Multiscale structure of meanders

River meander planforms can be described based on wavelet analysis, but an objective method to identify the main characteristics of a meander planform over all spatial scales is yet to be found. Here we show how a set of simple metrics representing meander shape can be retrieved from a continuous wa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2016-04, Vol.43 (7), p.3288-3297
Main Authors: Vermeulen, B., Hoitink, A. J. F., Zolezzi, G., Abad, J. D., Aalto, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bends
Channels
Extraterrestrial environments
Freshwater
Lava
Lava flows
Mathematical analysis
Meanders
multiple loops
Planforms
Rivers
scale space tree
Streams
Trees
Turbidity
Turbidity currents
valley cuvature
Wavelet transforms
wavelets
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Summary:River meander planforms can be described based on wavelet analysis, but an objective method to identify the main characteristics of a meander planform over all spatial scales is yet to be found. Here we show how a set of simple metrics representing meander shape can be retrieved from a continuous wavelet transform of a planform geometry. We construct a synoptic multiple looping tree to establish the meander structure, revealing the embedding of dominant meander scales in larger‐scale loops. The method can be applied beyond the case of rivers to unravel the meandering structure of lava flows, turbidity currents, tidal channels, rivulets, supraglacial streams, and extraterrestrial flows. Key Points A novel method objectively quantifies the shape of nonstationary meanders over all spatial scales A tree made from the wavelet transform (WT) of curvature captures the spatial structure of meanders The WT at the submeander scale results in two simple shape parameters: fattening and skewing
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2016GL068238