Multi-scale factors controlling the pattern of floodplain width at a network scale: The case of the Rhône basin, France

In this study the floodplain width (FW) was assessed for the entire Rhône catchment river network (32,160 km long) to highlight controlling factors. The FW data, which is measured every kilometre on a digital elevation model (DTM), is aggregated into spatial homogenous segments using a Pettitt break detection test, resulting in aggregated geographical objects (AGO). Based on these AGOs, an analysis of the variability of the floodplain width was performed. The general pattern for the Rhône network shows a downstream increase in FW related to the concept of river continuum. This general pattern explains ca. 30% of the variation in FW. Deviations from this general trend are, however, large. Values for floodplain widths are normalized for catchment scale to study deviations that do not depend on scale effects. Based on a conceptual model, the main environmental parameters influencing FW were identified. These parameters include lithology and different parameters that influence the river profile, such as base level changes and tectonics, sediment load and discharge. An analysis of catchment-wide patterns shows that the main variations on the scaling effect are caused by lithology. Superposed on this general scaling pattern, disturbed by lithological variations, are the variations in floodplain width caused by disturbances in the geomorphic system, which influence floodplain slope, sediment, and water discharge and which include inherited landscapes. Although large data sets become increasingly available and the applied methodology reduces data noise, data availability and quality still hampers studies at a larger scale. Nevertheless, such information sources are becoming crucial because they are more and more accessible and diverse, and the analysis is now easier with the increasing capacities of GIS technologies. As a result, they are becoming very complementary to field studies to understand geomorphic processes at wider spatial and longer temporal scales. In a sense, the tradition of geomorphology may evolve in the next years, with image data providing additional evidence of Earth evolution.