ABSTRACT
This chapter explains that the spatial variation of energy is a fundamental component of the explanation of fluvial processes, that the distribution of energy is not simply related to the classic measures of network position or discharge, and that major adjustments in system operation are manifestations of shifts in the spatial distribution of energy. Therefore, It concentrates on the analysis of systems that might be characterized as being in some kind of steady state equilibrium, with a minimal rate of changes – that is, between thresholds. Much fluvial geomorphic research concerning spatial variation has been restricted to channel forms, and this is a source of some problems when attempts are made to analyze fluvial processes in semi-arid lands. Presumably there are two types of spatial variation in fluvial systems – random and systematic. Random variation is expectable because of the complexity of the fluvial system operating within an environmental matrix. Systematic variation in fluvial processes comes from several sources.
