River Bollin, UK
Main Contributors:
Henning Nolzen
Other Contributors:
Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs, Garry Peterson
Summary
Several meander cutoffs occurred within a short time period between 1999 and 2002 on the River Bollin in North West England. Although strong flood events were the direct cause of the cut-offs, several hypotheses exist to explain the underlying reasons why the River Bollin became susceptible to such flooding impacts. One explanation is a change in discharge because of changes in rainfall characteristics, population growth, and land use change. Another hypothesis focuses on the occurrence of exceptionally strong flood events. Natural evolution of meanders without chaotic behaviour might also explain the cutoffs. Furthermore, there were some artificial cutoffs in 1990 when changes in the river course threatened a public footpath.
Type of regime shift
Ecosystem type
- Freshwater lakes & rivers
Land uses
- Urban
- Fisheries
Spatial scale of the case study
- Local/landscape (e.g. lake, catchment, community)
Continent or Ocean
- Europe
Region
- North West England, United Kingdom
Countries
- United Kingdom
Locate with Google Map
Key References
-
Hooke JM 2003. River meander behaviour and instability: a framework for analysis, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 28, Issue 2, 238–253.
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Hooke JM. 2004. Cutoffs galore! Occurrence and causes of multiple cutoffs on a meandering river. Geomorphology 61, 225-238.
Citation
Henning Nolzen, Reinette (Oonsie) Biggs, Garry Peterson.
River Bollin, UK.
In: Regime Shifts Database, www.regimeshifts.org.
Last revised 2012-03-19 08:07:10 GMT.
