New research sheds light on river dynamics and cutoff regimes

How are rivers characterized? Traditional methods rely on plant forms and sedimentological techniques, focusing on deposits. Riccardo Maitan, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Padova, is developing a novel approach based on river hydrological behavior, emphasizing morphodynamics. His work aims to identify the signature of peak discharge variability—a key hydrological metric—in meandering rivers. This research spans over 15 years of USGS data and Google Earth image time series.