ABSTRACT
Knowledge of processes in river channel systems informs ways in which river channels are managed, but this chapter is necessarily very selective by assuming familiarity with basic hydrological and ecological processes. A basic understanding of the composition, character and function of river channel systems is provided by outlining the way in which river channel systems are researched (3.1), described and characterized (3.2), leading to a composite classification of channels suitable as a framework for initiating management (Table 3.3). A review of individual components of the river channel system and aspects of their functional connectivity (3.3) extends to an outline of channel dynamics (3.4) and to elements in the hydrosystem that are vital considerations in engineering and management in the drainage basin context, although the way in which channel behaviour is perceived is not always identical with physical reality (3.5).
