Articles | Volume 13, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-403-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-403-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 May 2025
Research article |
| 19 May 2025
| 19 May 2025
A fractal framework for channel–hillslope coupling
Benjamin Kargère
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Mathematics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA
Department of Geosciences, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA
José Constantine
Department of Geosciences, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA
Tristram Hales
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom, CF10 3AT
Stuart Grieve
School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom, E1 4NS
Digital Environment Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom, E1 1HH
Stewart Johnson
Department of Mathematics, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267, USA
Related authors
No articles found.
Isabelle Utley, Tristram Hales, Ekbal Hussain, and Xuanmei Fan
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 2699–2716, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-2699-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-2699-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We analysed debris flows in Sichuan, China, using satellite data and simulations to assess check dam efficacy. Our study found that while check dams can mitigate smaller flows, they may increase exposure to extreme events, with up to 40 % of structures in some areas affected. Urban development and reliance on check dams can create a false sense of security, increasing exposure during large debris flows and highlighting the need for risk management and infrastructure planning in hazard-prone areas.
William Rupert Moore Flynn, Harry Jon Foord Owen, Stuart William David Grieve, and Emily Rebecca Lines
Biogeosciences, 20, 2769–2784, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Quantifying vegetation indices is crucial for ecosystem monitoring and modelling. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has potential to accurately measure vegetation indices, but multiple methods exist, with little consensus on best practice. We compare three methods and extract wood-to-plant ratio, a metric used to correct for wood in leaf indices. We show corrective metrics vary with tree structure and variation among methods, highlighting the value of TLS data and importance of rigorous testing.
Oliver R. Francis, Tristram C. Hales, Daniel E. J. Hobley, Xuanmei Fan, Alexander J. Horton, Gianvito Scaringi, and Runqiu Huang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 579–593, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-579-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-579-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Large earthquakes can build mountains by uplifting bedrock, but they also erode them by triggering large volumes of coseismic landsliding. Using a zero-dimensional numerical model, we identify that the storage of sediment produced by earthquakes can affect surface uplift and exhumation rates across the mountain range. However, the storage also reduces the time span at which the impact of the earthquake can be measured, preventing the recognition of single earthquakes in many long-term records.
Robert N. Parker, Nicholas J. Rosser, and Tristram C. Hales
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2017-193, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-2017-193, 2017
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
Short summary
Short summary
In mountainous regions, large earthquakes often trigger widespread and destructive landslides. Understanding and predicting where these landslides occur is important for assessing hazards, as well as investigating their impact on the physical landscape. Based on correlations between landslides and different landscape and earthquake characteristics in nine past earthquakes, we developed a generalised algorithm for predicting and mapping the probability of earthquake-triggered landslides.
Simon Marius Mudd, Marie-Alice Harel, Martin D. Hurst, Stuart W. D. Grieve, and Shasta M. Marrero
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 655–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-655-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmogenic nuclide concentrations are widely used to calculate catchment-averaged denudation rates. Despite their widespread use, there is currently no open source method for calculating such rates, and the methods used to calculate catchment-averaged denudation rates vary widely between studies. Here we present an automated, open-source method for calculating basin averaged denudation rates, which may be used as a stand-alone calculator or as a front end to popular online calculators.
Stuart W. D. Grieve, Simon M. Mudd, David T. Milodowski, Fiona J. Clubb, and David J. Furbish
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 627–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-627-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-627-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
High-resolution topographic data are becoming more prevalent, yet many areas of geomorphic interest do not have such data available. We produce topographic data at a range of resolutions to explore the influence of decreasing resolution of data on geomorphic analysis. We test the accuracy of the calculation of curvature, a hillslope sediment transport coefficient, and the identification of channel networks, providing guidelines for future use of these methods on low-resolution topographic data.
Stuart W. D. Grieve, Simon M. Mudd, Martin D. Hurst, and David T. Milodowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 309–325, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-309-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-309-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Relationships between the erosion rate and topographic relief of hillslopes have been demonstrated in a number of diverse settings and such patterns can be used to identify the impact of tectonic plate motion on the Earth's surface. Here we present an open-source software tool which can be used to explore these relationships in any landscape where high-resolution topographic data have been collected.
Related subject area
Physical: Landscape Evolution: modelling and field studies
The roles of surface processes in porphyry copper deposit preservation
Modeling memory in gravel-bed rivers: a flow-history-dependent relation for evolving thresholds of motion
Hillslope diffusion and channel steepness in landscape evolution models
Experimental study on granite weathered crust landslides with different residual layer thicknesses under heavy rainfall
Old orogen – young topography: lithological contrasts controlling erosion and relief formation in the Bohemian Massif
Channel concavity controls planform complexity of branching drainage networks
Knickpoints and fixed points: the evolution of fluvial morphology under the combined effect of fault uplift and dam obstruction on a soft bedrock river
GraphFlood 1.0: an efficient algorithm to approximate 2D hydrodynamics for landscape evolution models
Short Communication: Numerically simulated time to steady state is not a reliable measure of landscape response time
Modeling the formation of toma hills based on fluid dynamics with a modified Voellmy rheology
A numerical model of microplastic erosion, transport, and deposition for fluvial systems
Drainage rearrangement in an intra-continental mountain belt: a case study from the central South Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan
Bayesian reconstruction of sea-level and hydroclimates from coastal landform inversion
Translating deposition rates into erosion rates with landscape evolution modelling
Autogenic vs Subsidence Controls on Grain Size Fining through Multi-Channel Landscape Evolution Modelling
Flexural isostatic response of continental-scale deltas to climatically driven sea level changes
Scaling between volume and runout of rock avalanches explained by a modified Voellmy rheology
Past anthropogenic land use change caused a regime shift of the fluvial response to Holocene climate change in the Chinese Loess Plateau
Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes
Refining patterns of melt with forward stratigraphic models of stable Pleistocene coastlines
Optimising global landscape evolution models with 10Be
Self-organization of channels and hillslopes in models of fluvial landform evolution and its potential for solving scaling issues
Stream laws in analog tectonic-landscape models
A control volume finite-element model for predicting the morphology of cohesive-frictional debris flow deposits
Erosion and weathering in carbonate regions reveal climatic and tectonic drivers of carbonate landscape evolution
Patterns and rates of soil movement and shallow failures across several small watersheds on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska
River incision, 10Be production and transport in a source-to-sink sediment system (Var catchment, SW Alps)
Simulating the effect of subsurface drainage on the thermal regime and ground ice in blocky terrain in Norway
An experimental study of drainage network development by surface and subsurface flow in low-gradient landscapes
The push and pull of abandoned channels: how floodplain processes and healing affect avulsion dynamics and alluvial landscape evolution in foreland basins
Climate changes and the formation of fluvial terraces in central Amazonia inferred from landscape evolution modeling
Investigation of stochastic-threshold incision models across a climatic and morphological gradient
Comparing the transport-limited and ξ–q models for sediment transport
Autogenic knickpoints in laboratory landscape experiments
Transmissivity and groundwater flow exert a strong influence on drainage density
Graphically interpreting how incision thresholds influence topographic and scaling properties of modeled landscapes
Escarpment retreat rates derived from detrital cosmogenic nuclide concentrations
Hilltop curvature as a proxy for erosion rate: wavelets enable rapid computation and reveal systematic underestimation
Short communication: Analytical models for 2D landscape evolution
Effect of rock uplift and Milankovitch timescale variations in precipitation and vegetation cover on catchment erosion rates
Modeling glacial and fluvial landform evolution at large scales using a stream-power approach
Topographic disequilibrium, landscape dynamics and active tectonics: an example from the Bhutan Himalaya
Last-glacial-cycle glacier erosion potential in the Alps
The rate and extent of wind-gap migration regulated by tributary confluences and avulsions
Inferring potential landslide damming using slope stability, geomorphic constraints, and run-out analysis: a case study from the NW Himalaya
Groundwater erosion of coastal gullies along the Canterbury coast (New Zealand): a rapid and episodic process controlled by rainfall intensity and substrate variability
Erosional response of granular material in landscape models
Transport-limited fluvial erosion – simple formulation and efficient numerical treatment
Dimensional analysis of a landscape evolution model with incision threshold
Computing water flow through complex landscapes – Part 2: Finding hierarchies in depressions and morphological segmentations
Beatriz Hadler Boggiani, Tristan Salles, Claire Mallard, and Nicholas Atwood
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 683–704, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-683-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-683-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how erosion and tectonic forces can affect the exposure and preservation of copper deposits formed in subduction zones in the past 65 Myr. We used a global model that simulates landscape changes over time based on climate and elevation changes. Our findings show that climate is more important in preserving or exposing copper deposits than previously described. We help improve methods for locating copper deposits, offering new insights for mineral exploration.
Claire C. Masteller, Joel P. L. Johnson, Dieter Rickenmann, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 593–605, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-593-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-593-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a novel model that predicts how gravel riverbeds may evolve in response to differences in the frequency and severity of flood events. We test our model using a 23-year-long record of river flow and gravel transport from the Swiss Prealps. We find that our model reliably captures yearly patterns in gravel transport in this setting. Our new model is a major advance towards better predictions of river erosion that account for the flood history of a gravel-bed river.
David G. Litwin, Luca C. Malatesta, and Leonard S. Sklar
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 277–293, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-277-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-277-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Channel–hillslope coupling in landscape evolution models can strongly affect channel profiles. When hillslope diffusion is applied everywhere and only topography is tracked, a new scaling predicts how detachment-limited channels steepen with hillslope diffusion. Field data support channel steepening to transport sediment but not as predicted by the scaling, highlighting the need for a critical inspection of channel–hillslope coupling approaches.
Jingye Chen, Qinghua Gong, Jun Wang, and Shaoxiong Yuan
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2138, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2138, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall caused mass landslides disaster in Mibei Village. Different types of landslides occurred in similar geologic settings, which triggered us to make the assumption that the residual layer thickness affects the landslide damage pattern. Therefore, we designed three slope models with different residual layer thicknesses for tests. The landslide damage patterns were summarized. The E1 slope is overall flow-slip damage; the E2 slope is traction sliding; the E3 slope is thrust-type slide.
Jörg Christian Robl, Fabian Dremel, Kurt Stüwe, Stefan Hergarten, Christoph von Hagke, and Derek Fabel
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3256, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3256, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Bohemian Massif is one of several low mountain ranges in Europe, which rises more than 1 km above the surrounding lowlands. Landscape characteristics indicate relief rejuvenation due to recent surface uplift. To constrain the pace of relief formation we determined erosion rates of 20 catchments that range from 22 to 51 m per million years. Correlating these rates with topographic properties reveals that contrasts in bedrock erodibility represent a critical control of landscape evolution.
Liran Goren and Eitan Shelef
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1347–1369, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1347-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1347-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
To explore the pattern formed by rivers as they crisscross the land, we developed a way to measure how these patterns vary, from straight to complex, winding paths. We discovered that a river's degree of complexity depends on how the river slope changes downstream. Although this is strange (i.e., why would changes in slope affect twists of a river in map view?), we show that this dependency is almost inevitable and that the complexity could signify how arid the climate is or used to be.
Hung-En Chen, Yen-Yu Chiu, Chih-Yuan Cheng, and Su-Chin Chen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1329–1346, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1329-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1329-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the fluvial morphology evolution in three rivers in Taiwan caused by natural tectonic movements (the 1999 Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake) and human-made structures (dams). Knickpoints resulting from riverbed uplift shift, leading to gradual evolution from instability to equilibrium. Dams, on the other hand, cause continuous degradation of the bed. When both effects exist on a reach, the impact of the knickpoint gradually fades away, but the effects of the dam on the river persist.
Boris Gailleton, Philippe Steer, Philippe Davy, Wolfgang Schwanghart, and Thomas Bernard
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1295–1313, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1295-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1295-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use cutting-edge algorithms and conceptual simplifications to solve the equations that describe surface water flow. Using quantitative data on rainfall and elevation, GraphFlood calculates river width and depth and approximates erosive power, making it a suitable tool for large-scale hazard management and understanding the relationship between rivers and mountains.
Nicole M. Gasparini, Adam M. Forte, and Katherine R. Barnhart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1227–1242, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1227-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1227-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The time it takes for a landscape to adjust to new environmental conditions is critical for understanding the impacts of past and future environmental changes. We used different computational models and methods and found that predicted times for a landscape to reach a stable condition vary greatly. Our results illustrate that reporting how timescales are measured is important. Modelers should ensure that the measurement technique addresses the question.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1193–1203, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1193-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1193-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Toma hills are relatively isolated hills found in the deposits of rock avalanches, and their origin is still enigmatic. This paper presents the results of numerical simulations based on a modified version of a friction law that was originally introduced for snow avalanches. The model produces more or less isolated hills (which look much like toma hills) on the valley floor. The results provide, perhaps, the first explanation of the occurrence of toma hills based on a numerical model.
John J. Armitage and Sébastien Rohais
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3696866/v2, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3696866/v2, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers transport microplastic pollution from its source to its eventual marine sink. Rivers are not simple conveyor belts of this pollution. Microplastic will become entrained within the sediments, becoming part of the river catchment environment. We develop a reduced complexity model to capture the transport and deposition of microplastic. By comparing our model to observations from the Têt River, France, we find that large quantities of microplastic must be stored within the river sediments.
Lingxiao Gong, Peter van der Beek, Taylor F. Schildgen, Edward R. Sobel, Simone Racano, Apolline Mariotti, and Fergus McNab
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 973–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-973-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-973-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We choose the large Saryjaz river from South Tian Shan to analyse topographic and fluvial metrics. By quantifying the spatial distribution of major metrics and comparing with modelling patterns, we suggest that the observed transience was triggered by a big capture event during the Plio-Pleistocene and potentially affected by both tectonic and climate factors. This conclusion underlines the importance of local contingent factors in driving drainage development.
Gino de Gelder, Navid Hedjazian, Laurent Husson, Thomas Bodin, Anne-Morwenn Pastier, Yannick Boucharat, Kevin Pedoja, Tubagus Solihuddin, and Sri Yudawati Cahyarini
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.31223/X5B117, https://doi.org/10.31223/X5B117, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Marine terrace sequences – staircase-shaped coastal landforms – record sea-level changes, vertical motions and erosional processes that are difficult to untangle. To do so we developed a numerical inversion approach: using the observed landscape as input, we constrain the ensemble of parameter ranges that could have created this landscape. We apply the model to marine terrace sequences in Santa Cruz (US) and Corinth (Greece) to reveal past sea/lake levels, uplift rates and hydro-climates.
W. Marijn van der Meij
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1036, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1036, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A soil-landscape evolution model was used to calculate hillslope erosion rates from OSL-based deposition rates through inverse modelling, with consideration of uncertainties in model input. The results show that erosion rates differ systematically from the deposition rates, highlighting important shortcomings of assessing land degradation through measurable deposition rates.
Amanda Lily Wild, Jean Braun, Alexander C. Whittaker, and Sebastien Castelltort
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-351, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-351, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Sediments deposited within river channels form the stratigraphic record, which has been used to interpret tectonic events, basin subsidence, and changes in precipitation long after ancient mountain chains have eroded away. Our work combines methods for estimating gravel fining with a landscape evolution model in order to analyze the grain size preserved within the stratigraphic record with greater complexity (e.g. considering topography and channel dynamics) than past approaches.
Sara Polanco, Mike Blum, Tristan Salles, Bruce C. Frederick, Rebecca Farrington, Xuesong Ding, Ben Mather, Claire Mallard, and Louis Moresi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 301–320, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-301-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-301-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Two-thirds of the world's most populated cities are situated close to deltas. We use computer simulations to understand how deltas sink or rise in response to climate-driven sea level changes that operate from thousands to millions of years. Our research shows that because of the interaction between the outer layers of the Earth, sediment transport, and sea level changes deltas develop a self-regulated mechanism that modifies the space they need to gain or lose land.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 219–229, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-219-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Large landslides turn into an avalanche-like mode of flow at high velocities, which allows for a much longer runout than predicted for a sliding solid body. In this study, the Voellmy rheology widely used in models for hazard assessment is reinterpreted and extended. The new approach predicts the increase in runout length with volume observed in nature quite well and may thus be a major step towards a more consistent modeling of rock avalanches and improved hazard assessment.
Hao Chen, Xianyan Wang, Yanyan Yu, Huayu Lu, and Ronald Van Balen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 163–180, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-163-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-163-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Wei River catchment, one of the centers of the agricultural revolution in China, has experienced intense land use changes since 6000 BCE. This makes it an ideal place to study the response of river systems to anthropogenic land use change. Modeling results show the sensitivity of discharge and sediment yield to climate change increased abruptly when the agricultural land area exceeded a threshold at around 1000 BCE. This regime shift in the fluvial catchment led to a large sediment pulse.
Luke A. McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Odin Marc, William Struble, and Katherine R. Barnhart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1117–1143, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Debris flows are mixtures of mud and rocks that can travel at high speeds across steep landscapes. Here, we propose a new model to describe how landscapes are shaped by debris flow erosion over long timescales. Model results demonstrate that the shapes of channel profiles are sensitive to uplift rate, meaning that it may be possible to use topographic data from steep channel networks to infer how erosion rates vary across a landscape.
Patrick Boyden, Paolo Stocchi, and Alessio Rovere
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 917–931, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-917-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-917-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Preservation bias often hampers the extraction of sea level changes from the stratigraphic record. In this contribution, we use a forward stratigraphic model to build three synthetic subtropical fringing reefs for a site in southwestern Madagascar (Indian Ocean). Each of the three synthetic reefs represents a different ice sheet melt scenario for the Pleistocene. We then evaluate each resultant reef sequence against the observed stratigraphic record.
Gregory A. Ruetenik, John D. Jansen, Pedro Val, and Lotta Ylä-Mella
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 865–880, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-865-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-865-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We compare models of erosion against a global compilation of long-term erosion rates in order to find and interpret best-fit parameters using an iterative search. We find global signals among exponents which control the relationship between erosion rate and slope, as well as other parameters which are common in long-term erosion modelling. Finally, we analyse the global variability in parameters and find a correlation between precipitation and coefficients for optimised models.
Stefan Hergarten and Alexa Pietrek
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 741–755, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-741-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-741-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The transition from hillslopes to channelized flow is typically attributed to a threshold catchment size in landform evolution models. Here we propose an alternative concept directly based on topography. Using this concept, channels and hillslopes self-organize, whereby the catchment size of the channel heads varies over some range. Our numerical results suggest that this concept works better than the established idea of a strict threshold catchment size.
Riccardo Reitano, Romano Clementucci, Ethan M. Conrad, Fabio Corbi, Riccardo Lanari, Claudio Faccenna, and Chiara Bazzucchi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 731–740, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-731-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-731-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tectonics and surface processes work together in shaping orogens through their evolution. Laboratory models are used to overcome some limitations of direct observations since they allow for continuous and detailed analysis of analog orogens. We use a rectangular box filled with an analog material made of granular materials to study how erosional laws apply and how erosion affects the analog landscape as a function of the applied boundary conditions (regional slope and rainfall rate).
Tzu-Yin Kasha Chen, Ying-Chen Wu, Chi-Yao Hung, Hervé Capart, and Vaughan R. Voller
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 325–342, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-325-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-325-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Predicting the extent and thickness of debris flow deposits is important for assessing and mitigating hazards. We propose a simplified mass balance model for predicting the morphology of terminated debris flows depositing over complex topography. A key element in this model is that the termination of flow of the deposit is determined by prescribed values of yield stress and friction angle. The model results are consistent with available analytical solutions and field and laboratory observations.
Richard Ott, Sean F. Gallen, and David Helman
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 247–257, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-247-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-247-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We compile data on carbonate denudation, the sum of mechanical erosion and chemical weathering, from cosmogenic nuclides and use them in conjunction with weathering data to constrain the partitioning of denudation into erosion and weathering. We show how carbonate erosion and weathering respond to different climatic and tectonic conditions and find that variations in denudation partitioning can be used to explain the vastly different morphology of carbonate landscapes on Earth.
Joanmarie Del Vecchio, Emma R. Lathrop, Julian B. Dann, Christian G. Andresen, Adam D. Collins, Michael M. Fratkin, Simon Zwieback, Rachel C. Glade, and Joel C. Rowland
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 227–245, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-227-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-227-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In cold regions of the Earth, thawing permafrost can change the landscape, impact ecosystems, and lead to the release of greenhouse gases. In this study we used many observational tools to better understand how sediment moves on permafrost hillslopes. Some topographic change conforms to our understanding of slope stability and sediment transport as developed in temperate landscapes, but much of what we observed needs further explanation by permafrost-specific geomorphic models.
Carole Petit, Tristan Salles, Vincent Godard, Yann Rolland, and Laurence Audin
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 183–201, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-183-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-183-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present new tools in the landscape evolution model Badlands to simulate 10Be production, erosion and transport. These tools are applied to a source-to-sink system in the SW French Alps, where the model is calibrated. We propose a model that fits river incision rates and 10Be concentrations in sediments, and we show that 10Be in deep marine sediments is a signal with multiple contributions that cannot be easily interpreted in terms of climate forcing.
Cas Renette, Kristoffer Aalstad, Juditha Aga, Robin Benjamin Zweigel, Bernd Etzelmüller, Karianne Staalesen Lilleøren, Ketil Isaksen, and Sebastian Westermann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 33–50, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-33-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-33-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
One of the reasons for lower ground temperatures in coarse, blocky terrain is a low or varying soil moisture content, which most permafrost modelling studies did not take into account. We used the CryoGrid community model to successfully simulate this effect and found markedly lower temperatures in well-drained, blocky deposits compared to other set-ups. The inclusion of this drainage effect is another step towards a better model representation of blocky mountain terrain in permafrost regions.
Brian G. Sockness and Karen B. Gran
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 581–603, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-581-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-581-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To study channel network development following continental glaciation, we ran small physical experiments where networks slowly expanded into flat surfaces. By changing substrate and rainfall, we altered flow pathways between surface and subsurface. Initially, most channels grew by overland flow. As relief increased, erosion through groundwater sapping occurred, especially in runs with high infiltration and low cohesion, highlighting the importance of groundwater in channel network evolution.
Harrison K. Martin and Douglas A. Edmonds
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 555–579, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-555-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-555-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
River avulsions (rivers suddenly changing course) redirect water and sediment. These floods can harm people and control how some landscapes evolve. We model how abandoned channels from older avulsions affect where, when, and why future avulsions occur in mountain-front areas. We show that abandoned channels can push and pull avulsions, and the way they heal controls landscapes. Avulsion models should include abandoned channels; we also highlight opportunities for future field workers.
Ariel Henrique do Prado, Renato Paes de Almeida, Cristiano Padalino Galeazzi, Victor Sacek, and Fritz Schlunegger
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 457–471, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-457-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-457-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our work is focused on describing how and why the terrace levels of central Amazonia were formed during the last 100 000 years. We propose to address this question through a landscape evolution numerical model. Our results show that terrace levels at lower elevation were established in response to dry–wet climate changes and the older terrace levels at higher elevations most likely formed in response to a previously higher elevation of the regional base level.
Clément Desormeaux, Vincent Godard, Dimitri Lague, Guillaume Duclaux, Jules Fleury, Lucilla Benedetti, Olivier Bellier, and the ASTER Team
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 473–492, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-473-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-473-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Landscape evolution is highly dependent on climatic parameters, and the occurrence of intense precipitation events is considered to be an important driver of river incision. We compare the rate of erosion with the variability of river discharge in a mountainous landscape of SE France where high-magnitude floods regularly occur. Our study highlights the importance of the hypotheses made regarding the threshold that river discharge needs to exceed in order to effectively cut down into the bedrock.
Jean Braun
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 301–327, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-301-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-301-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
By comparing two models for the transport of sediment, we find that they share a similar steady-state solution that adequately predicts the shape of most depositional systems made of a fan and an alluvial plain. The length of the fan is controlled by the size of the mountain drainage area feeding the sedimentary system and its slope by the incoming sedimentary flux. We show that the models differ in their transient behavior to external forcing and are characterized by different response times.
Léopold de Lavaissière, Stéphane Bonnet, Anne Guyez, and Philippe Davy
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 229–246, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-229-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-229-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers are known to record changes in tectonic or climatic variation through long adjustment of their longitudinal profile slope. Here we describe such adjustments in experimental landscapes and show that they may result from the sole effect of intrinsic geomorphic processes. We propose a new model of river evolution that links long profile adjustment to cycles of river widening and narrowing. This result emphasizes the need to better understand control of lateral erosion on river width.
Elco Luijendijk
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The distance between rivers is a noticeable feature of the Earth's surface. Previous work has indicated that subsurface groundwater flow may be important for drainage density. Here, I present a new model that combines subsurface and surface water flow and erosion, and demonstrates that groundwater exerts an important control on drainage density. Streams that incise rapidly can capture the groundwater discharge of adjacent streams, which may cause these streams to become dry and stop incising.
Nikos Theodoratos and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1545–1561, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1545-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1545-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We examine stream-power incision and linear diffusion landscape evolution models with and without incision thresholds. We present a steady-state relationship between curvature and the steepness index, which plots as a straight line. We view this line as a counterpart to the slope–area relationship for the case of landscapes with hillslope diffusion. We show that simple shifts and rotations of this line graphically express the topographic response of landscapes to changes in model parameters.
Yanyan Wang and Sean D. Willett
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1301–1322, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1301-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1301-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Although great escarpment mountain ranges are characterized by high relief, modern erosion rates suggest slow rates of landscape change. We question this interpretation by presenting a new method for interpreting concentrations of cosmogenic isotopes. Our analysis shows that erosion has localized onto an escarpment face, driving retreat of the escarpment at high rates. Our quantification of this retreat rate rationalizes the high-relief, dramatic landscape with the rates of geomorphic change.
William T. Struble and Joshua J. Roering
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1279–1300, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1279-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1279-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We used a mathematical technique known as a wavelet transform to calculate the curvature of hilltops in western Oregon, which we used to estimate erosion rate. We find that this technique operates over 1000 times faster than other techniques and produces accurate erosion rates. We additionally built artificial hillslopes to test the accuracy of curvature measurement methods. We find that at fast erosion rates, curvature is underestimated, raising questions of measurement accuracy elsewhere.
Philippe Steer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1239–1250, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1239-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1239-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
How landscapes respond to tectonic and climatic changes is a major issue in Earth sciences. I have developed a new model that solves for landscape evolution in two dimensions using analytical solutions. Compared to numerical models, this new model is quicker and more accurate. It can compute in a single time step the topography at equilibrium of a landscape or be used to describe its evolution through time, e.g. during changes in tectonic or climatic conditions.
Hemanti Sharma, Todd A. Ehlers, Christoph Glotzbach, Manuel Schmid, and Katja Tielbörger
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1045–1072, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1045-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1045-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We study effects of variable climate–vegetation with different uplift rates on erosion–sedimentation using a landscape evolution modeling approach. Results suggest that regardless of uplift rates, transients in precipitation–vegetation lead to transients in erosion rates in the same direction of change. Vegetation-dependent erosion and sedimentation are influenced by Milankovitch timescale changes in climate, but these transients are superimposed upon tectonically driven uplift rates.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 937–952, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-937-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-937-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a new approach to modeling glacial erosion on large scales. The formalism is similar to large-scale models of fluvial erosion, so glacial and fluvial processes can be easily combined. The model is simpler and numerically less demanding than established models based on a more detailed description of the ice flux. The numerical implementation almost achieves the efficiency of purely fluvial models, so that simulations over millions of years can be performed on standard PCs.
Martine Simoes, Timothée Sassolas-Serrayet, Rodolphe Cattin, Romain Le Roux-Mallouf, Matthieu Ferry, and Dowchu Drukpa
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 895–921, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-895-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-895-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Elevated low-relief regions and major river knickpoints have for long been noticed and questioned in the emblematic Bhutan Himalaya. We document the morphology of this region using morphometric analyses and field observations, at a variety of spatial scales. Our findings reveal a highly unstable river network, with numerous non-coeval river captures, most probably related to a dynamic response to local tectonic uplift in the mountain hinterland.
Julien Seguinot and Ian Delaney
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 923–935, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ancient Alpine glaciers have carved a fascinating landscape of piedmont lakes, glacial valleys, and mountain cirques. Using a previous supercomputer simulation of glacier flow, we show that glacier erosion has constantly evolved and moved to different parts of the Alps. Interestingly, larger glaciers do not always cause more rapid erosion. Instead, glacier erosion is modelled to slow down during glacier advance and peak during phases of retreat, such as the one the Earth is currently undergoing.
Eitan Shelef and Liran Goren
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 687–700, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-687-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-687-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Drainage basins are bounded by water divides (divides) that define their shape and extent. Divides commonly coincide with high ridges, but in places that experienced extensive tectonic deformation, divides sometimes cross elongated valleys. Inspired by field observations and using simulations of landscape evolution, we study how side channels that drain to elongated valleys induce pulses of divide migration, affecting the distribution of water and erosion products across mountain ranges.
Vipin Kumar, Imlirenla Jamir, Vikram Gupta, and Rajinder K. Bhasin
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 351–377, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-351-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-351-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Despite a history of landslide damming and flash floods in the NW Himalaya, only a few studies have been performed. This study predicts some potential landslide damming sites in the Satluj valley, NW Himalaya, using field observations, laboratory analyses, geomorphic proxies, and numerical simulations. Five landslides, comprising a total landslide volume of 26.3 ± 6.7 M m3, are found to have the potential to block the river in the case of slope failure.
Aaron Micallef, Remus Marchis, Nader Saadatkhah, Potpreecha Pondthai, Mark E. Everett, Anca Avram, Alida Timar-Gabor, Denis Cohen, Rachel Preca Trapani, Bradley A. Weymer, and Phillipe Wernette
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1–18, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We study coastal gullies along the Canterbury coast of New Zealand using field observations, sample analyses, drones, satellites, geophysical instruments and modelling. We show that these coastal gullies form when rainfall intensity is higher than 40 mm per day. The coastal gullies are formed by landslides where buried channels or sand lenses are located. This information allows us to predict where coastal gullies may form in the future.
Riccardo Reitano, Claudio Faccenna, Francesca Funiciello, Fabio Corbi, and Sean D. Willett
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 973–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-973-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-973-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Looking into processes that occur on different timescales that span over thousands or millions of years is difficult to achieve. This is the case when we try to understand the interaction between tectonics and surface processes. Analog modeling is an investigating technique that can overcome this limitation. We study the erosional response of an analog landscape by varying the concentration of components of analog materials that strongly affect the evolution of experimental landscapes.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 841–854, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-841-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-841-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Many contemporary models of large-scale fluvial erosion focus on the detachment-limited regime where all material entrained by the river is immediately excavated. This limitation facilitates the comparison with real river profiles and strongly reduces the numerical complexity. Here a simple formulation for the opposite case, transport-limited erosion, and a new numerical scheme that achieves almost the same numerical efficiency as detachment-limited models are presented.
Nikos Theodoratos and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 505–526, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-505-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-505-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We non-dimensionalized a commonly used model of landscape evolution that includes an incision threshold. Whereas the original model included four parameters, we obtained a dimensionless form with a single parameter, which quantifies the relative importance of the incision threshold. Working with this form saves computational time and simplifies theoretical analyses.
Richard Barnes, Kerry L. Callaghan, and Andrew D. Wickert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 431–445, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-431-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-431-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Maps of elevation are used to help predict the flow of water so we can better understand landslides, floods, and global climate change. However, modeling the flow of water is difficult when elevation maps include swamps, lakes, and other depressions. This paper explains a new method that overcomes these difficulties, allowing models to run faster and more accurately.
Cited articles
Anand, S. K., Hooshyar, M., and Porporato, A.: Linear layout of multiple flow-direction networks for landscape-evolution simulations, Environ. Model. Softw., 133, 104804, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2020.104804, 2020. a, b
Anand, S. K., Bonetti, S., Camporeale, C., and Porporato, A.: Inception of Regular Valley Spacing in Fluvial Landscapes: A Linear Stability Analysis, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 127, e2022JF006716, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JF006716, 2022. a
Andrews, D. J. and Bucknam, R. C.: Fitting degradation of shoreline scarps by a nonlinear diffusion model, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 92, 12857–12867, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB092iB12p12857, 1987. a, b
Andrle, R. and Abrahams, A. D.: Fractal techniques and the surface roughness of talus slopes, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 14, 197–209, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290140303, 1989. a
Ariza-Villaverde, A. B., Jiménez-Hornero, F. J., and Gutiérrez de Ravé, E.: Influence of DEM resolution on drainage network extraction: A multifractal analysis, Geomorphology, 241, 243–254, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.03.040, 2015. a
Bernard, T. G., Davy, P., and Lague, D.: Hydro-Geomorphic Metrics for High Resolution Fluvial Landscape Analysis, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 127, e2021JF006535, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006535, 2022. a, b
Bonetti, S., Bragg, A. D., and Porporato, A.: On the theory of drainage area for regular and non-regular points, P. Roy. Soc. A-Math. Phy., 474, 20170693, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2017.0693, 2018. a, b
Bonetti, S., Hooshyar, M., Camporeale, C., and Porporato, A.: Channelization cascade in landscape evolution, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117, 1375–1382, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1911817117, 2020. a, b
Bras, R. L., Tucker, G. E., and Teles, V.: Six Myths About Mathematical Modeling in Geomorphology, American Geophysical Union (AGU), ISBN 9781118668559, 63–79, https://doi.org/10.1029/135GM06, 2003. a
Buckingham, E.: On Physically Similar Systems; Illustrations of the Use of Dimensional Equations, Phys. Rev., 4, 345–376, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.4.345, 1914. a, b
Campforts, B., Schwanghart, W., and Govers, G.: Accurate simulation of transient landscape evolution by eliminating numerical diffusion: the TTLEM 1.0 model, Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 47–66, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-47-2017, 2017. a
Costa-Cabral, M. C. and Burges, S. J.: Digital Elevation Model Networks (DEMON): A model of flow over hillslopes for computation of contributing and dispersal areas, Water Resour. Res., 30, 1681–1692, https://doi.org/10.1029/93WR03512, 1994. a
Culling, W. E. H.: Analytical Theory of Erosion, J. Geol., 68, 336–344, https://doi.org/10.1086/626663, https://doi.org/10.1086/626663, 1960. a, b, c
Del Vecchio, J., Zwieback, S., Rowland, J. C., DiBiase, R. A., and Palucis, M. C.: Hillslope-Channel Transitions and the Role of Water Tracks in a Changing Permafrost Landscape, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 128, e2023JF007156, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JF007156, 2023. a
Dietrich, W. E., Bellugi, D. G., Sklar, L. S., Stock, J. D., Heimsath, A. M., and Roering, J. J.: Geomorphic Transport Laws for Predicting Landscape form and Dynamics, American Geophysical Union (AGU), ISBN 9781118668559, 103–132, https://doi.org/10.1029/135GM09, 2003. a
Dunne, K. B. J. and Jerolmack, D. J.: What sets river width?, Science Advances, 6, eabc1505, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc1505, 2020. a
Foufoula-Georgiou, E., Ganti, V., and Dietrich, W. E.: A nonlocal theory of sediment transport on hillslopes, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 115, F00A16, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JF001280, 2010. a
Furbish, D. and Roering, J.: Sediment disentrainment and the concept of local versus nonlocal transport on hillslopes, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 937–952, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20071, 2013. a, b
Gailleton, B., Steer, P., Davy, P., Schwanghart, W., and Bernard, T. G. A.: GraphFlood 1.0: an efficient algorithm to approximate 2D hydrodynamics for Landscape Evolution Models, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1239, 2024. a
Gallant, J. C. and Hutchinson, M. F.: A differential equation for specific catchment area, Water Resour. Res., 47, W05535, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009WR008540, 2011. a, b
Ganti, V., Passalacqua, P., and Foufoula-Georgiou, E.: A sub-grid scale closure for nonlinear hillslope sediment transport models, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 117, F02012, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JF002181, 2012. a
Godard, V. and Tucker, G. E.: Influence of Climate-Forcing Frequency on Hillslope Response, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2021GL094305, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094305, 2021. a
Grieve, S. W. D., Mudd, S. M., Milodowski, D. T., Clubb, F. J., and Furbish, D. J.: How does grid-resolution modulate the topographic expression of geomorphic processes?, Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 627–653, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-627-2016, 2016. a
Heimsath, A., Dietrich, W., Nishiizumi, K., and Finkel, R.: The Soil Production Function and Landscape Equilibrium, Nature, 388, 358–361, https://doi.org/10.1038/41056, 1997. a
Hergarten, S. and Pietrek, A.: Self-organization of channels and hillslopes in models of fluvial landform evolution and its potential for solving scaling issues, Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 741–755, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-741-2023, 2023. a, b, c
Hobley, D. E. J., Adams, J. M., Nudurupati, S. S., Hutton, E. W. H., Gasparini, N. M., Istanbulluoglu, E., and Tucker, G. E.: Creative computing with Landlab: an open-source toolkit for building, coupling, and exploring two-dimensional numerical models of Earth-surface dynamics, Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 21–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-21-2017, 2017. a
Hooshyar, M., Bonetti, S., Singh, A., Foufoula-Georgiou, E., and Porporato, A.: From turbulence to landscapes: Logarithmic mean profiles in bounded complex systems, Phys. Rev. E, 102, 033107, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.102.033107, 2020. a
Horton, R. E.: Erosional Development Of Streams And Their Drainage Basins; Hydrophysical Approach To Quantitative Morphology, GSA Bulletin, 56, 275–370, https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1945)56[275:EDOSAT]2.0.CO;2, 1945. a
Howard, A. D.: A detachment-limited model of drainage basin evolution, Water Resour. Res., 30, 2261–2285, https://doi.org/10.1029/94WR00757, 1994. a, b, c, d
Howard, A. D. and Kerby, G.: Channel changes in badlands, GSA Bulletin, 94, 739–752, https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1983)94<739:CCIB>2.0.CO;2, 1983. a, b
Huntley, H.: Dimensional Analysis, Dover Books on Intermediate and Advanced Mathematics, Dover Publications, ISBN 9780486617909, 1967. a
Kargere, B.: A Fractal Framework for Channel-Hillslope Coupling, Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13749585, 2025. a
La Barbera, P. and Rosso, R.: On the fractal dimension of stream networks, Water Resour. Res., 25, 735–741, https://doi.org/10.1029/WR025i004p00735, 1989. a
Lague, D.: The stream power river incision model: evidence, theory and beyond, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 39, 38–61, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3462, 2014. a
Leopold, L. B. and Maddock, T.: The hydraulic geometry of stream channels and some physiographic implications, U.S. Government Printing Office, Report 252, https://doi.org/10.3133/pp252, 1953. a, b, c
Litwin, D., Tucker, G. E., Barnhart, K. R., and Harman, C.: Reply to Comment by Anand et al. on “Groundwater Affects the Geomorphic and Hydrologic Properties of Coevolved Landscapes”, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 127, e2022JF006722, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JF006722, 2022a. a
McGuire, L. A., McCoy, S. W., Marc, O., Struble, W., and Barnhart, K. R.: Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes, Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1117–1143, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, 2023. a, b
McKean, J. A., Dietrich, W. E., Finkel, R. C., Southon, J. R., and Caffee, M. W.: Quantification of soil production and downslope creep rates from cosmogenic 10Be accumulations on a hillslope profile, Geology, 21, 343, 343–346, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021<0343:QOSPAD>2.3.CO;2, 1993. a
Montgomery, D. R. and Dietrich, W. E.: Channel Initiation and the Problem of Landscape Scale, Science, 255, 826–830, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.255.5046.826, 1992. a, b, c
Montgomery, D. R. and Foufoula-Georgiou, E.: Channel network source representation using digital elevation models, Water Resour. Res., 29, 3925–3934, https://doi.org/10.1029/93WR02463, 1993. a, b, c
Neely, A. B. and DiBiase, R. A.: Sediment controls on the transition from debris flow to fluvial channels in steep mountain ranges, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 48, 1342–1361, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5553, 2023. a
Pelletier, J. D.: A robust, two-parameter method for the extraction of drainage networks from high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs): Evaluation using synthetic and real-world DEMs, Water Resour. Res., 49, 75–89, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012WR012452, 2013. a, b, c
Perron, J. T., Kirchner, J. W., and Dietrich, W. E.: Formation of evenly spaced ridges and valleys, Nature, 460, 502–505, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08174, 2009. a, b
Rinaldo, A., Rodriguez-Iturbe, I., and Rigon, R.: CHANNEL NETWORKS, Annu. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc., 26, 289–327, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.26.1.289, 1998. a
Roering, J. J.: How well can hillslope evolution models “explain” topography? Simulating soil transport and production with high-resolution topographic data, GSA Bulletin, 120, 1248–1262, https://doi.org/10.1130/B26283.1, 2008. a, b
Roering, J. J., Kirchner, J. W., and Dietrich, W. E.: Evidence for nonlinear, diffusive sediment transport on hillslopes and implications for landscape morphology, Water Resour. Res., 35, 853–870, https://doi.org/10.1029/1998WR900090, 1999. a, b, c, d
Roering, J. J., Perron, J. T., and Kirchner, J. W.: Functional relationships between denudation and hillslope form and relief, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 264, 245–258, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.09.035, 2007. a, b, c, d
Sangireddy, H., Stark, C. P., and Passalacqua, P.: Multiresolution analysis of characteristic length scales with high-resolution topographic data, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 122, 1296–1324, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003788, 2017. a
Smith, T. R. and Bretherton, F. P.: Stability and the conservation of mass in drainage basin evolution, Water Resour. Res., 8, 1506–1529, https://doi.org/10.1029/WR008i006p01506, 1972. a
Stock, J. D. and Dietrich, W. E.: Erosion of steepland valleys by debris flows, GSA Bulletin, 118, 1125–1148, https://doi.org/10.1130/B25902.1, 2006. a
Struble, W. T., McGuire, L. A., McCoy, S. W., Barnhart, K. R., and Marc, O.: Debris-Flow Process Controls on Steepland Morphology in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 128, e2022JF007017, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JF007017, 2023. a
Sweeney, K. E., Roering, J. J., and Ellis, C.: Experimental evidence for hillslope control of landscape scale, Science, 349, 51–53, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab0017, 2015. a
Tarboton, D. G., Bras, R. L., and Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: The fractal nature of river networks, Water Resour. Res., 24, 1317–1322, https://doi.org/10.1029/WR024i008p01317, 1988. a, b, c, d
Theodoratos, N. and Kirchner, J. W.: Dimensional analysis of a landscape evolution model with incision threshold, Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 505–526, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-505-2020, 2020. a
Tucker, G. E. and Bras, R. L.: Hillslope processes, drainage density, and landscape morphology, Water Resour. Res., 34, 2751–2764, https://doi.org/10.1029/98WR01474, 1998. a, b, c
Tucker, G. E. and Hancock, G. R.: Modelling landscape evolution, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 35, 28–50, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1952, 2010. a, b
Willgoose, G., Bras, R., and Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: A coupled channel network growth and hillslope evolution model: 1. Theory, Water Resour. Res., 27, 1671–1684, https://doi.org/10.1029/91WR00935, 1991a. a, b
Willgoose, G., Bras, R. L., and Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.: A coupled channel network growth and hillslope evolution model: 2. Nondimensionalization and applications, Water Resour. Res., 27, 1685–1696, https://doi.org/10.1029/91WR00936, 1991b. a
Short summary
In this study, we analyze contributing drainage regions, a proxy for discharge in channel–hillslope coupling using landscape evolution models. We present a fractal framework which reveals that drainage area is not well defined for steady-state unchannelized locations. This clarifies the interaction between geomorphic parameters and grid resolution, furthering our understanding of channel–hillslope interactions in both computational and real-world settings.
In this study, we analyze contributing drainage regions, a proxy for discharge in...
