Articles | Volume 8, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-87-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-87-2020
Research article
 | 
12 Feb 2020
Research article |  | 12 Feb 2020

Determining flow directions in river channel networks using planform morphology and topology

Jon Schwenk, Anastasia Piliouras, and Joel C. Rowland

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Standing on a riverbank, it is usually obvious which direction the river flows. However, when observing a river from space, we cannot see the flowing water and must use other clues to determine flow directions. For complicated river channel networks like those of deltas and braided rivers, determining the flow direction of each channel within the network is not trivial. We present and demonstrate a method to automatically determine flow directions for each link in aerially viewed river channels.