Morphometrical studies of topography in the USSR: present state, problems and prospects

Abstract

History of the morphometric trend in the Soviet geomorphology is briefly reviewed. The -topography's morphometry is defined as a branch of knowledge between geomorphology and cartography which deals with theory and methods of quantitative analysis of the topographic patterns and landforms on the Earth and other planets. Importance of morphometric studies for national economy is considered as well as some problems of mathematisation and automation of system morphometric research and some prospect for further development.