Biography
I have worked on the fluvial dynamics of streams in the Midwest for over 30 years. My research interests range from investigations aimed at improving our basic scientific understanding of the geomorphology of rivers to studies focusing on issues of importance for river management and policy. Much of my work emphasizes field measurements of process-form interactions, but through collaborations with colleagues at Illinois I also participate in projects that involve laboratory experiments and numerical modeling.
Education
- Ph.D., Arizona State University
- M.A., Michigan State University
- B.A., Shippensburg University
Courses Taught
GGIS 103 - Earth's Physical Systems
GGIS 406 - Fluvial Geomorphology
GGIS 408 - Humans and River Systems GGIS 460 - Aerial Photo Analysis
GGIS 471 - Modern Geographic Thought
Additional Campus Affiliations
Affiliate, Earth Science and Environmental Change
Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Affiliate, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor, Center for Global Studies
External Links
Recent Publications
Cain, M. R., Hixson, J. L., Jones, C. N., Rhoads, B. L., & Ward, A. S. (2025). Empirical Evidence of Dynamic Hydrogeomorphic Feature Inundation in a Lowland Floodplain. Hydrological Processes, 39(1), Article e70043. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70043
Shukla, T., & Rhoads, B. L. (2025). Form and Function of Floodplain Secondary Channels in a Lowland Meandering River System. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 130(1), Article e2024JF007871. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007871
Meem, T. H., Rhoads, B. L., Fouts, L., Schmidt, A., & Byard, G. (2024). An excess-work approach to assessing channel instability potential within urban streams of Chicago, Illinois: Relative importance of spatial variability in hydraulic conditions and stormwater mitigation. Progress in Physical Geography, 48(5-6), 754-780. https://doi.org/10.1177/03091333241276205
Rhoads, B. L., Anders, A. M., Banerjee, P., Grimley, D. A., Stumpf, A., & Blair, N. E. (2024). Sensitivity of a meandering lowland river to intensive landscape management: Lateral migration rates before and after watershed-scale agricultural development. Anthropocene, 45, Article 100429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100429
Salas, C. R., & Rhoads, B. L. (2024). Spatial and temporal variations of suspended sediment concentrations from different floodplain environments. In A. M. F. da Silva, C. Rennie, S. Gaskin, J. Lacey, & B. MacVicar (Eds.), River Flow - Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, 2022 (pp. 202-209). (River Flow - Proceedings of the 11th Conference on Fluvial Hydraulics, 2022). CRC Press/Balkema. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003323037-27
