Effects of tributary inflows on unsteady flow hysteresis and hydrodynamics in the mainstream

Flooding propagation is a crucial aspect of hydrological monitoring and forecasting. Previous studies have focused on hysteresis in the rating curve, caused by energy loss during flood propagation. However, the impact of tributary inflow on hysteresis downstream remains unclear, leading to inconsistent field observations on whether it strengthens or weakens hysteresis. In this study, we conducted flume experiments to identify the relationship between hysteresis in unsteady flow and the discharge magnitude of the tributary and the unsteady flow period in the mainstream. It was found that the discharge variations in the tributary had a larger influence on hysteresis compared to the periodical variations in the mainstream unsteady flow. Interestingly, the hysteresis of the unsteady flow had an initial strengthening followed by weakening as the tributary discharge increased. When the tributary inflow was low, the widening of the downstream cross-section sharpened the flood wave, increasing the hysteresis. However, as the tributary discharge increased to generate a backwater effect on the mainstream, the pressure gradient flattened flood waves, thereby weakening the hysteresis. This study improves our understanding of how tributary inflow affects flood propagation in the mainstream, offering new insights for flood prediction and control. HIGHLIGHTS The hysteresis of the unsteady flow exhibits a pattern of initially strengthening and then weakening as the discharge of the tributary increases. The main effect of the change in hysteresis characteristics of unsteady flow was flow attenuation, which was generated by the dynamic factors of pressure gradient and frictional gradient-induced convective diffusion between the upstream and downstream flows.