Geotools: A toolkit for fluvial system analysis

Detailed mechanistic modeling of hydrogeomorphic processes in fluvial systems is extremely challenging, expensive, and of limited usefulness without explicit knowledge of prediction uncertainty. Accordingly, there is a need for parsimonious tools that support probabilistic scientific assessments of physical-biological linkages in streams and rivers. This paper introduces GeoTools, a suite of analysis tools for fluvial systems written in Visual Basic for Applications/Excel. Based on flow time series and basic geomorphic data, GeoTools automates computation of numerous hydrologic, hydraulic, and geomorphic descriptors including effective discharge, sediment transport and yield, temporal distributions of hydraulic parameters (e.g., shear stress and specific stream power), cumulative erosion potential, channel stability indices, and over 100 flow regime metrics. GeoTools accepts input flow records in standard USGS format and a variety of other formats and temporal densities. The package also serves as a post-processor for SWMM, and HSPF/BASINS model output. Three case studies illustrate specific applications of GeoTools: a channel restoration project, a stormwater management/hydromodification study, and an analysis of the effects of flow regulation below an impoundment dam.