11 Entropy and the Shaping of the Landscape by Water

Abstract

We explore applications of thermodynamics to hydrology, in particular 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, corresponding 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.