Integrating network topology metrics into studies of catchment-level effects on river characteristics
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Published:2019-05-14
Issue:5
Volume:23
Page:2305-2319
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ISSN:1607-7938
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Container-title:Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.
Author:
Heasley Eleanore L., Clifford Nicholas J., Millington James D. A.ORCID
Abstract
Abstract. The spatial arrangement of the river network is a fundamental
characteristic of the catchment, acting as a conduit between catchment-level
effects and reach morphology and ecology. Yet river network structure is
often simplified to reflect an upstream-to-downstream gradient of river
characteristics, commonly represented by stream order. The aim of this study
is to quantify network topological structure using two network density
metrics – one that represents network density over distance and the other
over elevation – that can easily be extracted from digital elevation models
and so may be applied to any catchment across the globe. These metrics should
better account for the multi-dimensional nature of the catchment than stream
order and be functionally applicable across geomorphological, hydrological
and ecological attributes of the catchment. The functional utility of the
metrics is assessed by appropriating monitoring data collected for regulatory
compliance to explore patterns of river characteristics in relation to
network topology. This method is applied to four comparatively low-energy,
anthropogenically modified catchments in the UK using river characteristics
derived from England's River Habitat Survey database. The patterns in river
characteristics explained by network density metrics are compared to stream
order as a standard measure of topology. The results indicate that the
network density metrics offer a richer and functionally more relevant
description of network topology than stream order, highlighting differences
in the density and spatial arrangement of each catchment's internal network
structure. Correlations between the network density metrics and river
characteristics show that habitat quality score consistently increases with
network density in all catchments as hypothesized.
For other measures of river character – modification score, flow-type speed and sediment size – there are varying
responses in different catchments to the two network density metrics. There
are few significant correlations between stream order and the river
characteristics, highlighting the limitations of stream order in accounting
for network topology. Overall, the results suggest that network density
metrics are more powerful measures which conceptually and functionally
provide an improved method of accounting for the impacts of network topology
on the fluvial system.
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
General Earth and Planetary Sciences,General Engineering,General Environmental Science
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