Constructal view of scaling laws of river basins

Unified view of scaling laws for river networks.

Scaling laws that describe the structure of river networks are shown to follow from three simple assumptions. These assumptions are (1) river networks are structurally self-similar, (2) single channels are self-affine, and (3) overland flow into channels occurs over a characteristic distance (drainage density is uniform). We obtain a complete set of scaling relations connecting the exponents of...

Channel Network Scaling Laws in Submarine Basins

Fluvial drainage basin area is often related to channel length and local slope through power law relationships and the relatively small range of exponents observed in these relationships is thought to result from physical mechanisms. Proposed mechanisms assume that the observed correlation between drainage area and fluid discharge is caused by precipitation. Using high resolution DEMs of channe...

Influence of terrain on scaling laws for river networks

Models of Fractal River Basins

Experimental analyses of river networks(1) have shown clear examples of behavior analogous to critical phenomena characterized by the absence of a single well-defined length scale reflected in a power-law behavior of various quantities. A fundamental question that arises from these observations is whether, in analogy with conventional critical phenomena, one may fruitfully classify this behavio...

Dynamic reorganization of river basins.

River networks evolve as migrating drainage divides reshape river basins and change network topology by capture of river channels. We demonstrate that a characteristic metric of river network geometry gauges the horizontal motion of drainage divides. Assessing this metric throughout a landscape maps the dynamic states of entire river networks, revealing diverse conditions: Drainage divides in t...