Channel form and adjustment: characterization, measurement, interpretation and analysis

e purpose of this chapter is to provide a synthetic overview of available techniques, methods and parameters for char- acterizing and measuring channel forms and analysing and interpreting changes over time. Hence the chapter is organized into two major components, characterization and measure- ment, followed by analysis and interpretation. Synthetic review of analysis of channel changes, including measurement of some of the parameters that aid in quantifying channel processes responsible for morphological changes, is also included. Because of the broad scope of this chapter, it is not possi- ble to address speci cally all channel form measurement and analysis techniques; however, there are several other chapters that focus on speci c components, including: Chapter 4, Using historical data in uvial geomorphology; Chapter 6, Analysis of aerial photography and other remotely sensed data for fluvial geomorphology and river science; Chapter 13, Measuring bed sediment; and Chapter 15, Sediment transport.