permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *Tim Bailey* <timibly@gmail.com <mailto:timibly@gmail.com>>
Date: Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 7:11 PM

So fluvial systems use meandering to attenuate slope and conserve
energy.  The classical text on the thermodynamic properties of river
systems and fluvial geomorphology is by Aldo Leopold's son Luna
Leopold.  I think that Luna Leopolds work is a natural fit for the
permaculture community to adopt in that he clearly articulated a
thermodynamic basis for the landscape being shaped to accommodate the
forces that are applied to it.  Thus the "bank full" stage of a river is 
formed by the cumulative maximum work on the landscape not the maximum 
flow observed.  Though that is a nuanced point.  A general rule is that 
your bank full stage is going to be your two to three year return 
interval flood.

for people who have done design work in the Los Angeles river basin the
.75 in 24 hour design storm that is used to size onsite storm water
treatment is a decendant of this analysis.

I personally think that there is a common scientific zeitgeist between
Luna Leopolds work and the work of the Odum Brothers work on biological
thermodynamics in ecosystems.  I have not seen anyone else follow this
line of thought and both Leopold and the Odums were exceptionally prolific.

Interfluve is a very interesting civil engineering outfit that works on
applied geomorphology
http://www.interfluve.com/pageview.aspx?id=6254

Also Dr. Dave Rosgen is a widely respected currently active
geomorphologist working with such schemes.  When I was at BLM in the 90s 
Rosgen was very highly regarded by the folks that knew what was up with 
rivers and streams.  A few weeks ago someone posted on this listserve a 
notice about the release of an Island Press book by a former government 
research hydrologists that sounded pretty solid but I don't have any 
personal knowledge of them.

For people in the United States that want to find regionally relevant
hydrology specifications I would look at the gtr documents from the US
Forest Services Research Stations that are sited next to major Natural
Resources Schools such as Corvallis, Fort Collins, Olympia, Missoula,
Arcata, near where there are National Forests.

Tim Bailey