A Hydrogeomorphic Classification of Connectivity of Large Rivers of the Upper Midwest, United States Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5132 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. Landsat 8 composite multispectral image of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, August 20, 2019, over southern Illinois, eastern Missouri, western Kentucky.. A Hydrogeomorphic Classification of Connectivity of Large Rivers of the Upper Midwest, United States By Robert B. Jacobson, Jason J. Rohweder, and Nathan R. DeJager Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5132 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. 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Associated data for this publication: Jacobson, R.B., and Rohweder, J.J., 2019, Segment-scale classification, large rivers of the Upper Midwest United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9YGOKWZ Rohweder, J.J., 2019, River valley boundaries and transects generated for select large rivers of the Upper Midwest, United States: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9HFYOLO. ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Background............................................................................................................................................2 River Classifications and Definitions ........................................................................................2 River Names..................................................................................................................................4 Scope and Objectives ..........................................................................................................................5 Approach .........................................................................................................................................................5 What Is a Large River? .........................................................................................................................5 Classification Concepts .......................................................................................................................6 General Classification of River Alteration ........................................................................................7 Longitudinal Connectivity Assessment .............................................................................................7 Hydrologic Classification .....................................................................................................................8 Statistical Analysis ......................................................................................................................8 Geomorphic Classification ................................................................................................................11 Statistical Analysis ....................................................................................................................13 Hydrogeomorphic Classification ......................................................................................................13 Results—Potential for Hydrologic Connectivity of Large Rivers of the Upper Midwest .................14 General Categorical Classification of Rivers .................................................................................14 Longitudinal Assessment of Connectivity .......................................................................................14 Segment-Scale Classification of Lateral Connectivity .................................................................16 Hydrologic Analysis of Lateral Connectivity .........................................................................16 Geomorphic Analysis of Lateral Connectivity .......................................................................18 Hydrogeomorphic Analysis of Lateral Connectivity .............................................................25 Hydrogeomorphic Assessment of Connectivity of Large Rivers of the Upper Midwest .................25 General Categorical Classification ..................................................................................................33 Longitudinal Connectivity ..................................................................................................................36 Segment-Scale Classification of Lateral Connectivity .................................................................41 Hydrologic Clusters ...................................................................................................................41 Geomorphic Clusters .................................................................................................................41 Hydrogeomorphic Clusters ......................................................................................................42 Applications of the Large River Classification ...............................................................................42 Additional Dimensions of Connectivity ..................................................................................46 Summary and Conclusions .........................................................................................................................49 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................50 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................50 iv Figures 1–5. Maps showing: 1. Large-river segments and selected streamflow-gaging stations of the Upper Midwest .....................................................................................................................3 2. An example of the valley-bottom centerline used to derive perpendicular river transects ....................................................................................................................12 3. An example of using transects to measure valley-bottom width, length of transect behind levees, and sinuosity between river segment end points .............13 4. Distribution of unimpounded, navigation-pool, and storage-reservoir segments of large rivers of the Upper Midwest ...........................................................15 5. The distribution of reservoir storage associated with dams in the Upper Midwest ...............................................................................................................................17 6. Graph showing the cumulative distribution functions of dam heights of all dams from the National Inventory of Dams in the Missouri, Upper Mississippi, and Ohio River drainage basins, and for the dams on the large-river segments of the three drainage basins ................................................................................................................18 7–12. Maps showing: 7. All dams from the National Inventory of Dams (NID), and NID dams on large-river segments, with and without navigation locks, symbolized in proportion to dam height, Upper Midwest ....................................................................19 8. The distribution of bankfull discharge among large rivers of the Upper Midwest ...................................................................................................................20 9. The distribution of bankfull discharge normalized by upstream drainage area for large rivers of the Upper Midwest ...................................................................21 10. The distribution of average duration of floods greater than bankfull, large rivers of the Upper Midwest ............................................................................................22 11. The distribution of the flood index calculated from the ratio of 1-percent annual exceedance probability floods to 50-percent annual exceedance probability floods to provide a measure of temporal variability in connection events, large rivers of the Upper Midwest ....................................................................23 12. The distribution of numbers of flood