The morphometric slope index (MSI) as an indicator of landscape evolution: a multi-scale analysis

One of the main topics of the landscape evolution models is the hillslope-river relation studied by means of laboratory experiments, numerical or physical modelling and field studies. In this paper, we discuss the previous studies of the Authors about the index MSI (Morphometric Slope Index) with two main goals: to validate it as unique reference index for slope morphometry, and to give a unique model of the landscape evolution in some multi-scale drainage basins in Italy. Starting from reconstruction of the pre-erosion slope topography for three case studies at different scales, we perform a meta-analysis of the published data via bivariate statistics (correlation and regression) for detecting the influence of pre-erosion MSI on the characteristics of the drainage networks. Moreover, we introduce a new parameter for the characterization of the drainage networks.