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Interpolation of Fluvial Morphology Using Channel-Oriented Coordinate Transformation: A Case Study from the New Jersey Shelf

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Abstract

We present a new methodology for interpolating channel morphology that incorporates a transformation from geographic to channel-based coordinate systems. Interpolation in the transformed space enables enforcement of downstream continuity of morphology and edge delineation through any changes in channel direction. The transformation is guided by a “channel center line,” which approximately tracks the path of the channel through geographic space; coordinates are given in distance along and across the center line. Accurate interpolation requires a track line density sufficient to unambiguously trace channels from one track line to the next. Channel continuity is ensured by first interpolating along paths defined by the channel thalweg and edges, which must be chosen by the user, and along several interim paths between the edges and thalweg. The completed interpolations for each channel are transformed back into geographic coordinates, and channel confluence is handled through a maximum depth criterion. The method is applied here to shallowly buried channels mapped with high-resolution chirp seismic data on the New Jersey shelf, but should be applicable to a wide range of subaerial and buried fluvial systems.

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Goff, J.A., Nordfjord, S. Interpolation of Fluvial Morphology Using Channel-Oriented Coordinate Transformation: A Case Study from the New Jersey Shelf. Mathematical Geology 36, 643–658 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MATG.0000039539.84158.cd

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