Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River Hydrography
Abstract Existing global river networks underpin a wide range of hydrological applications but do not represent channels with divergent river flows (bifurcations, multi‐threaded channels, canals), as these features defy the convergent flow assumption that elevation‐derived networks (e.g., HydroSHEDS...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Water Resources Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038308 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850211660868878336 |
|---|---|
| author | M. Wortmann L. Slater L. Hawker Y. Liu J. Neal B. Zhang J. Schwenk G. Allen P. Ashworth R. Boothroyd H. Cloke P. Delorme S. H. Gebrechorkos H. Griffith J. Leyland S. McLelland A. P. Nicholas G. Sambrook‐Smith E. Vahidi D. Parsons S. E. Darby |
| author_facet | M. Wortmann L. Slater L. Hawker Y. Liu J. Neal B. Zhang J. Schwenk G. Allen P. Ashworth R. Boothroyd H. Cloke P. Delorme S. H. Gebrechorkos H. Griffith J. Leyland S. McLelland A. P. Nicholas G. Sambrook‐Smith E. Vahidi D. Parsons S. E. Darby |
| author_sort | M. Wortmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Existing global river networks underpin a wide range of hydrological applications but do not represent channels with divergent river flows (bifurcations, multi‐threaded channels, canals), as these features defy the convergent flow assumption that elevation‐derived networks (e.g., HydroSHEDS, MERIT Hydro) are based on. Yet, bifurcations are important features of the global river drainage system, especially on large floodplains and river deltas, and are also often found in densely populated regions. Here we developed the first raster and vector‐based Global RIver Topology that not only represents the tributaries of the global drainage network but also the distributaries, including multi‐threaded rivers, canals and deltas. We achieve this by merging a 30 m Landsat‐based river mask with elevation‐generated streams to ensure a homogeneous drainage density outside of the river mask for rivers narrower than approximately 30 m. Crucially, we employ the new 30 m digital terrain model, FABDEM, based on TanDEM‐X, which shows greater accuracy over the traditionally used SRTM derivatives. After vectorization and pruning, directionality is assigned by a series of elevation, flow angle and continuity approaches. The new global network and its attributes are validated using gauging stations, comparison with existing networks, and randomized manual checks. The new network represents 19.6 million km of streams and rivers with drainage areas greater than 50 km2 and includes 67,495 bifurcations. With the advent of hyper‐resolution modeling and artificial intelligence, GRIT is expected to greatly improve the accuracy of many river‐based applications such as flood forecasting, water availability and quality simulations, or riverine habitat mapping. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e5c89e8d69df4842aee5c09801547f32 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0043-1397 1944-7973 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water Resources Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-e5c89e8d69df4842aee5c09801547f322025-08-20T02:09:31ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732025-05-01615n/an/a10.1029/2024WR038308Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River HydrographyM. Wortmann0L. Slater1L. Hawker2Y. Liu3J. Neal4B. Zhang5J. Schwenk6G. Allen7P. Ashworth8R. Boothroyd9H. Cloke10P. Delorme11S. H. Gebrechorkos12H. Griffith13J. Leyland14S. McLelland15A. P. Nicholas16G. Sambrook‐Smith17E. Vahidi18D. Parsons19S. E. Darby20School of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKSchool of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKSchool of Geographical Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UKSchool of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKSchool of Geographical Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UKSchool of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKInformation Systems and Modeling Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM USADepartment of Geosciences Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg VA USASchool of Applied Sciences University of Brighton Sussex UKDepartment of Geography and Planning University of Liverpool Liverpool UKDepartment of Meteorology University of Reading Reading UKLaboratoire de Géologie École Normale Supérieure PSL Paris FranceSchool of Geography and the Environment University of Oxford Oxford UKJBA Consulting Skipton UKSchool of Geography and Environmental Science University of Southampton Southampton UKEnergy and Environment Institute University of Hull Hull UKGeography Faculty of Environment Science and Economy University of Exeter Exeter UKSchool of Geography, Earth, Environmental Sciences University of Birmingham Birmingham UKGeography Faculty of Environment Science and Economy University of Exeter Exeter UKVice Chancellor's Office Loughborough University Loughborough UKSchool of Geography and Environmental Science University of Southampton Southampton UKAbstract Existing global river networks underpin a wide range of hydrological applications but do not represent channels with divergent river flows (bifurcations, multi‐threaded channels, canals), as these features defy the convergent flow assumption that elevation‐derived networks (e.g., HydroSHEDS, MERIT Hydro) are based on. Yet, bifurcations are important features of the global river drainage system, especially on large floodplains and river deltas, and are also often found in densely populated regions. Here we developed the first raster and vector‐based Global RIver Topology that not only represents the tributaries of the global drainage network but also the distributaries, including multi‐threaded rivers, canals and deltas. We achieve this by merging a 30 m Landsat‐based river mask with elevation‐generated streams to ensure a homogeneous drainage density outside of the river mask for rivers narrower than approximately 30 m. Crucially, we employ the new 30 m digital terrain model, FABDEM, based on TanDEM‐X, which shows greater accuracy over the traditionally used SRTM derivatives. After vectorization and pruning, directionality is assigned by a series of elevation, flow angle and continuity approaches. The new global network and its attributes are validated using gauging stations, comparison with existing networks, and randomized manual checks. The new network represents 19.6 million km of streams and rivers with drainage areas greater than 50 km2 and includes 67,495 bifurcations. With the advent of hyper‐resolution modeling and artificial intelligence, GRIT is expected to greatly improve the accuracy of many river‐based applications such as flood forecasting, water availability and quality simulations, or riverine habitat mapping.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038308hydrographyriverbifurcationsbranchingriver network |
| spellingShingle | M. Wortmann L. Slater L. Hawker Y. Liu J. Neal B. Zhang J. Schwenk G. Allen P. Ashworth R. Boothroyd H. Cloke P. Delorme S. H. Gebrechorkos H. Griffith J. Leyland S. McLelland A. P. Nicholas G. Sambrook‐Smith E. Vahidi D. Parsons S. E. Darby Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River Hydrography Water Resources Research hydrography river bifurcations branching river network |
| title | Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River Hydrography |
| title_full | Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River Hydrography |
| title_fullStr | Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River Hydrography |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River Hydrography |
| title_short | Global River Topology (GRIT): A Bifurcating River Hydrography |
| title_sort | global river topology grit a bifurcating river hydrography |
| topic | hydrography river bifurcations branching river network |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR038308 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mwortmann globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT lslater globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT lhawker globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT yliu globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT jneal globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT bzhang globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT jschwenk globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT gallen globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT pashworth globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT rboothroyd globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT hcloke globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT pdelorme globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT shgebrechorkos globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT hgriffith globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT jleyland globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT smclelland globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT apnicholas globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT gsambrooksmith globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT evahidi globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT dparsons globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography AT sedarby globalrivertopologygritabifurcatingriverhydrography |