Articles | Volume 14, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-635-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-14-635-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Aug 2026
Research article |
| 25 Aug 2026
| 25 Aug 2026
Lift or impact: modelling bedrock incision coupled with sediment dynamics
Philippe Davy
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Géosciences Rennes, Fractory, CNRS, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, Rennes, France
Wolfgang Schwanghart
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Geographical Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Jürgen Mey
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
Caroline Darcel
Itasca consultants, Fractory, Campus de Beaulieu, Rennes, France
Angela Landgraf
National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste, Wettingen, Switzerland
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Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Short summary
The impact of sediment grains on the riverbed is a key driver of bedrock erosion yet is rarely included in studies of landscape evolution. We propose an equation to address this issue by considering the distinction between grain lift and grain impact. We solved and analysed these equations for simple cases, such as the downstream evolution of a riverbed, and implemented them in a numerical code that simulated the retreat of a knickpoint.
The impact of sediment grains on the riverbed is a key driver of bedrock erosion yet is rarely...
