Areas of Specialization

Sediment transport; River dynamics; River Geomorphology

Society Appointments

Member of ASCE, AGU, Gilbert Geomorphology Club, Editorial board member of Journal of Arid Land, Reviewer of National Science Foundation, Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Hydrology Research, Water Resources Research.

Representative Publications

Guo, X., D. Chen*, G. Parker*. (2019). Flow directionality of pristine meandering rivers is embedded in the skewing of high-amplitude bends and neck cutoffs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(47):201910874.

Zhu, Z., S. Zhang*, D. Chen*. (2019). Statistical analysis of bed load transport over an armored bed layer with cluster microforms. Water, 11(2082):1-16.

Li, Z., H. Sun*, Y. Zhang, D. Chen*, R.T. Sibtov. (2019). Continuous time random walk model for non-uniform bed-load transport with heavy-tailed hop distances and waiting times. Journal of Hydrology, 578:124057, 1-11.  

Zhao, L., E. Jiang, D*. Chen, W, Zhang. (2019). Modeling of sediment exchange between suspended-load and bed material in the middle and lower Yellow River, China. Water, 11(1543):28.

He, L., D. Chen*, D. Termini, Y. Jia, Y. Zhang. (2019). Modeling bedload transport trajectories along a sine-generated channel. Water Resources, 46(4):542-552.

S. Zhang, D. Chen*, L. Chen, X. Chen, L. He. (2019). Using sediment rating parameters to evaluate the changes in sediment transport regimes in the middle Yellow River basin, China. Hydrological Processes, 33(18).

Li, Y., J. Wei, X. Gao, D. Chen*, S. Weng, W. Du, W. Wang, J. Wang, C. Tang, S. Zhang. (2018). Turbulent bursting and sediment resuspension in hypereutrophic Lake Taihu, China. Journal of Hydrology 565.

Zhang, S., D. Chen*, F. Li, L. He, M, Yan, Y. Yan. (2018). Evaluating spatial variation of suspended sediment rating curves in the middle Yellow River basin, China. Hydrological Processes, 32：1616-1624.

He, L., D. Chen, S. Zhang, M. Liu, G. Duan. (2018). Evaluating regime change of sediment transport in the Jingjiang River reach, Yangtze River, China. Water, 10(3):329.

Nie, S., H. Sun, Y. Zhang, D. Chen, W. Chen, L. Chen, S. Schaefer. (2017). Vertical distribution of suspended sediment under steady flow: existing theories and fractional derivative model. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2017(5481531)1:11.

Li, F., S. Zhang, D. Chen, L. He, L. Gu. (2017). Inter-decadal variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon and its impact on hydrologic variables in the Haihe River Basin, China. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 8(2):174-184.

Tang, C., D. Chen. (2017). Interaction between soil moisture and air temperature in the Mississippi River basin. Journal of Water Resources and Protection, 9:1119-1131.

Zhang, Y., D. Chen*, R. Garrard, H. Sun, and Y. Lu. (2016). Influence of bed clusters and size gradation on operational time distribution for non-uniform bed-load transport. Hydrological Processes, 30, 3030-3045.

Li, F., D. Chen*, Q. Tang, W. Li, and X. Zhang. (2016). Hydrological response of East China to the variation of East Asian Summer Monsoon. Advances in Meteorology, vol. 2016, doi: 10.1155/2016/4038703.

Gu, L., S. Zhang, L. He, D. Chen, K. Blanckaert, W. Ottevanger, Y. Zhang. (2016). Modeling flow pattern and evolution of meandering channels with a nonlinear model. Water, 8(418), doi:10.3390/w8100418.

Sun, H., D. Chen*, Y. Zhang, L. Chen. (2015). Understanding partial bed-load transport: experiments and stochastic model analysis. Journal of Hydrology, 521, 196-204.

Tang, C., D. Chen*, B.T. Crosby, T.C. Piechota, and J.M. Wheaton. (2014). Is the PDO or AMO the climate driver of soil moisture in the Salmon River Basin, Idaho? Global and Planetary Change, 120, 16-23.

Zhang, Y., R.L. Martin, D. Chen, B. Baeumer, H. Sun, and L. Chen. (2014). A subordinated advection model for uniform bed load transport from local to regional scales. Journal of Geophysical Research, Earth Surface, 119, 2711-2729.

Chen, D., H. Sun, Y. Zhang. (2013). Fractional Dispersion Equation for Sediment Suspension, Journal of Hydrology, 491, 13-22.

Chen, D., Acharya, K. and M.C. Stone. (2013). Closure to Sensitivity analysis of non-equilibrium adaptation parameters for modeling mining-pit migration. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 139(7), 801.

Chen, D., C. Tang (2012). Evaluating secondary flows in the evolution of sine-generated meanders. Geomorphology, 163-164, 37-44.

Tang, C., D. Chen, and T. C. Piechota. (2011). Relationships between soil moisture and oceanic-atmospheric patterns and soil moisture in the upper Colorado River Basin, J.Hydrol., 411, 77-90.

Chen, D., S. Gerstenberger, S. Mueting , and D. Wong (2011). Environmental factors affecting settlement of quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) veligers in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, USA. Aquatic Invasions, 6(2), 149-156, doi: 10.3391/ai/2011.6.2.04

Chen, D. (2011). Modeling Channel Response to instream gravel mining, Sediment Transport - Flow and Morphological Processes, ABM FarukBhuiyan (Ed.), ISBN 978-953-307-374-3, InTech

Chen, D., and L. Chen (2011). Coupling Watershed Erosion Model with Instream Hydrodynamic-Sediment Transport Model: An Example of Middle Rio Grande, Sediment Transport in Aquatic Environments, Andrew J. Manning (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-586-0, InTech

Li Y, K. Acharya, D. Chen, and M. Stone (2010) Modeling water ages and thermal structure of Lake Mead under changing water levels.LakeReserv.Manage.,26 (4), 258

Chen, D., K. Acharya, M. Stone (2010). Sensitivity analysis of non-equilibrium adaptation parameters for modeling mining-pit migration.J. Hydraul. Eng., ASCE, 136(10), 806-811

Chen, D., J, Duan (2008). Case study: numerical simulation of channel migration process of the West Jordan River, Utah. J. Hydraul. Eng., ASCE. 134(3), 315-327.

Chen, D., J, Duan. (2006). Modeling Width Adjustment in Meandering Channels.J.  Hydrol., 321, 59–76.

Chen, D., J, Duan. (2006). Simulating Meandering Channel Evolution with an Analytical Model. J. Hydraul. Res., 44(3), 363–373.

Major Research Projects

2018-2021, PI, Experiments on anomalous transport of non-uniform bed-load, funded by NSFC.

2017-2020，PI, Coupling mechanism of transport and deposition of sediment and nutrients in lakes, National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC0405203).

2013-2016, PI, Experiments on the main and secondary flows in meanders, funded by NSFC.

2010-2011, PI, “Three-Dimensional hydrodynamic and eutrophication modeling in Lake Mead under changing water levels using EFDC-3D”, funded by USGS. 

2008-2010, PI, “Assessing channel stability analysis using SIAM”, funded by USACE.

2008-2010, PI, “Modeling Riverbed subjected to deep gravel mining”, funded by USACE.

2008-2010, PI, “Impact of Tributary watershed sediment yield on main stream morphology in Middle Rio Grande”, funded by USACE.

2006- 2007, PI, “Source & transport of suspended sediment in Las Vegas Wash”, USACE.

2006-2007, PI, “Equipment house design”, Nevada Higher Education System.

2006-2007, co-PI, “Two-dimensional sediment transport modeling in Rio Grande River using CCHE2D”, funded by USACE.

2006-2007, co-PI, “3D modeling on Lake Mead Hydrodynamic under changing water levels”, funded by Nevada Water Resources Research Inst.