Standing Wave Fields in Steep Rivers

Standing Wave Fields in Steep Rivers | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 30 January 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Standing Wave Fields in Steep Rivers Authors : Daniel C. White 0000-0001-8376-8469 [email protected] , Elowyn Yager , Gordon E Grant , Christina Leonard , Becky Fasth , and Inhyeok Bae Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176980780.00741110/v1 90 views 75 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Standing wave fields are spatially organized trains of quasi-stationary surface waves that form in steep rivers during high flows. These wave trains are visually striking and have received little focused study despite their frequent occurrence. They form when upstream-moving surface wave celerity closely matches the downstream surface flow velocity in magnitude, resulting in nearly stationary waves. This near-equilibrium behavior suggests a balance between inertial and gravitational forces, reflecting a constrained specific energy state. Building on this, recent work has examined how assumptions about energy conditions in standing wave environments can support remote estimation of flow depth and discharge using only visual measurements of wave geometry and channel width. This approach offers a promising method for quantifying discharge in steep, high-energy rivers where conventional gauging is difficult or unsafe. However, the persistence of standing waves through time over a range of flows and the prevalence of their occurrence spatially remains largely unknown. By averaging frames from UAV-based video, we demonstrate that these waves remain quasi-steady over time, indicating a persistent flow structure rather than a transient feature. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, we further document the widespread occurrence of standing wave fields across multiple river systems, with their presence strongly associated with slope, discharge, and bed roughness. Where wave fields are well defined, we also explore the potential to extract spatial patterns of velocity and depth across the channel based on wave spacing and morphology as a potential method to derive flow fields and bathymetry in these settings. These findings advance our understanding of steep river hydraulics and highlight the utility of standing wave fields for both process-based research and remote hydrologic monitoring. Supplementary Material File (white_yager_etal_ep31e_1706.pdf) Download 1.46 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 30 January 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Keywords fluvial geomorphology fluvial hydraulics rapids river waves steep rivers Authors Affiliations Daniel C. White 0000-0001-8376-8469 [email protected] View all articles by this author Elowyn Yager University of Idaho View all articles by this author Gordon E Grant Oregon State University View all articles by this author Christina Leonard National Park Service View all articles by this author Becky Fasth Oregon State University View all articles by this author Inhyeok Bae University of Idaho View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 90 views 75 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Daniel C. White, Elowyn Yager, Gordon E Grant, et al. Standing Wave Fields in Steep Rivers. Authorea . 30 January 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.176980780.00741110/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. 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