Simulation of potential meandering belt width using a physics-based morphodynamic model

Meandering is a common feature of single thread streams cutting throuvial floodplains. In general, two main classes of meandering rivers can be recognized: confined and free. Confined Meanders are typically restricted through a valley with unerodible borders. Conversely, free meanders evolve unconstrained throughout the floodplain, self-generating the so called meander belt. This width of the belt, is usually estimated on the basis of empirical or semi-empirical observations. In this work, we build on this latter concept and use the semianalytical model to predict the meander belt width of free meanders. Our results show that the meander belt width based on the potential migration (according to Lane and Lewin (1977)) is about 30 percent greater than the estimates suggested by previous works. Moreover, the present analysis can support the idea which was used for the analysis of confined meanders.