ABSTRACT
Due to the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) numerous river reaches in Europe are under restoration and already restored, respectively. Many reaches are monitored from an ecological point of view but only few are subject to a morphological monitoring. Where there is an extensive understanding of ecological recolonization after restoration measures, knowledge about the accompanying morphological development and morphodynamic processes is still limited. This paper presents a morphological monitoring of two restored reaches of a sand-dominated lowland stream. The scope of the monitoring is to capture the morphodynamics of the restored reaches and compare them to the morphodynamics of a near-natural reach. Therefore, amongst other, water depth, flow velocities and substrate types have been investigated four times a year and statistically analyzed. Afterwards, changes are identified. Eventually, these indicators are compared to the driving for-ces, the discharge dynamics. The hydrograph is analyzed for frequency, magnitude, duration of floods, droughts and intermittent flows, flow variability and rates of change. Finally discharge impact and morphological response, respectively, are compared. A good agreement between morphological parameters and discharge dynamics was found using the coefficient of variation of discharge.
