| 25 Jun 2026
Flume experimental data for the study of morphological response of alpine gravel-bed rivers to flow and sediment forcing
Abstract. This paper presents a dataset derived from flume experiments designed to reproduce conditions typical of alpine gravel-bed streams. The experiments aim to investigate how different hydro-sedimentary forcings influence channel morphology. The flume setup is Froude-scaled based on measurements collected on a braided reach in the French Alps. Experimental runs represent daily flood peaks characteristic of the melting season, together with their associated sediment supply. The dataset includes several types of measurements: full-flume topography obtained by photogrammetry, bedload flux at the outlet measured with a force sensor, grain-size distribution of transported sediments, and flow surface velocities derived from a tracer method. Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) were generated from the photogrammetric surveys at multiple timesteps, with a spatial resolution of 0.7 mm/pixel and a mean vertical error of 1 mm. Bedload flux at the outlet can be estimated from the force sensor measurements, while the grain-size distribution of transported material was determined by sieving. For each run, the dataset includes a video of the run, DEMs of the bed at different timesteps, a video for flow velocities estimates, sediment flux and transported grain-size at the outlet, and the input liquid and solid discharges. This large dataset available at https://doi.org/10.57745/QM4ZOO comprises 115 DEMs, 35 videos for velocities estimates, 81 transported grain size distribution and videos for various input conditions. It offers strong potential for studying morphological processes at micro- to macro-scales and across various timescales, and a fabulous playground for numerical investigations.
The manuscript presents an experimental dataset addressing the morphodynamic response of alpine gravel-bed rivers to cycles of floods with different magnitude and sediment yield. The combination of repeated high-resolution topographic surveys, sediment flux measurements, grain-size information, surface-flow videos, and time-lapse imagery is an important strength. I consider this dataset valuable and potentially useful for the fluvial geomorphology community, and I think it could be accepted for publication following moderate revisions.
Specific points
Technical corrections:
The manuscript would benefit from a careful check for typos, grammar errors and sentences that could be written in a clearer way. The following are a few examples, not a complete list.
Throughout the paper, please check the presence/absence of a space between numerical values and measurement units and be consistent.
Line 146, “15 minutes” instead of “quarter”?
Line 171, “sediment are” -> “sediment is”
Line 180, “to” instead of “the”?
Figure 8 caption, please correct “discharhe”.
Renumber the repeated Tables 1 and 2 on pages 14–15.
Line 225, SfM has been used to obtain a DEM not morphological change. You do not show any method to compute DoDs
Line 248, remove “table” repeated twice
Table 2, “zenital” -> “zenithal”; exposure-time unit should be seconds.
Line 276, please check “for of”
Line 296, please check “one on two”?
Line 300, what do you mean with “dans”?
Line 316, “estimates” -> “estimate”
Line 322, “are provide” -> “are provided”
Line 323, similar elevations instead of “same altitude”?
Figure 14 caption labels panels (b) twice; the third panel should be (c).
Line 387, what do you mean with “resolution”?
Line 396 “can be study” -> “can be studied”
Use “snowmelt” consistently