CHAPTER 10: Introduction to the Lithosphere
(ab). Stream Morphometry
Morphometry is defined as the measurement of the shape.
Morphometric studies in the field of hydrology were first initiated by
R.E. Horton and A.E. Strahler in the 1940s and 1950s. The main purpose
of this work was to discover holistic stream properties from the
measurement of various stream attributes.
One of the first attributes to be quantified was the hierarchy of stream
segments according to an ordering classification system (Figure 10ab-
1). In this system, channel segments were ordered numerically from a
stream's headwaters to a point somewhere down stream. Numerical
ordering begins with the tributaries at the stream's headwaters being
assigned the value 1. A stream segment that resulted from the joining of
two 1st order segments was given an order of 2. Two 2nd order streams
formed a 3rd order stream, and so on. Analysis of this data revealed
some interesting relationships. For example, the ratio between the
number of stream segments in one order and the next, called
the bifurcation ratio, was consistently around three. R.E. Horton called
this association the law of stream numbers.
Number of
Bifurcation Ratio
Order Segments
1 10
3.33
2 3
3.00
3 1
Figure 10ab-1: Example of stream ordering and the calculation of
bifurcation ratio.
R.E. Horton applied morphometric analysis to a variety of stream
attributes and from these studies he proposed a number of laws of
drainage composition. Horton's law of stream lengths suggested that a
geometric relationship existed between the number of stream segments
in successive stream orders. The law of basin areas indicated that the
mean basin area of successive ordered streams formed a linear
relationship when graphed. The results described above and the
outcomes of other related analyses convinced researchers that these
findings suggested that some underlying factor (or factors) was
governing the structure of the various stream attributes in a similar
predictable way. Studies of other natural branching networks have
revealed patterns similar to the stream order model. For example, the
bifurcation ratio of three has also been discovered in the rooting systems
of plants, the branching structure of woody plants, and the veination in
leaves and the human circulatory system.
In addition to the mathematical relationships found in stream ordering,
various aspects of drainage network forms were also found to be
quantifiable. One such relationship was drainage density. Drainage
density is a measure of the length of stream channel per unit area of
drainage basin. Mathematically it is expressed as:
Drainage Density (Dd) = Stream Length / Basin Area
The measurement of drainage density provides a hydrologist or
geomorphologist with a useful numerical measure of landscape
dissection and runoff potential. On a highly permeable landscape, with
small potential for runoff, drainage densities are sometimes less than 1
kilometer per square kilometer. On highly dissected surfaces densities of
over 500 kilometers per square kilometer are often reported. Closer
investigations of the processes responsible for drainage density variation
have discovered that a number of factors collectively influence stream
density. These factors include climate, topography,
soil infiltration capacity, vegetation, and geology.
Study Guide
Additional Readings
Internet Weblinks
Citation: Pidwirny, M. (2006). "Stream Morphometry". Fundamentals of
Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. Date Viewed.
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10ab.html
