Self-Organization of River Networks to Threshold States

Talling, Peter J. (2000) Self-Organization of River Networks to Threshold States. Water Resources Research, 36 (4), 1119-1128. (doi:10.1029/1999WR900339).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Numerical models in which grid-cells self-organize, so that the shear stress in each cell equals a predetermined threshold value, are remarkably successful in producing the fundamental structure of river networks. Such models are a reasonable approximation of networks characterized by near-constant dimensionless shear stress (т* α bed shear stress/bed grain size), with each cell's threshold value being proportional to median-bed grain size. Previous work has shown that this is the case for channels cut into alluvium, and that the characteristic narrow range of т* is different for gravel- and sand-bed channels. Channels in the Italian Apennines that are slowly incising into weak bedrock, but which are covered by a veneer of gravel for most of the time, are shown to be characterized by the same т* as alluvial gravel-bed channels. Thus threshold models capture the fundamental behavior of many river networks, even in areas of long-term bedrock incision.

This record has no associated files available for download.