Fractal sinuosity of stream channels

Analysis of a diverse set of twelve stream channel planforms indicates that at scales relevant to river meandering, river traces are most reasonably treated as fractal curves. The atypically high degree of channel wandering apparent at such scales is a common characteristic of all single-channel streams, while identifiable meandering appears to be only one way in which this tendency is expressed. At smaller scales of view river paths have shapes of smooth curves appropriate to Euclidian geometry, and toward larger scales a distinct change in degree of wandering marks the transition to bends that are considered to be changes in general river course rather than parts of channel pattern. This analysis method provides a natural, objective calculation of river sinuosity as well as other parameters that more completely specify channel planform.