Fractal River Basins: Chance and Self-Organization

This book considers river basins and drainage networks in the light of their scaling and multi-scaling properties, and the dynamics responsible for their development. The hydrology of river basins, and prediction of their growth, demands knowledge of a range of temporal and spatial scales. The core of Fractal River Basins is the search for the hidden order of these temporal and spatial variabilities in river basins, despite variations in size, climate and geology. The commonality of branching networks to other natural phenomena will make this book applicable to a wide range of disciplines. Hydrologists and geomorphologists will find that this book opens up the important topic of the fractal structure of networks at an accessible level. Mathematicians and physicists will appreciate the application of the theory to this aspect of the earth sciences. Comprehensive, well illustrated and with many real-world examples Fractal River Basins, will be useful to researchers and students alike.

Table of Contents:
1. A view of river basins; 2. Fractal characteristics of river basins; 3. Multifractal characteristics of river basins; 4. Optimal channel networks: minimum energy and fractal structures; 5. Self-organized fractal river networks; 6. On landscape self-organization; 7. Geomorphological hydrologic response; 8. References.

Review :
'… rigorous and engaging … However one looks at the subject, Fractal River Basins is an important book … Geomorphologists and physicists alike will find the book thought-provoking, and I highly recommend this stimulating work.' David R. Montgomery, Nature '… highly recommended to anyone who has an interest in theoretical geomorphology from the modern point of view. Cambridge University Press has done its usual excellent job of production.' EOS 'It is a mathematically fascinating book and presents a convincing case for the self-organised nature of river basins and related landscapes.' Rob Butler, New Scientist 'The importance of this book to the development of hydrology as a geoscience cannot be overestimated and will be long-lasting … this monumental work exhibits theoretical sophistication, physical intuition and original thought.' Peter S. Eagleson, Civil Engineering and Earth and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 'Fractal River Basins is a remarkable synthesis … by two of the most gifted practitioners of theoretical hydrology in fin de siecle engineering science.' Garrison Sposito, College of Natural Resources, University of California, Berkeley ' … a pleasure to read … the book is written in a clear and fluent manner and should render the topic accessible not only to members of the two research communities addressed - hydrologists and physicists - but also to graduate students intending to work in this field. It may also be useful as a source of introductory material and examples for a rather specialized course on complex systems.' Ohard Levy, Physics Today