Drainage reorganization induces deviations in width-area-slope scaling of valleys and channels

Abstract

Abstract. The width of valleys and channels affects the hydrology, ecology, and geomorphic functionality of drainage networks. Valley and channel widths are often estimated through a power-law scaling between width (W) and drainage area (A), and where lithologic variability or differential uplift rates dominate, width was suggested to scale with both slope (S) and drainage area, through the relation W = kb Ab Sc. However, in fluvial systems that experience drainage reorganization, abrupt changes in drainage area distribution can result in widths that are disproportional to their drainage areas. Consequently, in such cases, the width-area-slope scaling is expected to deviate relative to drainages that did not experience reorganization. To explore the effect of reorganization on width-area-slope scaling, we studied 12 valley sections in the Negev desert, Israel, categorized into undisturbed, beheaded, and reversed valleys. We found that the drainage area exponent, b, differs between valley categories, and that reversed valleys are characterized by a negative b exponent, indicating valley narrowing with increasing drainage area. A detailed study of a reversed valley reveals that unlike the negative b exponent that links drainage area to valley width, the relation between drainage area and channel width is best fitted with a positive b exponent. This difference indicates that the timescale of channel width adjustment to post-reorganization drainage area distribution is faster than that of the valley width adjustment. We find that the difference in channel width across the divide causes a step change in unit stream power between the adjusted reserved channel and the unadjusted, beheaded channel. Gradients in width and unit stream power across the divide, lead to a width-feedback that promotes ongoing divide migration and reorganization. The identified distinct width-area-slope scaling of reorganized valleys could assist in recognizing and constraining the dynamics of landscapes influenced by drainage reorganization and likely has critical implications for the distribution of erosion rates in reorganized landscapes.

Himalayan valley-floor widths controlled by tectonics rather than water discharge

“…Valley-floor width W v [L] in the bedrock model has been suggested to scale with bankfull water discharge Q w [L 3 T −1 ], modulated by an erodibility coefficient K v that reflects the impact of lithology [e.g. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]:…”