Strahler Stream Order: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

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Strahler Stream Order

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	Topics Strahler Stream Order Topic Home The Strahler Stream Order is a simple hydrologyFacts About Hydrology Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, and thus addresses both th... algorithmFacts About Algorithm In mathematics and computing, an algorithm is a procedure for accomplishing some task which, given an initial state, will t... used to define stream size based on a hierarchy of tributariesTributary A tributary is a stream or river which flows into another river or body of water but which may not flow directly into the se... . The streams range from one at the headwaters (which is a "1") to the most powerful which is the Amazon RiverAmazon River Overview The Amazon River or River Amazon; Spanish: Ro Amazonas, Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) of South America is the seco... which is a "12." The Ohio RiverOhio River The Ohio River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River.... is an "8" and the Mississippi RiverMississippi River The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning 'great river' , is the longest river in the U... is a "10." 80 percent of the streams and rivers on the planet are first or second order. To qualify as a stream it must be either recurring or perennialPerennial stream A perennial stream or perennial river is a stream or river that has continuous flow in parts of its bed all year roun... . Recurring streams have water in the channel for at least part of the year. When two first-order streams come together, they form a second-order stream. When two second-order streams come together, they form a third-order stream. Streams of lower order joining a higher order stream do not change the order of the higher stream. Thus, if a first-order stream joins a second-order stream, it remains a second-order stream. It is not until a second-order stream combines with another second-order stream that it becomes a third-order stream. Arthur Newell Strahler first proposed the hierarchy in 1952 in an article “Hypsometric (area altitude) analysis of erosional topology.” in the Geological Society of AmericaGeological Society of America The Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences.... Bulletin. It is often referenced in professional descriptions of rivers as Strahler 1952. GIS algorithms Gleyzer et al. (2004) developed a recursive algorithm which would process vector river networks for Strahler stream order values in a GISGeographic Information System A Geographic Information System is a system for creating, storing, analyzing and managing spatial data and associated attri... application. This algorithm is implemented by , an ESRI ArcGISArcGIS ArcGIS ' is the name of a group of Geographic Information System software product lines produced by ESRI.... 9.1 tool. The algorithm requires the vector network to be topologically correct to successfully process. The network must be a centre-lined network where each arc (sometimes referred to as an edge) must be joined at their node (sometime referred to as a junction). No left and right banks or lake side shores should be present. The image below demonstrates a map representation of a river network, an invalid network where lake and river bank sides have been digitally captured and a valid, topologically correct, centre-lined river network which the algorithm can process. If the network is "broken" (arcs not connecting) then the output will be incorrect. The algorithm would treat the disconnected catchment as a separate river system, so it is important to check the connectivity of your river network before attempting to compute Strahler order values. See also Mainstem (hydrology)Mainstem (hydrology) A mainstem is defined as the principal river within a given drainage basin, in the case where a number of tributaries discha... External links