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Sediment dynamics and characteristics with respect to river disturbance

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Ecology of Riparian Forests in Japan

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Abstract

The archipelago of Japan stretches between Taiwan and the Kamchatka Peninsula along the margin of the Pacific Occan. Japan is comprised of four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Two-thirds of the narrow land area is mountainous, with small rivers divided nearly equally into small watersheds. Torrents and rapids transport heavy sediment from mountainous areas, creating alluvial fans and floodplains, before finally flowing into the ocean. More than 260 rivers are at least 20 km long and have watersheds of 150 km2 and relief greater than 100 m. The largest watersheds of approximately 10,000 km2 are the Tone. Shinano, and Kitakami of Honshu, and Ishikari of Hokkaido (Takahashi 1990). The slopes of continental rivers are generally gentler than those of rivers in Japan, which tend to have steep slopes and cataracts (Sakaguchi et al. 1995).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hokkaido Institute of Technology, 4-1, 7-15 Maeda, Teine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 006-8585, Japan

    Seiji Yanai

Authors
  1. Seiji Yanai
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sado Station, Field Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, Niigata University, 94-2 Koda, Sado, Niigata, 952-2206, Japan

    Hitoshi Sakio Ph.D. (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Department of Environment Systems, Faculty of Geo-environmental Science, Rissho University, 1700 Magechi, Kumagaya, Saitama, 360-0194, Japan

    Toshikazu Tamura Ph.D. (Professor) (Professor)

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Yanai, S. (2008). Sediment dynamics and characteristics with respect to river disturbance. In: Sakio, H., Tamura, T. (eds) Ecology of Riparian Forests in Japan. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-76737-4_3

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