Abstract
This research investigated the dependence of computing downslope flow from digital elevation models (DEMs) on two basic elements of the flow calculation: the spatial resolution of the DEM and the algorithm used to compute the downslope flow, specifically how it defines topographic slope and aspect. Six algorithms for downslope flow and downslope accumulation were implemented in MATLAB using different assumptions about components of the computation from the terrain analysis literature. We analyzed the results of downslope flow statistically, thresholded the values to yield streams, and compared the different results with the actual surface streams in the National Hydrographic Database. We repeated the computations using DEMs of 3-m, 30-m, and 90-m resolutions, covering a test area near Santa Barbara, California. We conclude that downslope flow computations are overestimates, and that they are fraught with critical algorithmic assumptions and scale effects. They should be approached with great caution in GIS-based analyses.
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