Current and historical dynamics of Cher river meanders
Fonctionnement morphodynamique actuel et historique des méandres du Cher
Résumé
This thesis is dedicated to the morphodynamics and sedimentary analysis of the Cher River meanders (left bank tributary of the Middle Loire River). Two main points explain the present study. First, there is a general lack of knowledge concerning the geomorphological functioning of the Loire River tributaries, especially on the Cher River. Second, there is an apparent contradiction between the low mobility of the fluvial land forms since the early 19th century and active lateral erosion observed over the past three decades at least. In comparison with the Loire and its tributaries, the specificity of the Cher River lies in a meandering pattern that is both old and spatially extended. This research also directly concerns the current management issues of the Cher and the Loire River. These issues relate mainly to the maintenance or restoration of alluvial landscapes and to the refill of the bed with coarse sediments. The main objective of the thesis was both to fill a part of this knowledge gap and to characterize as fully as possible the atypical behavior of this meandering system in order to understand its dynamics. The various investigations conducted have focused on the middle valley of the Cher River, upstream of the channelized section, and more specifically on three distinct reaches. They were designed to validate two explanatory hypotheses that are not mutually exclusive of each other; the two hypotheses were initially set out to explain the stability of the meander planforms. The first hypothesis postulated that the migration of meanders was inhibited by the presence of bank protections. The second is related to a decrease in the frequency and / or intensity of hydrological morphogenic events since the 19th century. Our analysis is based on two complementary approaches. Firstly, we undertook the reconstruction of the evolutionary trajectory of these meanders at a historical timescale (period 1830-2005) and we investigated the causes of the observed changes. Secondly, we examined more specifically the relationships between morphogenesis and bedload transport at time scalesspanning from the hydrological event to a few decades (last 25-70 years). This study demonstrates that since 1950, but probably also since 1830, the low meander mobility, essentially results from engineering works in the bed. Further, the meanders still have a very high intrinsic ability to erode the alluvial plain. The frequency of bedload mobilization is also high. Finally, morphogenesis in the system is mainly controlled by low magnitude hydrological events. These results are of primary importance for river managers because they highlight the reversibility of the current hydrosystem degradation.
Cette thèse porte sur l’analyse morphodynamique et sédimentaire des méandres du Cher (affluent de rive gauche de la Loire moyenne). L’intérêt pour cette question est né d’un double constat. Le premier était celui d’un manque patent de connaissances sur le fonctionnement géomorphologique des affluents de la Loire en général et du Cher en particulier. Le second se rapportait à la coexistence en apparence contradictoire d’une faible mobilité en plan depuis le début du XIXe siècle et d’une érosion latérale active au cours des trois dernières décennies, au minimum. L’objectif était à la fois de combler une partie de ce déficit de connaissances, afin notamment d’améliorer les pratiques de gestion de la rivière, et de caractériser le plus finement possible le comportement a priori atypique de ces systèmes à méandres, afin d’en comprendre la dynamique. Cette étude aura permis de mettre en évidence que depuis 1950, mais aussi probablement depuis 1830, la faible mobilité du tracé de la rivière relève essentiellement des contraintes exercées par les aménagements présents dans le lit mineur. En outre, ces méandres disposent encore aujourd’hui d’une très forte capacité intrinsèque à balayer leur plaine alluviale. La fréquence de mobilisation de la charge de fond est également élevée. Enfin, la morphogénèse est principalement commandée par les évènements hydrologiques de faible magnitude. Ces résultats sont de première importance pour les gestionnaires puisqu’ils indiquent que les dysfonctionnements qui affectent actuellement cet hydrosystème ne sont pas totalement irréversibles.
Origine : Version validée par le jury (STAR)
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