Earth Surface Dynamics
Earth Surface Dynamics
ESurf
Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-95-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-95-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
05 Feb 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 05 Feb 2026

Investigating controls on fluvial grain sizes in post-glacial landscapes using citizen science

Anya H. Towers, Mikael Attal, Simon M. Mudd, and Fiona J. Clubb

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-95-2026-supplement

Model code and software

LSDtopotools/LSDTopoTools2: LSDTopoTools2 v0.8 (v0.8) S. M. Mudd et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7892465

PebbleCounts: a Python grain-sizing algorithm for gravel-bed river imagery. V. 1.0 B. Purinton and B. Bookhagen https://doi.org/10.5880/fidgeo.2019.007

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How does grainsize vary along rivers, and what are the controls? Based on an extensive dataset compiled in a citizen-science survey across Scotland, Towers et al. find that in post-glacial landscapes commonly used global environmental factors provide little explanation. Instead, the local sediment input from glacially sculpted landforms and emplaced deposits largely determine the high spatial variability of grainsizes.
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Short summary
We explore controls on channel sediment characteristics in post-glacial landscapes. In contrast to other studies that have focused on landscapes with little glacial influence, we find no apparent controls. We propose that Scotland's post-glacial legacy drives the lack of sedimentological trends, and that changes in landscape morphology and sediment sources caused by glacial processes lead to a decoupling between fluvial sediment grain size and environmental variables.
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