Articles | Volume 13, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-97-2025
© 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-13-97-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
30 Jan 2025
Research article |
| 30 Jan 2025
| 30 Jan 2025
Width evolution of channel belts as a random walk
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Fergus McNab
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Aaron Bufe
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Munich, Germany
Stefanie Tofelde
Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Related authors
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.
Fergus McNab, Taylor F. Schildgen, Jens Martin Turowski, and Andrew D. Wickert
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2468, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2468, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Alluvial rivers form networks, but many concepts we use to analyse their long-term evolution derive from models that treat them as single streams. We develop a model including tributary interactions and show that, while patterns of sediment output can be similar for network and single-segment models, complex signal propagation affects aggradation and incision within networks. We argue that understanding a specific catchment's evolution requires a model with its specific network structure.
Matanya Hamawi, Joel P. L. Johnson, Susan Bilek, Jens M. Turowski, and John B. Laronne
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-591, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-591, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf).
Short summary
Short summary
Water level suddenly rises during flash floods in dry regions having a distinct impact on bedload – large sediment rolling and saltating on the riverbed. Using sensor-equipped pebbles and seismic monitoring in a field setting, we demonstrate that bedload activity is very high in both shallow and deep sudden flows. These findings can help improve bedload transport models, particularly when using seismic sensors, by providing new insights into bedload dynamics.
Sophia Dosch, Niels Hovius, Marisa Repasch, Joel Scheingross, Jens M. Turowski, Stefanie Tofelde, Oliver Rach, and Dirk Sachse
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 907–927, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The transport of plant debris in rivers is an important part of the global carbon cycle and influences atmospheric carbon levels through time. We sampled plant debris at the bed of a lowland river and determined the sources as it is transported hundreds of kilometers. Plant debris can persist at the riverbed, but mechanical breakdown reduces its amount, and it is only a small fraction compared to the suspended load. This plant debris and transport patterns need further investigation globally.
Jens Martin Turowski, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 493–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial valleys are ubiquitous landforms, and understanding their formation and evolution affects a wide range of disciplines from archaeology and geology to fish biology. Here, we develop a model to predict the width of fluvial valleys for a wide range of geographic conditions. In the model, fluvial valley width is controlled by the two competing factors of lateral channel mobility and uplift. The model complies with available data and yields a broad range of quantitative predictions.
Chuanqi He, Ci-Jian Yang, Jens M. Turowski, Richard F. Ott, Jean Braun, Hui Tang, Shadi Ghantous, Xiaoping Yuan, and Gaia Stucky de Quay
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1151–1166, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The shape of drainage basins and rivers holds significant implications for landscape evolution processes and dynamics. We used a global 90 m resolution topography to obtain ~0.7 million drainage basins with sizes over 50 km2. Our dataset contains the spatial distribution of drainage systems and their morphological parameters, supporting fields such as geomorphology, climatology, biology, ecology, hydrology, and natural hazards.
Jens M. Turowski, Gunnar Pruß, Anne Voigtländer, Andreas Ludwig, Angela Landgraf, Florian Kober, and Audrey Bonnelye
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 979–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers can cut into rocks, and their strength modulates the river's erosion rates. Yet, which properties of the rock control its response to erosive action is poorly understood. Here, we describe parallel experiments to measure rock erosion rates under fluvial impact erosion and the rock's geotechnical properties such as fracture strength, elasticity, and density. Erosion rates vary over a factor of a million between different rock types. We use the data to improve current theory.
Ci-Jian Yang, Pei-Hao Chen, Erica D. Erlanger, Jens M. Turowski, Sen Xu, Tse-Yang Teng, Jiun-Chuan Lin, and Jr-Chuang Huang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 475–486, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Observations of the interaction between extreme physical erosion and chemical weathering dynamics are limited. We presented major elements of stream water in the badland catchment at 3 h intervals during a 3 d typhoon. The excess sodium in the evaporite deposits causes material dispersion through deflocculation, which enhances the suspended sediment flux. Moreover, we observed a shift from predominantly evaporite weathering at peak precipitation to silicate weathering at peak discharge.
Odin Marc, Jens M. Turowski, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 995–1011, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The size of grains delivered to rivers is an essential parameter for understanding erosion and sediment transport and their related hazards. In mountains, landslides deliver these rock fragments, but few studies have analyzed the landslide properties that control the resulting sizes. We present measurements on 17 landslides from Taiwan and show that their grain sizes depend on rock strength, landslide depth and drop height, thereby validating and updating a previous theory on fragmentation.
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.
Fergus McNab, Taylor F. Schildgen, Jens Martin Turowski, and Andrew D. Wickert
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2468, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2468, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Alluvial rivers form networks, but many concepts we use to analyse their long-term evolution derive from models that treat them as single streams. We develop a model including tributary interactions and show that, while patterns of sediment output can be similar for network and single-segment models, complex signal propagation affects aggradation and incision within networks. We argue that understanding a specific catchment's evolution requires a model with its specific network structure.
Matanya Hamawi, Joel P. L. Johnson, Susan Bilek, Jens M. Turowski, and John B. Laronne
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-591, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-591, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf).
Short summary
Short summary
Water level suddenly rises during flash floods in dry regions having a distinct impact on bedload – large sediment rolling and saltating on the riverbed. Using sensor-equipped pebbles and seismic monitoring in a field setting, we demonstrate that bedload activity is very high in both shallow and deep sudden flows. These findings can help improve bedload transport models, particularly when using seismic sensors, by providing new insights into bedload dynamics.
Elizabeth N. Orr, Taylor F. Schildgen, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, and Ricardo N. Alonso
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1391–1413, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1391-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1391-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial terraces and alluvial fans in the Toro Basin, NW Argentina, record river evolution and global climate cycles over time. Landform dating reveals lower-frequency climate cycles (100 kyr) preserved downstream and higher-frequency cycles (21/40 kyr) upstream, supporting theoretical predications that longer rivers filter out higher-frequency climate signals. This finding improves our understanding of the spatial distribution of sedimentary paleoclimate records within landscapes.
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.
Sophia Dosch, Niels Hovius, Marisa Repasch, Joel Scheingross, Jens M. Turowski, Stefanie Tofelde, Oliver Rach, and Dirk Sachse
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 907–927, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The transport of plant debris in rivers is an important part of the global carbon cycle and influences atmospheric carbon levels through time. We sampled plant debris at the bed of a lowland river and determined the sources as it is transported hundreds of kilometers. Plant debris can persist at the riverbed, but mechanical breakdown reduces its amount, and it is only a small fraction compared to the suspended load. This plant debris and transport patterns need further investigation globally.
Jens Martin Turowski, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 493–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial valleys are ubiquitous landforms, and understanding their formation and evolution affects a wide range of disciplines from archaeology and geology to fish biology. Here, we develop a model to predict the width of fluvial valleys for a wide range of geographic conditions. In the model, fluvial valley width is controlled by the two competing factors of lateral channel mobility and uplift. The model complies with available data and yields a broad range of quantitative predictions.
Chuanqi He, Ci-Jian Yang, Jens M. Turowski, Richard F. Ott, Jean Braun, Hui Tang, Shadi Ghantous, Xiaoping Yuan, and Gaia Stucky de Quay
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1151–1166, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The shape of drainage basins and rivers holds significant implications for landscape evolution processes and dynamics. We used a global 90 m resolution topography to obtain ~0.7 million drainage basins with sizes over 50 km2. Our dataset contains the spatial distribution of drainage systems and their morphological parameters, supporting fields such as geomorphology, climatology, biology, ecology, hydrology, and natural hazards.
Jens M. Turowski, Gunnar Pruß, Anne Voigtländer, Andreas Ludwig, Angela Landgraf, Florian Kober, and Audrey Bonnelye
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 979–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers can cut into rocks, and their strength modulates the river's erosion rates. Yet, which properties of the rock control its response to erosive action is poorly understood. Here, we describe parallel experiments to measure rock erosion rates under fluvial impact erosion and the rock's geotechnical properties such as fracture strength, elasticity, and density. Erosion rates vary over a factor of a million between different rock types. We use the data to improve current theory.
Ci-Jian Yang, Pei-Hao Chen, Erica D. Erlanger, Jens M. Turowski, Sen Xu, Tse-Yang Teng, Jiun-Chuan Lin, and Jr-Chuang Huang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 475–486, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Observations of the interaction between extreme physical erosion and chemical weathering dynamics are limited. We presented major elements of stream water in the badland catchment at 3 h intervals during a 3 d typhoon. The excess sodium in the evaporite deposits causes material dispersion through deflocculation, which enhances the suspended sediment flux. Moreover, we observed a shift from predominantly evaporite weathering at peak precipitation to silicate weathering at peak discharge.
Odin Marc, Jens M. Turowski, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 995–1011, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The size of grains delivered to rivers is an essential parameter for understanding erosion and sediment transport and their related hazards. In mountains, landslides deliver these rock fragments, but few studies have analyzed the landslide properties that control the resulting sizes. We present measurements on 17 landslides from Taiwan and show that their grain sizes depend on rock strength, landslide depth and drop height, thereby validating and updating a previous theory on fragmentation.
Cited articles
Allen, J. R. L.: Studies in fluviatile sedimentation: An exploratory quantitative model for the architecture of avulsion-controlled alluvial suites, Sediment. Geol., 21, 129–147, https://doi.org/10.1016/0037-0738(78)90002-7, 1978.
Anderson, M. P., Aiken, J. S., Webb, E. K., and Mickelson, D. M.: Sedimentology and hydrogeology of two braided stream deposits, Sediment. Geol., 129, 187–199, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0037-0738(99)00015-9, 1999.
Badoux, A., Andres, N., and Turowski, J. M.: Damage costs due to bedload transport processes in Switzerland, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 279–294, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-14-279-2014, 2014.
Baley, P. B.: The flood pulse advantage and the restoration of river-floodplain systems, Regul. River., 6, 75–86, https://doi.org/10.1002/rrr.3450060203, 1991.
Bertoldi, W., Zanoni, L., and Tubino, M.: Planform dynamics of braided streams, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 34, 547–557, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1755, 2009.
Best, J.: Anthropogenic stresses on the world's big rivers, Nat. Geosci., 12, 7–21, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0262-x, 2019.
Blum, M., Martin, J., Milliken, K., and Garvin, M.: Paleovalley systems: Insights from Quaternary analogs and experiments, Earth-Sci. Rev., 116, 128–169, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.09.003, 2013.
Bradley, D. N. and Tucker, G. E.: The storage time, age, and erosion hazard of laterally accreted sediment on the floodplain of a simulated meandering river, J. Geophys. Res., 118, 1308–1319, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20083, 2013.
Bridge, J. S.: Characterization of fluvial hydrocarbon reservoirs and aquifers: problems and solutions, Latin American Journal of Sedimentology and Basin Analysis, 8, 87–114, 2001.
Bridge, J. S. and Leeder, M. R.: A simulation model of alluvial stratigraphy, Sedimentology, 26, 617–644, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.1979.tb00935.x, 1979.
Bufe, A., Burbank, D. W., and Paola, C.: Fold erosion by an antecedent river, University of Michigan ARC Repository [data set], 340, https://doi.org/10.5967/M0CF9N3H, 2016a.
Bufe, A., Paola, C., and Burbank, D. W.: Fluvial bevelling of topography controlled by lateral channel mobility and uplift rate, Nat. Geosci., 9, 706–710, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2773, 2016b.
Bufe, A., Turowski, J. M., Burbank, D. W., Paola, C., Wickert, A. D., and Tofelde, S.: Controls on the lateral channel-migration rate of braided channel systems in coarse non-cohesive sediment, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 44, 2823–2836, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4710, 2019.
Camporeale, C., Perona, P., Porporato, A., and Ridolfi, L.: On the long-term behavior of meandering rivers, Water Resour. Res., 41, W12403, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004109, 2005.
Carretier, S., Guerit, L., Harries, R., Regard, V., Maffre, P., and Bonnet, S.: The distribution of sediment residence times at the foot of mountains and its implications for proxies recorded in sedimentary basins, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 546, 116448, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116448, 2020.
Constantine, J. A., Dunne, T., Ahmed, J., Legleiter, C., and Lazarus, E. D.: Sediment supply as a driver of river meandering and floodplain evolution in the Amazon Basin, Nat. Geosci., 7, 899–903, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2282, 2014.
Dong, T. Y. and Goudge, T. A.: Quantitative relationships between river and channel-belt planform patterns, Geology, 50, 1053–1057, https://doi.org/10.1130/G49935.1, 2022.
Edwards, B. F. and Smith, D. H.: River meandering dynamics, Phys. Rev. E, 65, 046303, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.65.046303, 2002.
Egozi, R. and Ashmore, P.: Experimental analysis of braided channel pattern response to increased discharge, J. Geophys. Res., 114, F02012, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JF001099, 2009.
Everitt, B. L.: Use of the cottonwood in an investigation of the recent history of a flood plain, Am. J. Sci., 266, 417–439, 1968.
Fotherby, L. M.: Valley confinement as a factor of braided river pattern for the Platte River, Geomorphology, 103, 562–576, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.08.001, 2009.
Galeazzi, C. P., Almeida, R. P., and do Prado, A. H.: Linking rivers to the rock record: Channel patterns and paleocurrent circular variance, Geology, 49, 1402–1407, https://doi.org/10.1130/G49121.1, 2021.
Greenberg, E. and Ganti, V.: The pace of global river meandering influenced by fluvial sediment supply, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 634, 118674, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118674, 2024.
Greenberg, E., Chadwick, A. J., Li, G. K., and Ganti V.: Quantifying channel mobility and floodplain reworking timescales across river planform morphologies, Geophys. Res. Lett., 51, e2024GL108537, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108537, 2024.
Hajek, E. A. and Straub, K. M.: Autogenic sedimentation in clastic stratigraphy, Annu. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc., 45, 681–709, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-063016-015935, 2017.
Hancock, G. S. and Anderson, R. S.: Numerical modeling of fluvial strath-terrace formation in response to oscillating climate, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 114, 1131–1142, 2002.
McNab, F.: Supplement to: “Width evolution of channel belts as a random walk” by Turowski et al., Version 2, Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13364594 2024.
Howard, A. D.: Modelling Channel Evolution and Floodplain Morphology, in: Floodplain processes, edited by: Anderson, M. G., Walling, D. E., and Bates, P. E., John Wiley and Sons, Ltd., Chichester, 15–62, ISBN 13 9780471966791, 1996.
Huffman, M. E., Pizzuto, J. E., Trampush, S. M., Moody, J. A., Schook, D. M., Gray, H. J., and Shannon, A. M.: Floodplain sediment storage timescales of the laterally confined meandering Powder River, USA, J. Geophys. Res., 127, e2021JF006313, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006313, 2022.
Ielpi, A. and Lapôtre, M. G. A.: A tenfold slowdown in river meander migration driven by plant life, Nat. Geosci., 13, 82–86, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0491-7, 2019.
Ikeda, S., Parker, G., and Sawai, K.: Bend theory of river meanders. Part 1. Linear development, J. Fluid Mech., 112, 363–377, 1981.
Jonell, T. N., Owen, L. A., Carter, A., Schwenniger, J.-L., and Clift, P. D.: Quantifying episodic erosion and transient storage on the western margin of the Tibetan Plateau, upper Indus River, Quaternary Res., 89, 281–306, https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.92, 2018.
Junk, W. J., Bayley, P. B., and Sparks, R. E.: The flood pulse concept in river-floodplain systems, in: Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium, edited by: Dodge, D. P., Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci., Honey Harbour, Ontario, Canada, 14–21 September 1986, ISBN 13 978-0660132594, 106, 110–127, 1989.
Kolmogoroff, A.: Über das Gesetz des iterierten Logarithmus, Math. Ann., 101, 126–135, 1929.
Lancaster, S. T. and Casebeer, N. E.: Sediment storage and evacuation in headwater valleys at the transition between debris-flow and fluvial processes, Geology, 35, 1027–1030, https://doi.org/10.1130/G239365A.1, 2007.
Lancaster, S. T., Underwood, E. F., and Frueh, W. T.: Sediment reservoirs at mountain stream confluences: dynamics and effects of tributaries dominated by debris-flow and fluvial processes, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 122, 1775–1786, https://doi.org/10.1130/B30175.1, 2010.
Langevin, M. P.: On the theory of Brownian motion, C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris), 146, 530–533, 1908.
Lawler, G. F. and Limic, V.: Random Walk: A modern introduction, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780511750854, https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511750854, 2010.
Limaye, A. B. S.: How do braided rivers grow channel belts?, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 125, 1–24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005570, 2020.
Madsen, A. T. and Murray, A. S.: Optically stimulated luminescence dating of young sediments: A review, Geomorphology, 109, 3–16, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.08.020, 2009.
Malatesta, L. C., Prancevic, J. P., and Avouac, J. P.: Autogenic entrenchment patterns and terraces due to coupling with lateral erosion in incising alluvial channels, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 122, 335–355, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003797, 2017.
Marr, J. G., Swenson, J. B., Paola, C., and Voller, V. R.: A two-diffusion model of fluvial stratigraphy in closed depositional basins, Basin Res., 12, 381–398, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2000.00134.x, 2000.
Martin, J., Cantelli, A., Paola, C., Blum, M., and Wolinsky, M.: Quantitative modeling of the evolution and geometry of incised valleys, J. Sediment. Res., 81, 64–79, https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2011.5, 2011.
May, C., Roering, J., Eaton, L. S., and Burnett, K. M.: Controls on valley width in mountainous landscapes: The role of 360 landsliding and implications for salmonid habitat, Geology, 41, 503–506, https://doi.org/10.1130/G33979.1, 2013.
McNab, F.: Supplement to: “Width evolution of channel belts as a random walk” by Turowski et al., Version 2, Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13364594, 2024.
Meitzen, K. M., Kupfer, J. A., and Gao, P.: Modeling hydrologic connectivity and virtual fish movement across a large Southeastern floodplain, USA, Aquat. Sci., 80, 5, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-017-0555-y, 2018.
Miller, A. J.: Valley morphology and boundary conditions influencing spatial patterns of flood flow, in: Natural and Anthropomorphic Influences in Fluvial Geomorphology, edited by: Costa, J. E., Miller, A. J., Potter, K. W., and Wilcock, P. R., Geophysical Monograph, 89, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 57–81, https://doi.org/10.1029/GM089p0057, 1995.
Naiman, R. J., Bechtold, J. S., Beechie, T. J., Latterell, J. J., and Van Pelt, R.: A process-based view of floodplain forest patterns in coastal river valleys of the Pacific Northwest, Ecosystems, 13, 1–31, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-009-9298-5, 2010.
Nyberg, B., Henstra, G., Gawthorpe, R. L., Ravnås, R., and Ahokas, J.: Global scale analysis on the extent of river channel belts, Nat. Commun., 14, 2163, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37852-8, 2023.
Pizzuto, J., Keeler, J., Skalak, K., and Karwan, D.: Storage filters upland suspended sediment signals delivered from watersheds, Geology, 45, 151–154, https://doi.org/10.1130/G38170.1, 2017.
Redner, S.: A Guide to First Passage Time Processes, Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 328 pp., ISBN 13 978-0521652483, 2001.
Repasch, M., Wittmann, H., Scheingross, J. S., Sachse, D., Szupiany, R., Orfeo, O., Fuchs, M., and Hovius, N.: Sediment transit time and floodplain storage dynamics in alluvial rivers revealed by meteoric 10Be, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 125, e2019JF005419, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005419, 2020.
Repasch, M., Scheingross, J. S., Hovius, N., Lupker, M.,Wittmann, H., Haghipour, N., Gröcke, D. R., Eglinton T. I., and Sachse, D.: Fluvial organic carbon cycling regulated by sediment transit time and mineral protection, Nat. Geosci., 14, 842–848, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00845-7, 2021.
Scheingross, J. S., Hovius, N., Dellinger, M., Hilton, R. G., Repasch, M., Sachse, D., Gröcke, D. R., Vieth-Hillenbrand, A., and Turowski, J. M.: Preservation of organic carbon during active fluvial transport and particle abrasion, Geology, 47, 958–962, https://doi.org/10.1130/G46442.1, 2019.
Scheingross, J. S., Repasch, M. N., Hovius, N., Sachse, D., Lupker, M., Fuchs, M., Helevy, I., Gröcke, D. R., Golombek, N. Y., Haghipour, N., Eglinton, T. I., Orfeo, O., and Schleicher, A. M.: The fate of fluvially-deposited organic carbon during transient floodplain storage, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 561, 116822, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2021.116822, 2021.
Schumm, S. A. and Lichty, R. W.: Flood-plain construction along Cimarron River, in southwestern Kansas, Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 352-DUS, Gov. Printing Office, Washington, https://doi.org/10.3133/pp352D, 1963.
Skalak, K. and Pizzuto, J.: The distribution and residence time of suspended sediment stored within the channel margins of a gravel-bed bedrock river, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 35, 435–446, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1926, 2010.
Tofelde, S., Bernhardt, A., Guerit, L., and Romans, B. W.: Times associated with source-to-sink propagation of environmental signals during landscape transience, Front. Earth Sci., 9, 628315, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.628315, 2021.
Tofelde, S., Bufe, A., and Turowski, J. M.: Hillslope sediment supply limits alluvial valley width, AGU Advances, 3, e2021AV000641, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021AV000641, 2022.
Torres, M. A., Limaye, A. B., Ganti, V., Lamb, M. P., West, A. J., and Fischer, W. W.: Model predictions of long-lived storage of organic carbon in river deposits, Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 711–730, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-711-2017, 2017.
Turowski, J. M., Bufe, A., and Tofelde, S.: A physics-based model for fluvial valley width, Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 493–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, 2024.
Uhlenbeck, G. E. and Ornstein, L. S.: On the theory of the Brownian motion, Phys. Rev., 36, 823–841, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRev.36.823, 1930.
van de Lageweg, W. I., van Dijk, W. M., and Kleinhans, M. G.: Channel belt architecture formed by a meandering river, Sedimentology, 60, 840–859, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.2012.01365.x, 2013.
Wickert, A. D., Martin, J. M., Tal, M., Kim, W., Sheets, B., and Paola, C.: River channel lateral mobility: Metrics, time scales, and controls, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 396–412, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JF002386, 2013.
Short summary
Channel belts comprise the area affected by a river due to lateral migration and floods. As a landform, they affect water resources and flood hazard, and they often host unique ecological communities. We develop a model describing the evolution of channel-belt area over time. The model connects the behaviour of the river to the evolution of the channel belt over a timescale of centuries. A comparison to selected data from experiments and real river systems verifies the random walk approach.
Channel belts comprise the area affected by a river due to lateral migration and floods. As a...
