The role of possible controlling factors in influencing the geomorphology of submarine canyons has been investigated using a database of 282 globally distributed modern examples collated from the literature and open-source worldwide bathymetry. Canyon geomorphology has been characterised quantitatively in terms of maximum and average canyon dimensions, canyon sinuosity, average canyon thalweg gradient, and maximum canyon sidewall steepness. An assessment is made of how geomorphological characteristics vary with respect to the position of the canyon apex relative to the shelf break, continental-margin type, terrestrial source-to-sink system setting, oceanographic environment, and latitude. Scaling relationships between canyon morphometric parameters, and correlations between these and attributes of the canyon physiographic settings, terrestrial catchments, and continental shelves and slopes, have been quantified.

Key findings are as follows: (i) a number of scaling relationships describing canyon morphometry (e.g. scaling between maximum canyon dimensions, relationships of maximum canyon sidewall steepness with maximum canyon width and depth) can be recognised globally, suggesting their general predictive value; (ii) possible causal links are identified between hydrodynamic processes (e.g. upwelling, longshore- and along-slope currents) and canyon morphology; (iii) potential predictors of aspects of canyon geomorphology include whether a canyon is incised into the shelf or confined to the slope, the continental-margin type, the oceanographic environment, latitude, and shelf-break depth; (iv) similarity in the distributions of maximum width-to-maximum depth ratios across all settings suggests that the relative magnitudes of canyon-margin erosion and intra-canyon deposition do not vary greatly depending on setting or canyon size.

The relationships between canyon geomorphology and environmental variables identified in this study may be incorporated into conceptual models describing canyon geomorphology and its relationship both to other elements of deep-water systems, and to its broader source-to-sink context. The results provide a framework for future experimental and numerical studies of canyon geomorphology.

已经使用从文献和开源全球水深测量中整理的 282 个全球分布的现代示例的数据库研究了可能控制因素在影响海底峡谷地貌中的作用。峡谷地貌已在最大和平均峡谷尺寸、峡谷弯曲度、平均峡谷 thalweg 梯度和最大峡谷侧壁陡度方面进行了定量表征。评估了地貌特征在峡谷顶点相对于陆架断裂的位置、大陆边缘类型、陆地源汇系统设置、海洋环境和纬度方面如何变化。峡谷形态测量参数之间的比例关系，以及这些与峡谷地貌设置属性之间的相关性，

主要发现如下： (i) 描述峡谷形态测量的一些比例关系（例如最大峡谷尺寸之间的比例、最大峡谷侧壁陡度与最大峡谷宽度和深度的关系）可以在全球范围内得到识别，表明它们的一般预测价值；(ii) 确定水动力过程（例如上升流、沿岸流和沿坡流）与峡谷形态之间可能的因果关系；(iii) 峡谷地貌方面的潜在预测因素包括峡谷是切入陆架还是局限于斜坡、大陆边缘类型、海洋环境、纬度和陆架断裂深度；

本研究中确定的峡谷地貌和环境变量之间的关系可以纳入描述峡谷地貌及其与深水系统其他元素及其更广泛的源到汇背景关系的概念模型中。研究结果为未来峡谷地貌的实验和数值研究提供了框架。