Multiscale structure of meanders

Abstract

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record..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.This research was supported by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), project SPIN3-JRP-29, and by NWO-WOTRO Science for Global Development, project WT76-269. We thank Meinhard Bayani Cardenas, the Associate Editor, Efi Foufoula-Georgiou, Jon Schwenk, and one anonymous reviewer for their comments and suggestions. The data used in this study can be obtained by contacting the corresponding author. The processing routines can be downloaded at https://github.com/bartverm/ meanderscribe.git