Re-evaluation of the Relationship of Master Streams and Drainage Basins
A specific equation describing the relationship of stream length to drainage area was originally formulated for very small rivers and basins in localized areas of the eastern United States. Use of the same equation for larger rivers and basins on a world-wide scale produces gross error of prediction. A general or best-fit equation is offered which describes more accurately the length-area relationship for moderate and large-size drainage systems. The theoretical implications of the general equation are just the inverse of those inherent in the original equation.