Abstract:

David Knighton's highly-regarded book on rivers looks at the wide range of forms developed by natural rivers and the processes responsible for that development. The book combines empirical and theoretical approaches, and provides a critical assessment of the various schools of thought which have emerged for dealing with adjustment in the fluvial system. It is illustrated throughout by a range of figures, photographs, and tables. Starting with the network scale, the book examines the interaction of hillslopes, drainage networks and channels, and goes on to consider catchment hydrology and catchment denudation. Within-channel processes are analysed in detail, from the mechanics of flow and thresholds of erosion to sediment transport and deposition. In terms of the major morphological components of river channels, the book examines the nature of river adjustment, particularly with respect to equilibrium concepts, and concludes with an extensive enquiry into channel changes through time, as effected by flood discharges, climatic change and human activities.