Geomorphic flood research

The paper discusses empirical and theoretical evidence on the structure of river basins, emphasizing the intertwined form and function of such complex adaptive systems. Geomorphic signatures on the structure of floods are discussed. It also deals with the emergence and the implications of common features in a variety of natural networks, chiefly the scaling signatures of chance and necessity in their evolution, appearing in somewhat disparate contexts from physics to biology. Hence the claim that a comparative study of networks relates to hydrological research and to the general theme (flood research) of the Kovacs Colloquium. Of some importance, arguably, is the claim that river basins and their floods constitute one of the most reliable and fascinating laboratories for the observation of how Nature works across a wide range of scales. Specific applications are discussed that deal with transport through fractal networks. In passing, a geomorphic/ stochastic perspective of large-scale flood studies, and how floods relate to pollution loads generated by the transport of matter at basin-scales, are considered.