A Statistical Comparison of Meander Planforms in the Wabash Basin

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Abstract
The planforms of two natural meandering rivers, the Wabash River and the White River in Indiana, were investigated using a variety of statistical techniques. Local curvature series were used as the basic statistical descriptor of the planform.Two groups of factors, (1) geology and soil and (2) flow rate and channel slope, were found to be major factors that control the meander planform. This conclusion was supported by probability distribution as well as by time series analysis studies. A method of moving spectrums was developed for the analysis of nonstationary data that are typical in geomorphology. This method was applied to the curvature series of the White and Wabash rivers. It appears to provide an objective way to describe local statistics of the meander shape.

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