On the extraction of channel networks from digital elevation data

Channel networks with artibtrary drainage density or resolution can be extracted from digital elevation data. However, for digital elevation data derived networks to be useful they have to be extracted at the correct length scale or drainage density. Here we suggest a criterion for determining the appropriate drainage density at which to extract networks from digital elevation data. The criterion is basically to extract the highest resolution (highest drainage density) network that satisfies scaling laws that have traditionally been found to hold for channel networks. Procedures that use this criterion are presented and tested on 21 digital elevation data sets well distributed throughout the U.S.

[1]  A. Solow.  Testing for Climate Change: An Application of the Two-Phase Regression Model , 1987 .

[2]  Chih Ted Yang,et al.  Potential Energy and Stream Morphology , 1971 .

[3]  David G. Tarboton,et al.  The analysis of river basins and channel networks using digital terrain data , 1989 .

[4]  R. Horton.  Drainage‐basin characteristics , 1932 .

[5]  O. Palacios-Velez,et al.  Automated river-course, ridge and basin delineation from digital elevation data , 1986 .

[6]  R. L. Shreve.  Statistical Law of Stream Numbers , 1966, The Journal of Geology.

[7]  I. Rodríguez‐Iturbe,et al.  The fractal nature of river networks , 1988 .

[8]  L. B. Leopold,et al.  The hydraulic geometry of stream channels and some physiographic implications , 1953 .

[9]  I. Rodríguez‐Iturbe,et al.  Scaling and Elevation in River Networks , 1989 .

[10]  I. Moore,et al.  A contour‐based topographic model for hydrological and ecological applications , 1988, Earth surface processes and landforms.

[11]  D. Hinkley.  Inference about the intersection in two-phase regression , 1969 .

[12]  Alberto Carrara,et al.  Drainage and Divide Networks Derived from High-Fidelity Digital Terrain Models , 1988 .

[13]  A. N. Strahler.  Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. , 1952 .

[14]  R. Horton.  EROSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF STREAMS AND THEIR DRAINAGE BASINS; HYDROPHYSICAL APPROACH TO QUANTITATIVE MORPHOLOGY , 1945 .

[15]  L. B. Leopold,et al.  Ephemeral streams; hydraulic factors and their relation to the drainage net , 1956 .

[16]  A. N. Strahler.  Quantitative analysis of watershed geomorphology , 1957 .

[17]  L. Band.  Topographic Partition of Watersheds with Digital Elevation Models , 1986 .

[18]  V. Gupta,et al.  Statistical self-similarity in river networks parameterized by elevation , 1989 .

[19]  J. Flint.  Stream gradient as a function of order, magnitude, and discharge , 1974 .

[20]  John F. O'Callaghan,et al.  The extraction of drainage networks from digital elevation data , 1984, Comput. Vis. Graph. Image Process..

[21]  S. Schumm.  EVOLUTION OF DRAINAGE SYSTEMS AND SLOPES IN BADLANDS AT PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY , 1956 .

[22]  David H. Douglas,et al.  Detection of Surface-Specific Points by Local Parallel Processing of Discrete Terrain Elevation Data , 1975 .

[23]  S. K. Jenson,et al.  Extracting topographic structure from digital elevation data for geographic information-system analysis , 1988 .

[24]  E. O'Loughlin.  Prediction of Surface Saturation Zones in Natural Catchments by Topographic Analysis , 1986 .

[25]  M. Wolman.  The natural channel of Brandywine Creek, Pennsylvania , 1955 .