Decadal‐scale variability and predictors of large wood storage in meandering rivers across Europe
Abstract
Meandering rivers are globally prevalent fluvial systems, yet interannual variations in large wood (LW) storage within these environments remain poorly understood. While LW plays a critical role in enhancing ecosystem complexity, it can also exacerbate flood risk through downstream transport during high‐flow events. This study investigates temporal variability in LW storage at the scale of individual meander bends over decadal timescales, utilizing four morphologically distinct European rivers—the Allier, Odra, Orljava and Topľa—that span a broad range of environmental and hydroclimatic settings. A total of 65 bends were analysed using a combination of field inventories, aerial imagery and hydrological data to identify predictors of interannual LW storage dynamics. Our results demonstrate that bend‐scale patterns of LW storage, expressed by average volume, standard deviation and coefficient of variation, are primarily governed by river‐specific controls, whereas local channel geometry, including channel width, sinuosity, radius of curvature, dimensionless geometric ratios (width‐to‐curvature and amplitude‐to‐width) and riparian vegetation expressed as the ratio of vegetated outer‐bank length to thalweg length, exerts only a secondary and practically negligible influence on LW dynamics. Analyses of selected flow metrics revealed a largely stochastic influence on LW redistribution at the bend scale, suggesting that hydrological forcing alone is insufficient to explain observed patterns. The absence of consistent, generalizable predictors underscores the strong context dependency of LW dynamics in meandering river systems. These findings highlight the need for site‐specific management strategies that account for geomorphic, hydrological and ecological variability to enhance LW retention and mitigate flood‐related hazards. Critically, the study underscores that single‐time LW inventories provide only limited insights into inherently dynamic systems, emphasizing the necessity of long‐term monitoring to inform evidence‐based river management and restoration efforts.
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BibTeX
@article{galia2026decadalscale,
title = {{Decadal‐scale variability and predictors of large wood storage in meandering rivers across Europe}},
author = {Tomáš Galia and Borbála Hortobágyi and Katarina Pavlek and Miloš Rusnák},
journal = {Earth Surface Processes and Landforms},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1002/esp.70350},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05858467v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Decadal‐scale variability and predictors of large wood storage in meandering rivers across Europe
AU - Tomáš Galia
AU - Borbála Hortobágyi
AU - Katarina Pavlek
AU - Miloš Rusnák
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/10
JO - Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
DO - 10.1002/esp.70350
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05858467v1
AB - Meandering rivers are globally prevalent fluvial systems, yet interannual variations in large wood (LW) storage within these environments remain poorly understood. While LW plays a critical role in enhancing ecosystem complexity, it can also exacerbate flood risk through downstream transport during high‐flow events. This study investigates temporal variability in LW storage at the scale of individual meander bends over decadal timescales, utilizing four morphologically distinct European rivers—the Allier, Odra, Orljava and Topľa—that span a broad range of environmental and hydroclimatic settings. A total of 65 bends were analysed using a combination of field inventories, aerial imagery and hydrological data to identify predictors of interannual LW storage dynamics. Our results demonstrate that bend‐scale patterns of LW storage, expressed by average volume, standard deviation and coefficient of variation, are primarily governed by river‐specific controls, whereas local channel geometry, including channel width, sinuosity, radius of curvature, dimensionless geometric ratios (width‐to‐curvature and amplitude‐to‐width) and riparian vegetation expressed as the ratio of vegetated outer‐bank length to thalweg length, exerts only a secondary and practically negligible influence on LW dynamics. Analyses of selected flow metrics revealed a largely stochastic influence on LW redistribution at the bend scale, suggesting that hydrological forcing alone is insufficient to explain observed patterns. The absence of consistent, generalizable predictors underscores the strong context dependency of LW dynamics in meandering river systems. These findings highlight the need for site‐specific management strategies that account for geomorphic, hydrological and ecological variability to enhance LW retention and mitigate flood‐related hazards. Critically, the study underscores that single‐time LW inventories provide only limited insights into inherently dynamic systems, emphasizing the necessity of long‐term monitoring to inform evidence‐based river management and restoration efforts.
SN - 0197-9337
SN - 1096-9837
ER -