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Modelling geomorphic systems: scaled physical models
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posted on 2017-05-19, 15:06 authored by Daniel GreenPhysical models are scaled representations of a full-scale physical system which can
be applied to inform our understanding of geomorphic process-form interactions. Physical and
experimental modelling has been used extensively and has been proven to be of critical
importance to the geomorphological user. Physical models can be loosely divided into a number of
categories: 1:1 replica models; Froude-scaled models; distorted scale models; and analogue
‘similarity of process’ models. The choice of physical model type is dependent on the researcher’s
aims and objectives. Advantages include the ability to: (i) isolate variables within a controlled
laboratory setting; (ii) incorporate actual physical processes rather than simplifications; (iii) study
infrequent or hypothetical scenarios, and; (iv) extract qualitative and quantitative data. Users of
physical models must be cautious of the potential shortcomings of using a physical model, such as
scale and laboratory effects. Despite these shortcomings, physical models provide a useful
technique to observe, visualise and measure process-form interactions. This permits an improved
understanding of complex physical relationships which other modelling methodologies may not be
able to simulate.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Geography and Environment
Published in
Geomorphological Techniques (Online Edition)Pages
1 - 17 (17)Citation
GREEN, D., 2014. Modelling geomorphic systems: scaled physical models [Chapter 5, section 3]. IN: Cook, S.J., Clarke, L.E. & Nield, J.M. (eds.) Geomorphological Techniques (Online Edition). British Society for Geomorphology: London, UK.Publisher
British Society for Geomorphology, LondonVersion
- VoR (Version of Record)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2014Notes
This paper is closed access.ISSN
2047-0371Publisher version
Language
- en