Topographic reconstruction: a geomorphic approach [An article from: Ecological Engineering]

This digital document is a journal article from Ecological Engineering, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
The landscapes manufactured during disturbed-land reclamation are the foundations for all subsequent reclamation practices and the surfaces for future land uses. From a geomorphic perspective, the goal of topographic reconstruction is the creation of steady-state landscapes. As the reconstructed drainage basins, hillslopes, and stream channels approach steady-state configurations, adjustments by geomorphic processes after reclamation decrease. As the adjustments necessary to establish the steady state decrease, the prospect for reclamation success increases and the demand for post-reclamation site maintenance decreases. Digital elevation modeling software offers an opportunity to incorporate geomorphic principles into topographic reconstruction at the design stage of reclamation. As a first approximation, drainage-basin area, weighted mean slope, and drainage density for the pre-disturbance or undisturbed landscape are closely replicated in the reconstructed topography. The technical and economic feasibility of this approach is currently being tested.