Connectivity in Geomorphology

Connectivity refers to the degree to which materials and organisms can move between components of a geomorphic system such as a drainage basin or mountain range. Geomorphic systems can be represented as networks with compartments, links, and nodes that exhibit connectivity at differing spatial and temporal scales. Although connectivity can be difficult to measure, metrics of connectivity can be applied to explaining disparities between observed, short‐term rates of sediment flux and inferred longer‐term rates of landscape change; understanding and predicting how geomorphic systems respond to disturbance; identifying processes that cross spatial landscape boundaries; characterizing disconnectivity that facilitates storage of materials; and identifying human alterations of connectivity and mitigating undesirable consequences of those alterations.