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Bruce L. Rhoads

Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

I am a faculty member in the River, Watershed, and Landscape Dynamics graduate program in the Department of Geography and GIS, which involves interdisciplinary coursework and research experiences bridging physical geography, geology, civil and environmental engineering (CEE), and natural resources and environmental sciences (NRES).  I have affiliate appointments in Geology, CEE, and NRES.  My primary research interest is in river science, particularly fluvial geomorphology, but I also have broad interests in watershed science and river management.

New Book on Rivers!!

To learn about rivers and river processes, see my new book: River Dynamics: Geomorphology to Support Management. 2020. Cambridge University Press.
Why Study Rivers?​​
  • Rivers are vital components of the Earth system, shaping Earth's terrestrial surfaces through erosion and deposition and playing a primary role in transporting water and sediment from land to the oceans
  • Rivers are valuable natural resources that serve a variety of human needs including water supply, power generation, transportation, and recreation
  • Rivers support diverse  ecosystems in which aquatic and riparian communities interact with and depend upon fluvial forms and processes
  • Effective management of rivers, particularly those in intensively managed landscapes such as agricultural or urban environments, depends upon sound understanding of rivers as dynamic systems that evolve over time and that change through the effects of human activities