Dynamics of self-organization and the fluvial landscape: A nonreductionist perspective Conference Paper uri icon

abstract

  • Self-organized criticality is a common name for a general theory of the dynamics fractal growth. The principles of critical self-organization are at work in the development of the fluvial landscape. The natural fractal structures in the fluvial landscape are dynamically accessible optimal states. One crucial feature of the fractal structures organization in large dynamical systems is the power-law structure of the probability distribution characterizing the geometrical properties. This behavior is consistent with the fact that many complex systems in nature evolve in an intermittent, burst-like way rather than in a smooth gradual manner. The imprinting of fluvial processes dominates aggregation which results in scale-invariant landforms.

published proceedings

  • Proceedings, Congress of the International Association of Hydraulic Research, IAHR

author list (cited authors)

  • Rinaldo, A., & Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.

complete list of authors

  • Rinaldo, A||Rodriguez-Iturbe, I

publication date

  • January 1997