DIGITAL ELEVATION MODELS: A NEW TOOL FOR GEOMORPHIC RESEARCH

We present two examples of how digital elevation models from the U.S. Geological Survey and the program ARC/INFO can be used to solve problems in geomorphic research. In the first example, digital elevation models were used to generate stream concavity profiles for 40 basins across the Midwestern United States. These long valley profiles, in conjunction with digital line graphs, hydrological and climate databases, and digital geologic maps, were successfully used to establish a relationship between stream profile concavity and storm intensity in the study area. In the second example, digital elevation models were used to determine the volume of formerly glacially dammed lake in Idaho. This volumetric data was then used to predict the size and height of the flood that would occur in a canyon downstream if the lake had catastrophically drained. These examples demonstrate how digital elevation models allow researchers to approach problems in new ways that were previously time and/or financially prohibitive in the past.