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  1. Abstract

    Prediction of statistical properties of the turbulent flow in large‐scale rivers is essential for river flow analysis. The large‐eddy simulation (LES) provides a powerful tool for such predictions; however, it requires a very long sampling time and demands significant computing power to calculate the turbulence statistics of riverine flows. In this study, we developed encoder‐decoder convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to predict the first‐ and second‐order turbulence statistics of the turbulent flow of large‐scale meandering rivers using instantaneous LES results. We train the CNNs using a data set obtained from LES of the flood flow in a large‐scale river with three bridge piers—a training testbed. Subsequently, we employed the trained CNNs to predict the turbulence statistics of the flood flow in two different meandering rivers and bridge pier arrangements—validation testbed rivers. The CNN predictions for the validation testbed river flow were compared with the simulation results of a separately done LES to evaluate the performance of the developed CNNs. We show that the trained CNNs can successfully produce turbulence statistics of the flood flow in the large‐scale rivers, that is, the validation testbeds.

     
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  2. Abstract River channels are among the most common landscape features on Earth. An essential characteristic of channels is sinuosity: their tendency to take a circuitous path, which is quantified as along-stream length divided by straight-line length. River sinuosity is interpreted as a characteristic that either forms randomly at channel inception or develops over time as meander bends migrate. Studies tend to assume the latter and thus have used river sinuosity as a proxy for both modern and ancient environmental factors including climate, tectonics, vegetation, and geologic structure. But no quantitative criterion for planform expression has distinguished between random, initial sinuosity and that developed by ordered growth through channel migration. This ambiguity calls into question the utility of river sinuosity for understanding Earth's history. We propose a quantitative framework to reconcile these competing explanations for river sinuosity. Using a coupled analysis of modeled and natural channels, we show that while a majority of observed sinuosity is consistent with randomness and limited channel migration, rivers with sinuosity ≥1.5 likely formed their geometry through sustained, ordered growth due to channel migration. This criterion frames a null hypothesis for river sinuosity that can be applied to evaluate the significance of environmental interpretations in landscapes shaped by rivers. The quantitative link between sinuosity and channel migration further informs strategies for preservation and restoration of riparian habitat and guides predictions of fluvial deposits in the rock record and in remotely sensed environments from the seafloor to planetary surfaces. 
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