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Spectral Signature of Landscape Channelization

Publication ,  Journal Article
Hooshyar, M; Katul, G; Porporato, A
Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
April 28, 2021

Channel networks increase in complexity as the importance of erosion grows compared to diffusion by soil creep, giving rise to a channelization cascade. Simulations, laboratory experiments, and data from a natural landscape are used to uncover the signature of such a cascade in the wavenumber spectrum of elevation fluctuations. Power spectra at intermediate distances from the boundaries are characterized by a peak wavenumber that is related to the quasi-cyclic valleys superimposed on a power-law scaling with exponent (α) at smaller scales. Dimensional analysis and self-similarity arguments show that α is uniquely linked to the power-law relation (with exponent m) between erosion potential and the specific drainage area via α = 2m − 3. This finding connects the spectral behavior of erosional surfaces to the exponent m that distinguishes between the steep landscapes with debris-flow-dominated channels and relatively flat fluvial landscapes and directly controls the shape of the channel profile.

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Published In

Geophysical Research Letters

DOI

EISSN

1944-8007

ISSN

0094-8276

Publication Date

April 28, 2021

Volume

48

Issue

8

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
 

Citation

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Hooshyar, M., Katul, G., & Porporato, A. (2021). Spectral Signature of Landscape Channelization. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(8). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091015
Hooshyar, M., G. Katul, and A. Porporato. “Spectral Signature of Landscape Channelization.” Geophysical Research Letters 48, no. 8 (April 28, 2021). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091015.
Hooshyar M, Katul G, Porporato A. Spectral Signature of Landscape Channelization. Geophysical Research Letters. 2021 Apr 28;48(8).
Hooshyar, M., et al. “Spectral Signature of Landscape Channelization.” Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 48, no. 8, Apr. 2021. Scopus, doi:10.1029/2020GL091015.
Hooshyar M, Katul G, Porporato A. Spectral Signature of Landscape Channelization. Geophysical Research Letters. 2021 Apr 28;48(8).
Journal cover image

Published In

Geophysical Research Letters

DOI

EISSN

1944-8007

ISSN

0094-8276

Publication Date

April 28, 2021

Volume

48

Issue

8

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences