Topological relationship-based flow direction modeling: stream burning
and depression filling
Abstract
Flow direction modeling consists of (1) an accurate representation of
the river network and (2) digital elevation model (DEM) processing to
preserve characteristics with hydrological significance. In part 1 of
our study, we presented a mesh-independent approach to representing
river networks on different types of meshes. This follow-up part 2 study
presents a novel DEM processing approach for flow direction modeling.
This approach consists of (1) a topological relationship-based hybrid
breaching-filling method to conduct stream burning for the river network
and (2) a modified depression removal method for rivers and hillslopes.
Our methods minimize modifications to surface elevations and provide a
robust two-step procedure to remove local depressions in DEM. They are
mesh-independent and can be applied to both structured and unstructured
meshes. We applied our new methods to the Susquehanna River Basin with
different model configurations. The results show that topological
relationship-based stream burning and depression-filling methods can
reproduce the correct river networks, providing high-quality flow
direction and other characteristics for hydrologic and Earth system
models.