Abstract:

 Channel avulsion and evolution in deltaic plain tends to be complicated by a wide range of different types of nonlinear processes. Understanding the ways in which channel development after avulsion is critical to tackling many geomorphologic and river management problems. In the paper, a cellular framework was used to explore the dynamics of new channel development processes after avulsion in a fluvial deltaic system. An improved multiflow routing algorithm was integrated into the framework for modeling water and sediment across the landscape. Erosion and deposition caused by flowing water follow simple rules considering the slope between neighboring cells and other variables. Specifically, the algorithm allows for lateral transfer of water and sediment at angles of up to approximately 90° to the downstream direction. Modeling results appear able to reproduce many of the largerscale emergent and selforganizing features observed in natural environment. This study demonstrates the utility of relatively simple algorithms to simulate complex emergence features of channel processes in fluvialdeltaic system.

Key words:  river channel, cellular model, selforganizing, emergent, modeling