Table 1.

Key palaeohydrological variables and definitions

Parameter	Definition		References
Mean cross-set height, $h_{xs}$	The mean from a distribution of heights measured within one cross-set.
Original bedform height, hd	The original height of the bedform before preservation as a cross-set.		21,22
	$h_d=2.9\left(\pm 0.7\right)h_{xs}$
Bedform preservation ratio, hxs/hd	The ratio of cross-set height to original bedform height, representing the proportion of the original height of the bedform preserved in the rock record.		13,20
Coefficient of variation of cross-set height, CV	The ratio of standard deviation to mean of cross-set height, measured along a single cross-set.		21,22
	$CV=\frac{\sigma }{\mu }$	σ: standard deviation μ: mean
Bedform turnover timescale, Tt	The length of time taken for a bedform to be fully reworked by flow, or for the sediment in a dune to be displaced downstream by one bedform wavelength.		12,13,70
	$T_t=\frac{\lambda h_d\beta }{q_b}$	λ: dune wavelength (≈7.3H) β: shape factor (≈0.55) $q_b$: unit bedload flux
Prevailing flow duration, Tf	The duration of the falling limb of the discharge event which generated the preserved bedform.		12,13
	$T_f=T_{t}T*$	$T*$: bedform disequilibrium number
Flow intermittency factor, If	The fraction of the total time in which bankfull flow would accomplish the same amount of water discharge as the real hydrograph.		68
	$I_f=\frac{\mathrm{\Sigma }Q\left(t\right)}{Q_{bf}\mathrm{\Sigma }t}$	$\mathrm{\Sigma }Q\left(t\right)$: sum of the time-dependent discharge Qbf: bankfull discharge $\mathrm{\Sigma }t$: timespan