Ramification of stream networks
Name
Devauchelle-2012-Ramification of Stream Networks.pdf
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1.66 MB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Devauchelle, Olivier
Seybold, Hansjorg
Rothman, Daniel H.
Petroff, Alexander Peter
Date Issued
December 2012
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Citation
Devauchelle, O., A. P. Petroff, H. F. Seybold, and D. H. Rothman. “Ramification of stream networks.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109, no. 51 (December 18, 2012): 20832-20836.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The geometric complexity of stream networks has been a source of fascination for centuries. However, a comprehensive understanding of ramification—the mechanism of branching by which such networks grow—remains elusive. Here we show that streams incised by groundwater seepage branch at a characteristic angle of 2π/5 = 72°. Our theory represents streams as a collection of paths growing and bifurcating in a diffusing field. Our observations of nearly 5,000 bifurcated streams growing in a 100 km2 groundwater field on the Florida Panhandle yield a mean bifurcation angle of 71.9° ± 0.8°. This good accord between theory and observation suggests that the network geometry is determined by the external flow field but not, as classical theories imply, by the flow within the streams themselves.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Lorenz Center (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1215218109
