tides, climatic variability, droughts, floods. Numerical models that allow for simulating the flow in these river–lake–delta systems are essential to study them and predict their evolution under the impact of various forcings. This is because they provide information that cannot be easily measured with sufficient temporal and spatial detail. In this study, we combine one-dimensional sectional-averaged (1D) and two-dimensional depth-averaged (2D) models, in the framework of the finite element model SLIM, to simulate the flow in the Mahakam river–lake–delta system (Indonesia). The 1D model representing the Mahakam River and four tributaries is coupled to the 2D unstructured mesh model implemented on the Mahakam Delta, the adjacent Makassar Strait, and three lakes in the central part of the river catchment. Using observations of water elevation at five stations, the bottom friction for river and tributaries, lakes, delta, and adjacent coastal zone is calibrated. Next, the model is validated using another period of observations of water elevation, flow velocity, and water discharge at various stations. Several criteria are implemented to assess the quality of the simulations, and a good agreement between simulations and observations is achieved in both calibration and validation stages. Different aspects of the flow, i.e., the division of water at two bifurcations in the delta, the effects of the lakes on the flow in the lower part of the system, the area of tidal propagation, are also quantified and discussed.

Combining ALOS-PALSAR imagery with field water level measurements for flood mapping of a tropical floodplain

Radar imagery is potentially useful for the identification, mapping, and measurement of streams, lakes, and wetlands. Many studies showed that comparison of two consecutive radar images is useful for determining flood extent. However, the use of radar data series for flood mapping is still rarely reported. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of ALOS-PALSAR imagery for observing the dynamics of the Mahakam River floodplain in Kalimantan, Indonesia, by incorporating field water level measurements. Water level measurements were carried out along the river, lakes and at two peatland locations, using arrays of pressure transducers. The first peatland (P1) is part of the Mahakam floodplain, representing open peat area dominated by shrub and reed. The second peatland (P2) represents a forest covered peatland. A series of PALSAR imagery (polarity: HH; pixel spacing: 50 m) covering the middle and lower Mahakam area in the years 2007 and 2008 was collected. A land use/land cover map was available from a previous analysis of PALSAR imagery. To analyze Radar backscatter behavior for different land cover types, several regions of interest were selected, based on the land cover classes. A number of land cover classes (medium shrub, high shrub, fern/grass, and secondary forest) were found to be sensitive to flooding, whereas in some other classes (peat forest, riverine forest and tree plantation) backscatter signatures remained almost unchanged with flood inundation. Correlations between water level and radar backscatter of the regions of interest were used to distinguish between three types of flooding signal, viz. flooding of low vegetation, flooding of high vegetation, and the boundary shift of lakes. An analysis of the relationship between radar backscatter and water levels was carried out in each of the regions of interest. For lakes and shrub covered peatland in P1, where the range of water level variation was high, a good water level-backscatter correlation was obtained. In peat forest covered peatland in P2, subject to a small range of water level variation, water level-backscatter correlations were poor.