Tomas Galia

Yesterday, we collected our annual field data on large wood (LW) distribution in the Odra River. After the recent 100-year flood, we expected major changes—but surprisingly, many LW pieces remained stable, even in this channel much wider than their length! Some LW pieces are still here since 2010!🌊🌲

A few photos of fluvial landscapes from the stunning Iceland—where fluvial, glacial, and volcanic forces shape the land in spectacular ways. 🌋🌊❄️

Back from the mountain rivers of Greece! We collected field data for simulating future floods in a catchment hit by Storm Daniel in 2023.

Bonus: photos captured on 35mm film with my old Leica 📷🌊

🚨 New paper out in CATENA! After 6 years of fieldwork in Czech headwater streams, we show:

✅ In channelized streams, gravel moves farther.
✅ In near-natural streams, sediment transport is more predictable—better linked to flow magnitude & duration.

Read more: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Debris flows triggered by storm Boris (September 2024) in the Czech Flysch Carpathians - Landslides Storm Boris brought heavy rainfall to Central Europe in mid-September 2024, triggering otherwise rare debris flows in the Czech Carpathians. Over 65 debris flows were documented, with the largest surp...

Where—and why—were debris flows triggered during the 2024 flood in the Czech Carpathians? We tackled this question through field mapping and DMR analysis in our new article in Landslides. If you're interested in geomorphic responses to extreme events, check it out! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A bit of a break during fieldwork—here are a few analog shots from our monitoring of gravel bars on the Elbe River near the CZ/DE border. Captured with a 70y old Leica IIIg + Elmar 50 mm 3.5 + Fomapan Ortho 400. Always nice to mix science with some classic photography!

Saying a man visiting Patagonia every year :)

Anthropogenic geomorphology - 2026 IAG International Conference on Geomorphology Anthropogenic geomorphology Ecological Baselines for river, floodplain, and lake restoration: from Traditional to Molecular Approaches Professor Antony

Planning to attend the IAG Conference in New Zealand next year? Working with fluvial systems? If yes, consider submitting an abstract to our session: "Lessons Learned About Anthropogenic Drivers in River Evolution."

www.confer.co.nz/icg2026/anth...

Interestingly, during small flood events, the volume of mobilized LW exceeded the amount present within the reach—highlighting a strong recruitment from bank erosion and the floodplain. You can find the article here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Our new paper in Journal of Hydrology compiles 8 years of large wood observations in a meandering river!
👉Key points:
• No clear link between LW volumes and flow variations
• Tree presence predicts LW volumes in bends
• 50% LW mobility within a year in 30–45 m wide channel

Impact of river regulation on gravel bar decline and vegetation expansion over recent decades Many gravel-bed rivers in the Carpathians have undergone extensive regulation that has completely changed their geomorphic regime. Formerly rich in gr…

(2/2) I am proud of my PhD student Adriana Holušová, who just published a study in CATENA on how discharge–vegetation dynamics shape gravel bars in regulated rivers of the Czech Carpathians. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

(1/2) Much has been said about the degradation of gravel bars due to river regulation — but far less is known about how they can develop in long-channelized reaches ▶️

Spent last week crisscrossing Czechia, collecting hydromorphological data from all sorts of streams and rivers. It was a great reminder of how wildly diverse our fluvial systems are — and, at times, how brutally over-regulated some channels still are… even out in the countryside 🤕

⏳ Only two weeks left to apply for our PhD position on Mediterranean river floods!

🗓 Application deadline: 10/2
🖥 Online interview: 17/2

📄 General info: dokumenty.osu.cz/prf/urednide...
📩 For detailed info, PM me or email tomas.galia@osu.cz

Don’t miss this opportunity to join our team at the University of Ostrava, Czechia!

🚨 We're hiring a PhD student for our 3-year project on floods in Mediterranean rivers!

Your role: Use remote sensing to study changes in river morphology and riparian canopy, and join exciting field trips to wild rivers in Greece! 🌍🌊
▶️

Two decades of meander belt morphodynamics: How important is woody vegetation and in-channel large wood? Meandering rivers represent a common planform morphology in terrestrial environments, and their morphological evolution is a central focus in fluvial …

Riparian tree canopy 🌳and high meander amplitudes ↩️reduce lateral erosion, while presence of in-channel large wood 🪵has minimal impact on meander morphodynamics.
Funded by the Czech Science Foundation.
See the article here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

How do vegetation and large wood influence meander morphodynamics? In our new article, published in Catena, we analyzed 22 years of remote sensing data from the Odra River. Check the key findings➡️

Our team from the University of Ostrava
is also looking forward to collaborate with colleagues from HCMR. This project 'Hydrogeomorphological Dynamics in the Face of Climate Change: Impacts of Consecutive Floods on Mediterranean River Channels' is funded by the Czech Science Foundation.

Good news! 🍾 We are starting a new project to advance our research in Mediterranean rivers. Over the next three years, we will explore the hydrogeomorphological dynamics of #IRES, focusing on large floods 💦, riparian vegetation 🌳, and flood risk 🛶 in Greece.

Finished mapping the geomorphic flood impacts in steep Carpathian streams during these chilly November days. It’s making me reflect once again on the (blurred) boundaries between debris flows, debris floods, and bedload transport.

Slowing down with 35mm film: Capturing the autumn vibes of Czech rivers 🍂📸 #Odra #Olse #AnalogPhotography #rollei35

Hej Lina, please add me as well. Tack!