We explore applications of thermodynamics to hydrology, in partic- ular the application of extremization principles to self-organized river networks. Two thermodynamic principles have been applied to river networks: (1) the most probable state of a system is that its configurational entropy is a maximum, corre- sponding to dissipation spread evenly throughout the network, and (2) the principle of minimum total energy dissipation, similar to the principle of minimum entropy production. We also discuss the power-law characteristics that are observed in river networks and show how they arise in model networks. We also note the application of these principles to shoreline profiles.
CITATION STYLE
Miyamoto, H., Baker, V. R., & Lorenz, R. D. (2006). 11 Entropy and the Shaping of the Landscape by Water. In Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics and the Production of Entropy (pp. 135–146). Springer-Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/11672906_11
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