Riverscapes Network Models
Rivers and streams form dendritic drainage networks, and segmented, polyline hydrographic networks are often the basis for modeling rivers at catchment extents. Here we have developed a family of riverscape network models, which model and calculate attributes for polygon riverscape segments. Riverscapes are defined laterally by the valley bottom extents, and are segmented into reach segments (discrete geographic objects -DGOs) that are connected across a riverscape drainage network.
Unlike polyline drainage network models, these models attempt to characterize and quantify attributes (often zonal statistics) representative of the entire valley bottom width (or riverscape). Many of the models in the "waterfall" are hybrid - in that they include characterization of both polyline drainage network model outputs and polygon riverscape network model outputs.
While many of the riverscape network model outputs are available for the entire lower 48 of the United States in the Data Exchange based on freely available national datasets (e.g. 10 m NED DEM and NHD+HR hydrography), the models themselves are capable of being run with higher resolution, datasets (e.g. high resolution topography like LiDAR and higher fidelity drainage network inputs).
Riverscapes Context
Discovers, downloads and compiles together disparate datasets that are helpful for contextualizing riverscape health.
Channel Area
Genterates polygons representing the spatial extent of the drainage network within a watershed by buffering flow lines and combining with waterbody polygons.
TauDEM
A riverscapes compliant wrapper around the Terrain Analysis Using Digital Elevation Models (TauDEM) is a suite of tools developed by David Tarboton at the Utah State University Hydrology Research Group.
Valley Bottom Extraction Tool (VBET)
VBET identifies the valley bottom of a riverscape, and dividies it into geomorphic units (channel, active floodplain, and inactive floodplain).
Confinement
Quantifies the amount that reaches are confined by valley margins, outputting left and right confined margins as well as constriction ratios.
Anthropogenic Context
Assesses anthropogenic impacts, such as from roads, rail, canals, land use itensity from a variety of publicly available data sources.
Hydrologic Context
Uses regional regression curves to calculate low and typical flood discharges and associated stream power for each reach of a river network.
Riparian Condition Assessment Tool (RCAT)
Models riparian vegetation cover, condition, and conversion within riverscapes.
Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool (BRAT)
BRAT is used to assess the potential for beaver restoration in a riverscape.
Riverscape Metric Engine (RME)
Synthesizes metrics from all the other production grade tools in the waterfall and combines them into a single, holistic dataset for assessing riverscapes health.
The Waterfall
The Riverscapes Consortium riverscapes network models listed above can be chained together to create a "waterfall". The Riverscapes Context model is the first in the waterfall, and it is used to pull together data focused on different aspects of riverscape health. All models depend on this initial Riverscapes Context project that collects together the prerequisite national datasets for a given watershed. The dependencies of the other tools are shown in the waterfall diagram below.
The Riverscapes Metric Engine synthesizes metrics from upstream models to create a comprehensive assessment of riverscape health based on Discrete and Integrated Geographic Objects (DGO and IGO respectively).
