New study reveals how mountain streams shape their own destiny.
Bedload transport rates in mountain streams can vary a lot, especially during small floods. The formation and movement of bedforms play a big role in this. Scientists used a lab experiment with gravel and cameras to study this. They found that higher sediment input leads to faster bedform movement. Also, the channel slope affects how quickly the bedforms move, with steeper slopes causing faster changes. This shows that bedform migration is a key factor in erosion in streams.