Fractal Relation of Channel Network with Source Basin Area

摘要

This paper presents the framework for fractal relation of channel network with source basin area. To this end, a various pattern of channel networks is extracted corresponding to variable source basin area for the single river basin. The decrease of the source basin area causes the bifurcation process of the channel network, resulting in the expansion and elongation of the channel network. Scale invariance of channel network could be regarded as the result stemming from cooperation or competition between the elongation and expansion of channel network due to variable source basin area so that fractal properties of channel network would constitute a kind of balanced geomorphologic features of those two entities of the bifurcation process of the channel network. Scaling of channel network with variable source basin area could be a reasonable framework for fractal relation of channel network in terms of the link based classification scheme.