Drainage area is not enough: multivariate hydraulic geometry in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, USA

AbstractRegional hydraulic geometry curves, which relate drainage area to channel morphology, are powerful tools for river restoration and watershed management. While there is a strong correlation between channel morphology and drainage area, the importance of watershed slope and relief on channel-forming flow, especially in mountainous regions, cannot be ignored. This research used single variable power functions along with multiple regression to determine which network- and or local-scale variables are influencing channel morphology in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Within this region, watershed topography (i.e., relief and slope) and or local-scale characteristics (e.g., channel slope and sinuosity) are better predictors of channel morphology than drainage area. Additionally, the importance of local-scale characteristics in the multiple regression models provide strong evidence that site-specific conditions can be just as important as watershed characteristics in determining channel morphology. While multiple regression has been used to create hydraulic geometry equations in other regions, this is the first study that determined whether non-drainage area multiple regression models perform better than models that include drainage area. With the increasing ease with which network- and local-scale characteristics can be calculated, this research shows a clear need to incorporate additional network- and or site-specific characteristics into hydraulic geometry equations.Keywords: hydraulic geometrymultiple regressionfluvial geomorphologywatershedlocal-scaleGISDisclaimerAs a service to authors and researchers we are providing this version of an accepted manuscript (AM). Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proofs will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). During production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal relate to these versions also. 7. DISCLOSURE STATEMENTThe authors report there are no competing interests to declare.