Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Determination of surface flow paths from gridded elevation data

Determination of surface flow paths from gridded elevation data Surface flow paths are obtained from gridded elevation data by connecting grid cell centers along predetermined flow directions. These flow directions are commonly determined using single and multiple flow direction algorithms. It remains, however, unclear whether multiple flow direction algorithms, which introduce artificial dispersion, can be used to describe surface flow paths and gravity‐driven processes across a terrain without causing unrealistic flow dispersion. To explore this issue, a unified algorithm for the determination of flow directions has been developed, and new methods for the validation of the resulting surface flow paths are introduced. The unified algorithm makes it possible, by setting appropriate parameters, to perform local or path‐based analyses and to experiment with different combinations of single and multiple flow directions in a morphologically significant manner. The new validation methods use drainage systems delineated from contour elevation data as a reference and take into consideration the overlap between these systems and those obtained from gridded elevation data. The unified algorithm is presented, and the results are evaluated for selected case studies in order to provide guidance on the use of surface flow path algorithms based on gridded elevation data. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Water Resources Research Wiley

Determination of surface flow paths from gridded elevation data

Loading next page...
 
/lp/wiley/determination-of-surface-flow-paths-from-gridded-elevation-data-10fRMkzjKC

References (24)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.
ISSN
0043-1397
eISSN
1944-7973
DOI
10.1029/2008WR007099
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Surface flow paths are obtained from gridded elevation data by connecting grid cell centers along predetermined flow directions. These flow directions are commonly determined using single and multiple flow direction algorithms. It remains, however, unclear whether multiple flow direction algorithms, which introduce artificial dispersion, can be used to describe surface flow paths and gravity‐driven processes across a terrain without causing unrealistic flow dispersion. To explore this issue, a unified algorithm for the determination of flow directions has been developed, and new methods for the validation of the resulting surface flow paths are introduced. The unified algorithm makes it possible, by setting appropriate parameters, to perform local or path‐based analyses and to experiment with different combinations of single and multiple flow directions in a morphologically significant manner. The new validation methods use drainage systems delineated from contour elevation data as a reference and take into consideration the overlap between these systems and those obtained from gridded elevation data. The unified algorithm is presented, and the results are evaluated for selected case studies in order to provide guidance on the use of surface flow path algorithms based on gridded elevation data.

Journal

Water Resources ResearchWiley

Published: Mar 1, 2009

There are no references for this article.