Datasets associated with ‘All Logjams Are Not Created Equal’
Date
2021
Authors
Livers, Bridget
Wohl, Ellen
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Logjams create diverse physical and ecological effects in stream channels, including at least temporary storage of water, sediment, and particulate organic matter. We hypothesize that logjams that span the entire bankfull channel width in channels < 25 m wide are more effective in storing these materials than non-channel spanning logjams. We test this hypothesis by systematically comparing characteristics of 183 logjams from 17 stream reaches in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Our dataset is novel in that it evaluates naturally occurring logjams in unaltered streams in a single study area specifically based on whether they span the stream channel. We find that channel-spanning logjams have a significantly larger number of wood pieces, longer & wider pieces, more ramp and bridge pieces, and greater logjam height and volume, both as raw data and when standardized by average channel width. Channel-spanning logjams also have significantly greater backwater pool volume and volume of particulate organic matter stored in backwater pools and in logjams. Restoration employing engineered logjams in relatively small channels currently focuses on non-spanning logjams, but could be expanded to include spanning logjams.
Description
Data set S1: Characteristics of study reaches; Data set S2: Logjam data; both data sets provide raw data collected in the field or calculated from field-derived measurements from stream segments and logjams collected in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO in the summers of 2013 and 2014; this data is used in analyses for the associated publication.
Department of Geosciences
Department of Geosciences
Rights Access
Subject
logjams
instream wood
rivers
large wood
Citation
Associated Publications
Livers, B., & Wohl, E. (2021). All logjams are not created equal. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 126, e2021JF006076. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006076