Analysis of features and factors controlling typical drainage networks in the Tibetan Plateau

LI Minhui; CHEN Yi; WU Baosheng

doi:10.16511/j.cnki.qhdxxb.2020.25.030

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Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology) ›› 2020, Vol. 60 ›› Issue (11) : 951-957. DOI: 10.16511/j.cnki.qhdxxb.2020.25.030

HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING

Analysis of features and factors controlling typical drainage networks in the Tibetan Plateau

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Abstract

The active tectonic movements and the unique climate on the Tibetan Plateau cause significant spatial differences in the drainage network on the Plateau. The drainage network and the longitudinal profiles of the main streams of three river basins were extracted from 90 m resolution SRTM DEM using DEMRiver to study the factors controlling the drainage network in the Tibetan Plateau. The Yalong River had a bifurcation ratio of 4.46 and a length ratio of 2.35, the Tao River had a bifurcation ratio of 5.00 and a length ratio of 2.71 and the Lasa River had a bifurcation ratio of 4.37 and a length ratio of 2.30. The normalized concavity index for the Tao River was -0.129, that for the Lasa River was -0.082 and that for the Yalong River was 0.009, indicating that the profiles of the first two rivers are concave-up while that of the Yalong River is convex-up. The Horton ratio obtained using the original definition and the fitting method and the climatic conditions and tectonic activities in the basin show that the climate effect is well reflected in the structure of the low-level river network. Strong tectonic movement destroyed the network of the Yalong River Basin with the network now maintaining balance through river capture, indicating that the tectonic movement controls the structure of the high-level river network.

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Tibetan Plateau / features of drainage network / river profile / controlling factors / tectonic activity

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LI Minhui, CHEN Yi, WU Baosheng. Analysis of features and factors controlling typical drainage networks in the Tibetan Plateau[J]. Journal of Tsinghua University(Science and Technology). 2020, 60(11): 951-957 https://doi.org/10.16511/j.cnki.qhdxxb.2020.25.030

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