Causes of river bed degradation

River bed degradation can proceed downstream as well as upstream depending upon the cause of degradation. The causes of downstream progressing degradation are primarily related to changes in independent river channel variables, such as increase in water discharge, decrease in size of bed material, and decrease in bed material discharge. The causes of upstream progressing degradation are all related to an imposed increase in river slope which can occur as a result of natural river behavior or by man‐made changes. Study of various case histories indicates that river slopes are increased by lowering a base level, by decreasing the length of a river, or by removal of a control point. Case histories also show that downstream and upstream progressing degradation can act in combination along a river system: downstream progressing degradation along the main stream of a river system can initiate upstream progressing degradation on a tributary.