The relationship of slope and stream channel form in the River Dart, Devon

Abstract

A method of relating channel slope and channel capacity is required for studies of channel geometry, and three methods are illustrated by analysis of field measurements from 50 sites in the river Dart of mid-Devon, England. Firstly, the inverse relationship between channel capacity and slope is established, and map slope values appear to be as useful as field slope measurements. Secondly, the relation between net channel slope and the rate of increase of channel capacity relative to drainage area for six individual tributaries within the overall channel network, shows that the rate of increase of channel capacity is least where relief ratios are highest. Thirdly, a multiple regression relationship between drainage area, Da, and channel capacity, c, and slope, s M, may provide a useful index of channel morphology, in the form Da∝c s M 0.75 .