Planform pattern and channel evolution of the Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh

Abstract The Brahmaputra is one of the world’s greatest rivers, ranking fifth in terms of discharge and eleventh in terms of drainage area. It also has a very high sediment discharge, ranking third in the world. The river is braided with meta-stable islands and nodal reaches, mobile sand bars, shifting anabranches and severe bank erosion. The dominant discharge is about 38 000 cumecs, which is a high in-bank flow. Islands have top elevations that are adjusted to bankfull discharge, with a spacing scaled on the width of the primary channel. Bar top elevations are adjusted to the dominant discharge and bars are scaled on the width of the major anabranches. The dominant bedforms are large dunes scaled on the third…