Articles | Volume 3, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-483-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-483-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Oct 2015
Research article |
| 16 Oct 2015
Topographic roughness as a signature of the emergence of bedrock in eroding landscapes
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
S. M. Mudd
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
E. T. A. Mitchard
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Related authors
Mathew Williams, David T. Milodowski, Thomas Luke Smallman, Kyle G. Dexter, Gabi C. Hegerl, Iain M. McNicol, Michael O'Sullivan, Carla M. Roesch, Casey M. Ryan, Stephen Sitch, and Aude Valade
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2497, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2497, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Southern African woodlands are important in both regional and global carbon cycles. A new carbon analysis created by combining satellite data with ecosystem modelling shows that the region has a neutral C balance overall, but with important spatial variations. Patterns of biomass and C balance across the region are the outcome of climate controls on production, vegetation-fire interactions, which determine mortality of vegetation, and spatial variations in vegetation function.
David T. Milodowski, T. Luke Smallman, and Mathew Williams
Biogeosciences, 20, 3301–3327, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3301-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Model–data fusion (MDF) allows us to combine ecosystem models with Earth observation data. Fragmented landscapes, with a mosaic of contrasting ecosystems, pose a challenge for MDF. We develop a novel MDF framework to estimate the carbon balance of fragmented landscapes and show the importance of accounting for ecosystem heterogeneity to prevent scale-dependent bias in estimated carbon fluxes, disturbance fluxes in particular, and to improve ecological fidelity of the calibrated models.
Thomas Luke Smallman, David Thomas Milodowski, Eráclito Sousa Neto, Gerbrand Koren, Jean Ometto, and Mathew Williams
Earth Syst. Dynam., 12, 1191–1237, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-12-1191-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-12-1191-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Our study provides a novel assessment of model parameter, structure and climate change scenario uncertainty contribution to future predictions of the Brazilian terrestrial carbon stocks to 2100. We calibrated (2001–2017) five models of the terrestrial C cycle of varied structure. The calibrated models were then projected to 2100 under multiple climate change scenarios. Parameter uncertainty dominates overall uncertainty, being ~ 40 times that of either model structure or climate change scenario.
Fiona J. Clubb, Simon M. Mudd, David T. Milodowski, Declan A. Valters, Louise J. Slater, Martin D. Hurst, and Ajay B. Limaye
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 369–385, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-369-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-369-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Floodplains and fluvial terraces can provide information about current and past river systems, helping to reveal how channels respond to changes in both climate and tectonics. We present a new method of identifying these features objectively from digital elevation models by analysing their slope and elevation compared to the modern river. We test our method in eight field sites, and find that it provides rapid and reliable extraction of floodplains and terraces across a range of landscapes.
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.
Mathew Williams, David T. Milodowski, Thomas Luke Smallman, Kyle G. Dexter, Gabi C. Hegerl, Iain M. McNicol, Michael O'Sullivan, Carla M. Roesch, Casey M. Ryan, Stephen Sitch, and Aude Valade
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2497, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2497, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Southern African woodlands are important in both regional and global carbon cycles. A new carbon analysis created by combining satellite data with ecosystem modelling shows that the region has a neutral C balance overall, but with important spatial variations. Patterns of biomass and C balance across the region are the outcome of climate controls on production, vegetation-fire interactions, which determine mortality of vegetation, and spatial variations in vegetation function.
Prakash Pokhrel, Mikael Attal, Hugh D. Sinclair, Simon M. Mudd, and Mark Naylor
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 515–536, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-515-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-515-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Pebbles become increasingly rounded during downstream transport in rivers due to abrasion. This study quantifies pebble roundness along the length of two Himalayan rivers. We demonstrate that roundness increases with downstream distance and that the rates are dependent on rock type. We apply this to reconstructing travel distances and hence the size of ancient Himalaya. Results show that the ancient river network was larger than the modern one, indicating that there has been river capture.
David T. Milodowski, T. Luke Smallman, and Mathew Williams
Biogeosciences, 20, 3301–3327, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3301-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Model–data fusion (MDF) allows us to combine ecosystem models with Earth observation data. Fragmented landscapes, with a mosaic of contrasting ecosystems, pose a challenge for MDF. We develop a novel MDF framework to estimate the carbon balance of fragmented landscapes and show the importance of accounting for ecosystem heterogeneity to prevent scale-dependent bias in estimated carbon fluxes, disturbance fluxes in particular, and to improve ecological fidelity of the calibrated models.
Selena Georgiou, Edward T. A. Mitchard, Bart Crezee, Paul I. Palmer, Greta C. Dargie, Sofie Sjögersten, Corneille E. N. Ewango, Ovide B. Emba, Joseph T. Kanyama, Pierre Bola, Jean-Bosco N. Ndjango, Nicholas T. Girkin, Yannick E. Bocko, Suspense A. Ifo, and Simon L. Lewis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-580, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-580, 2022
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Two major vegetation types, hardwood trees and palms, overlay the Central Congo Basin peatland complex, each dominant in different locations. We investigated the influence of terrain and climatological variables on their distribution, using a regression model, and found elevation and seasonal rainfall and temperature contribute significantly. There are indications of an optimal range of net water input for palm swamp to dominate, above and below which hardwood swamp dominates.
Fiona J. Clubb, Eliot F. Weir, and Simon M. Mudd
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 437–456, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-437-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-437-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
River valleys are important components of mountain systems: they are the most fertile part of landscapes and store sediment which is transported from mountains to surrounding basins. Our knowledge of the location and shape of valleys is hindered by our ability to measure them over large areas. We present a new method for measuring the width of mountain valleys continuously along river channels from digital topography and show that our method can be used to test common models of river widening.
Thomas Luke Smallman, David Thomas Milodowski, Eráclito Sousa Neto, Gerbrand Koren, Jean Ometto, and Mathew Williams
Earth Syst. Dynam., 12, 1191–1237, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-12-1191-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-12-1191-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Our study provides a novel assessment of model parameter, structure and climate change scenario uncertainty contribution to future predictions of the Brazilian terrestrial carbon stocks to 2100. We calibrated (2001–2017) five models of the terrestrial C cycle of varied structure. The calibrated models were then projected to 2100 under multiple climate change scenarios. Parameter uncertainty dominates overall uncertainty, being ~ 40 times that of either model structure or climate change scenario.
Maurizio Santoro, Oliver Cartus, Nuno Carvalhais, Danaë M. A. Rozendaal, Valerio Avitabile, Arnan Araza, Sytze de Bruin, Martin Herold, Shaun Quegan, Pedro Rodríguez-Veiga, Heiko Balzter, João Carreiras, Dmitry Schepaschenko, Mikhail Korets, Masanobu Shimada, Takuya Itoh, Álvaro Moreno Martínez, Jura Cavlovic, Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Polyanna da Conceição Bispo, Nasheta Dewnath, Nicolas Labrière, Jingjing Liang, Jeremy Lindsell, Edward T. A. Mitchard, Alexandra Morel, Ana Maria Pacheco Pascagaza, Casey M. Ryan, Ferry Slik, Gaia Vaglio Laurin, Hans Verbeeck, Arief Wijaya, and Simon Willcock
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 3927–3950, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3927-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3927-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Forests play a crucial role in Earth’s carbon cycle. To understand the carbon cycle better, we generated a global dataset of forest above-ground biomass, i.e. carbon stocks, from satellite data of 2010. This dataset provides a comprehensive and detailed portrait of the distribution of carbon in forests, although for dense forests in the tropics values are somewhat underestimated. This dataset will have a considerable impact on climate, carbon, and socio-economic modelling schemes.
Daniel L. Evans, John N. Quinton, Andrew M. Tye, Ángel Rodés, Jessica A. C. Davies, Simon M. Mudd, and Timothy A. Quine
SOIL, 5, 253–263, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-253-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-253-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Policy to conserve thinning arable soils relies on a balance between the rates of soil erosion and soil formation. Our knowledge of the latter is meagre. Here, we present soil formation rates for an arable hillslope, the first of their kind globally, and a woodland hillslope, the first of their kind in Europe. Rates range between 26 and 96 mm kyr−1. On the arable site, erosion rates are 2 orders of magnitude greater, and in a worst-case scenario, bedrock exposure could occur in 212 years.
Boris Gailleton, Simon M. Mudd, Fiona J. Clubb, Daniel Peifer, and Martin D. Hurst
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 211–230, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-211-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-211-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The shape of landscapes is influenced by climate changes, faulting or the nature of the rocks under the surface. One of the most sensitive parts of the landscape to these changes is the river system that eventually adapts to such changes by adapting its slope, the most extreme example being a waterfall. We here present an algorithm that extracts changes in river slope over large areas from satellite data with the aim of investigating climatic, tectonic or geologic changes in the landscape.
Alexandru T. Codilean, Henry Munack, Timothy J. Cohen, Wanchese M. Saktura, Andrew Gray, and Simon M. Mudd
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 2123–2139, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-2123-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-2123-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
OCTOPUS is a database of cosmogenic radionuclide and luminescence measurements in fluvial sediment made available to the research community via an Open Geospatial Consortium compliant web service. OCTOPUS and its associated data curation framework provide the opportunity for researchers to reuse previously published but otherwise unusable CRN and luminescence data. This delivers the potential to harness old but valuable data that would otherwise be lost to the research community.
Simon M. Mudd, Fiona J. Clubb, Boris Gailleton, and Martin D. Hurst
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 505–523, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-505-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-505-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers can reveal information about erosion rates, tectonics, and climate. In order to make meaningful inferences about these influences, one must be able to compare headwaters to downstream parts of the river network. We describe new methods for normalizing river steepness for drainage area to better understand how rivers record erosion rates in eroding landscapes.
Guillaume C. H. Goodwin, Simon M. Mudd, and Fiona J. Clubb
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 239–255, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-239-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-239-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Salt marshes are valuable environments that provide multiple services to coastal communities. However, their fast-paced evolution poses a challenge to monitoring campaigns due to time-consuming processing. The Topographic Identification of Platforms (TIP) method uses high-resolution topographic data to automatically detect the limits of salt marsh platforms within a landscape. The TIP method provides sufficient accuracy to monitor salt marsh change over time, facilitating coastal management.
Fiona J. Clubb, Simon M. Mudd, David T. Milodowski, Declan A. Valters, Louise J. Slater, Martin D. Hurst, and Ajay B. Limaye
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 369–385, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-369-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-369-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Floodplains and fluvial terraces can provide information about current and past river systems, helping to reveal how channels respond to changes in both climate and tectonics. We present a new method of identifying these features objectively from digital elevation models by analysing their slope and elevation compared to the modern river. We test our method in eight field sites, and find that it provides rapid and reliable extraction of floodplains and terraces across a range of landscapes.
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.
M. B. Collins and E. T. A. Mitchard
Biogeosciences, 12, 6637–6653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-6637-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-6637-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We integrated satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR), lidar, and forest plot data to calculate the amount and loss of above-ground biomass in remaining tall natural forests in a section of Sumatra, with quantified uncertainties. We estimate very high deforestation rates of 3.8% yr-1 and the loss of 11.3% remaining forest biomass in only 3 years. L-band SAR is valuable for penetrating cloud for deforestation analyses and for reliably estimating the carbon emissions from land use change.
M. Attal, S. M. Mudd, M. D. Hurst, B. Weinman, K. Yoo, and M. Naylor
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 201–222, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-201-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-201-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Steeper landscapes tend to erode faster. In this study, we also find that sediment produced on steeper landscapes is coarser. Soils are coarser because fragments spend less time in the soil so are less exposed to processes that can break them down. Change in sediment sources impact the sediment transported by rivers: rivers transport sediment up to cobble size in low-slope, soil-mantled areas; they transport much coarser sediment (including boulders supplied from landslides) in the steep areas.
Related subject area
Cross-cutting themes: Digital Landscapes: Insights into geomorphological processes from high-resolution topography and quantitative interrogation of topographic data
Geomorphic indicators of continental-scale landscape transience in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet, China
Evaluating the accuracy of binary classifiers for geomorphic applications
Massive sediment pulses triggered by a multi-stage 130 000 m3 alpine cliff fall (Hochvogel, DE–AT)
Multi-sensor monitoring and data integration reveal cyclical destabilization of the Äußeres Hochebenkar rock glacier
Size, shape and orientation matter: fast and semi-automatic measurement of grain geometries from 3D point clouds
Rockfall trajectory reconstruction: a flexible method utilizing video footage and high-resolution terrain models
Drainage reorganization induces deviations in the scaling between valley width and drainage area
Unraveling the hydrology and sediment balance of an ungauged lake in the Sudano-Sahelian region of West Africa using remote sensing
Comparative analysis of the Copernicus, TanDEM-X, and UAV-SfM digital elevation models to estimate lavaka (gully) volumes and mobilization rates in the Lake Alaotra region (Madagascar)
Beyond 2D landslide inventories and their rollover: synoptic 3D inventories and volume from repeat lidar data
Coastal change patterns from time series clustering of permanent laser scan data
Measurement of rock glacier surface change over different timescales using terrestrial laser scanning point clouds
Short communication: A semiautomated method for bulk fault slip analysis from topographic scarp profiles
Short Communication: A simple workflow for robust low-cost UAV-derived change detection without ground control points
Computing water flow through complex landscapes – Part 1: Incorporating depressions in flow routing using FlowFill
Relationships between regional coastal land cover distributions and elevation reveal data uncertainty in a sea-level rise impacts model
A segmentation approach for the reproducible extraction and quantification of knickpoints from river long profiles
A method based on structure-from-motion photogrammetry to generate sub-millimetre-resolution digital elevation models for investigating rock breakdown features
A comparison of structure from motion photogrammetry and the traversing micro-erosion meter for measuring erosion on shore platforms
Measuring decadal vertical land-level changes from SRTM-C (2000) and TanDEM-X ( ∼ 2015) in the south-central Andes
Bank erosion processes measured with UAV-SfM along complex banklines of a straight mid-sized river reach
Identification of stable areas in unreferenced laser scans for automated geomorphometric monitoring
Unsupervised detection of salt marsh platforms: a topographic method
The determination of high-resolution spatio-temporal glacier motion fields from time-lapse sequences
Bumps in river profiles: uncertainty assessment and smoothing using quantile regression techniques
Unravelling earth flow dynamics with 3-D time series derived from UAV-SfM models
Tree-root control of shallow landslides
Automated terrestrial laser scanning with near-real-time change detection – monitoring of the Séchilienne landslide
Validation of digital elevation models (DEMs) and comparison of geomorphic metrics on the southern Central Andean Plateau
3-D models and structural analysis of rock avalanches: the study of the deformation process to better understand the propagation mechanism
Frontiers in Geomorphometry and Earth Surface Dynamics: possibilities, limitations and perspectives
How does grid-resolution modulate the topographic expression of geomorphic processes?
Suitability of ground-based SfM–MVS for monitoring glacial and periglacial processes
Image-based surface reconstruction in geomorphometry – merits, limits and developments
Topography-based flow-directional roughness: potential and challenges
A nondimensional framework for exploring the relief structure of landscapes
Tracing the boundaries of Cenozoic volcanic edifices from Sardinia (Italy): a geomorphometric contribution
Transitional relation exploration for typical loess geomorphologic types based on slope spectrum characteristics
Extracting topographic swath profiles across curved geomorphic features
Short Communication: TopoToolbox 2 – MATLAB-based software for topographic analysis and modeling in Earth surface sciences
Katrina D. Gelwick, Sean D. Willett, and Rong Yang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 783–800, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-783-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-783-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluated the intensity and spatial extent of landscape change in the Hengduan Mountains by identifying areas where river network reorganization is occurring or expected in the future. We combine four metrics that measure topographic imbalances at different spatial and temporal scales. Our study provides a deeper understanding of the dynamic nature of the Hengduan Mountains landscape and associated drivers, such as tectonic uplift, and insights for applying similar methods elsewhere.
Matthew William Rossi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 765–782, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-765-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Accurately identifying the presence and absence of landforms is important to inferring processes and testing numerical models of landscape evolution. Using synthetic scenarios, I show that the Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) should be favored over the F1 score when comparing accuracy across scenes where landform abundances vary. Despite the resilience of MCC to imbalanced data, strong sensitivity to the size and shape of features can still occur when truth and model data are misaligned.
Natalie Barbosa, Johannes Leinauer, Juilson Jubanski, Michael Dietze, Ulrich Münzer, Florian Siegert, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 249–269, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-249-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-249-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Massive sediment pulses in catchments are a key alpine multi-risk component. Combining high-resolution aerial imagery and seismic information, we decipher a multi-stage >130.000 m³ rockfall and subsequent sediment pulses over 4 years, reflecting sediment deposition up to 10 m, redistribution in the basin, and finally debouchure to the outlet. This study provides generic information on spatial and temporal patterns of massive sediment pulses in highly charged alpine catchments.
Lea Hartl, Thomas Zieher, Magnus Bremer, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Vivien Zahs, Bernhard Höfle, Christoph Klug, and Alessandro Cicoira
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 117–147, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-117-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-117-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The rock glacier in Äußeres Hochebenkar (Austria) moved faster in 2021–2022 than it has in about 70 years of monitoring. It is currently destabilizing. Using a combination of different data types and methods, we show that there have been two cycles of destabilization at Hochebenkar and provide a detailed analysis of velocity and surface changes. Because our time series are very long and show repeated destabilization, this helps us better understand the processes of rock glacier destabilization.
Philippe Steer, Laure Guerit, Dimitri Lague, Alain Crave, and Aurélie Gourdon
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1211–1232, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1211-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1211-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The morphology and size of sediments influence erosion efficiency, sediment transport and the quality of aquatic ecosystem. In turn, the spatial evolution of sediment size provides information on the past dynamics of erosion and sediment transport. We have developed a new software which semi-automatically identifies and measures sediments based on 3D point clouds. This software is fast and efficient, offering a new avenue to measure the geometrical properties of large numbers of sediment grains.
François Noël, Michel Jaboyedoff, Andrin Caviezel, Clément Hibert, Franck Bourrier, and Jean-Philippe Malet
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1141–1164, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1141-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1141-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rockfall simulations are often performed to make sure infrastructure is safe. For that purpose, rockfall trajectory data are needed to calibrate the simulation models. In this paper, an affordable, flexible, and efficient trajectory reconstruction method is proposed. The method is tested by reconstructing trajectories from a full-scale rockfall experiment involving 2670 kg rocks and a flexible barrier. The results highlight improvements in precision and accuracy of the proposed method.
Elhanan Harel, Liran Goren, Onn Crouvi, Hanan Ginat, and Eitan Shelef
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 875–894, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-875-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-875-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Drainage reorganization redistributes drainage area across basins, resulting in channel and valley widths that may be unproportional to the new drainage area. We demonstrate scaling between valley width and drainage area in reorganized drainages that deviates from scaling in non-reorganized drainages. Further, deviation patterns are associated with different reorganization categories. Our findings are consequential for studies that rely on this scaling for valley width estimation.
Silvan Ragettli, Tabea Donauer, Peter Molnar, Ron Delnoije, and Tobias Siegfried
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 797–815, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-797-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-797-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a novel methodology to identify and quantitatively analyze deposition and erosion patterns in ephemeral ponds or in perennial lakes with strong water level fluctuations. We apply this method to unravel the water and sediment balance of Lac Wégnia, a designated Ramsar site in Mali. The study can be a showcase for monitoring Sahelian lakes using remote sensing data, as it sheds light on the actual drivers of change in Sahelian lakes.
Liesa Brosens, Benjamin Campforts, Gerard Govers, Emilien Aldana-Jague, Vao Fenotiana Razanamahandry, Tantely Razafimbelo, Tovonarivo Rafolisy, and Liesbet Jacobs
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 209–227, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-209-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-209-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Obtaining accurate information on the volume of geomorphic features typically requires high-resolution topographic data, which are often not available. Here, we show that the globally available 12 m TanDEM-X DEM can be used to accurately estimate gully volumes and establish an area–volume relationship after applying a correction. This allowed us to get a first estimate of the amount of sediment that has been mobilized by large gullies (lavaka) in central Madagascar over the past 70 years.
Thomas G. Bernard, Dimitri Lague, and Philippe Steer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1013–1044, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1013-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1013-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Both landslide mapping and volume estimation accuracies are crucial to quantify landscape evolution and manage such a natural hazard. We developed a method to robustly detect landslides and measure their volume from repeat 3D point cloud lidar data. This method detects more landslides than classical 2D inventories and resolves known issues of indirect volume measurement. Our results also suggest that the number of small landslides classically detected from 2D imagery is underestimated.
Mieke Kuschnerus, Roderik Lindenbergh, and Sander Vos
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 89–103, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-89-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-89-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Sandy coasts are areas that undergo a lot of changes, which are caused by different influences, such as tides, wind or human activity. Permanent laser scanning is used to generate a three-dimensional representation of a part of the coast continuously over an extended period. By comparing three unsupervised learning algorithms, we develop a methodology to analyse the resulting data set and derive which processes are dominating changes in the beach and dunes.
Veit Ulrich, Jack G. Williams, Vivien Zahs, Katharina Anders, Stefan Hecht, and Bernhard Höfle
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 19–28, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-19-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-19-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this work, we use 3D point clouds to detect topographic changes across the surface of a rock glacier. These changes are presented as the relative contribution of surface change during a 3-week period to the annual surface change. By comparing these different time periods and looking at change in different directions, we provide estimates showing that different directions of surface change are dominant at different times of the year. This demonstrates the benefit of frequent monitoring.
Franklin D. Wolfe, Timothy A. Stahl, Pilar Villamor, and Biljana Lukovic
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 211–219, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-211-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-211-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This short communication presents an efficient method for analyzing large fault scarp data sets. The programs and workflow required are open-source and the methodology is easy to use; thus the barrier to entry is low. This tool can be applied to a broad range of active tectonic studies. A case study in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, exemplifies the novelty of this tool by generating results that are consistent with extensive field campaigns in only a few hours at a work station.
Kristen L. Cook and Michael Dietze
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 1009–1017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1009-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1009-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
UAVs have become popular tools for detecting topographic changes. Traditionally, detecting small amounts of change between two UAV surveys requires each survey to be highly accurate. We take an alternative approach and present a simple processing workflow that produces survey pairs or sets that are highly consistent with each other, even when the overall accuracy is relatively low. This greatly increases our ability to detect changes in settings where ground control is not possible.
Kerry L. Callaghan and Andrew D. Wickert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 737–753, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-737-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-737-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Lakes and swales are real landscape features but are generally treated as data errors when calculating water flow across a surface. This is a problem because depressions can store water and fragment drainage networks. Until now, there has been no good generalized approach to calculate which depressions fill and overflow and which do not. We addressed this problem by simulating runoff flow across a landscape, selectively flooding depressions and more realistically connecting lakes and rivers.
Erika E. Lentz, Nathaniel G. Plant, and E. Robert Thieler
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 429–438, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-429-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-429-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Our findings examine several data inputs for probabilistic regional sea-level rise (SLR) impact predictions. To predict coastal response to SLR, detailed information on the landscape, including elevation, vegetation, and/or level of development, is needed. However, we find that the inherent relationship between elevation and land cover datasets (e.g., beaches tend to be low lying) is used to reduce error in a coastal response to SLR model, suggesting new applications for areas of limited data.
Boris Gailleton, Simon M. Mudd, Fiona J. Clubb, Daniel Peifer, and Martin D. Hurst
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 211–230, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-211-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-211-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The shape of landscapes is influenced by climate changes, faulting or the nature of the rocks under the surface. One of the most sensitive parts of the landscape to these changes is the river system that eventually adapts to such changes by adapting its slope, the most extreme example being a waterfall. We here present an algorithm that extracts changes in river slope over large areas from satellite data with the aim of investigating climatic, tectonic or geologic changes in the landscape.
Ankit Kumar Verma and Mary Carol Bourke
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 45–66, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-45-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-45-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The article describes the development of a portable triangle control target to register structure-from-motion-derived topographic data. We were able to generate sub-millimetre-resolution 3-D models with sub-millimetre accuracy. We verified the accuracy of our models in an experiment and demonstrated the potential of our method by collecting microtopographic data on weathered Moenkopi sandstone in Arizona. The results from our study confirm the efficacy of our method at sub-millimetre scale.
Niamh Danielle Cullen, Ankit Kumar Verma, and Mary Clare Bourke
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1023–1039, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1023-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1023-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This research article provides a comparison between the traditional method of measuring erosion on rock shore platforms using a traversing micro-erosion meter (TMEM) and a new approach using structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry. Our results indicate that SfM photogrammetry offers several advantages over the TMEM, allowing for erosion measurement at different scales on rock surfaces with low roughness while also providing a means to identify different processes and styles of erosion.
Benjamin Purinton and Bodo Bookhagen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 971–987, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-971-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-971-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We show a new use for the SRTM-C digital elevation model from February 2000 and the newer TanDEM-X dataset from ~ 2015. We difference the datasets over hillslopes and gravel-bed channels to extract vertical land-level changes. These signals are associated with incision, aggradation, and landsliding. This requires careful correction of the SRTM-C biases using the TanDEM-X and propagation of significant uncertainties. The method can be applied to moderate relief areas with SRTM-C coverage.
Gonzalo Duró, Alessandra Crosato, Maarten G. Kleinhans, and Wim S. J. Uijttewaal
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 933–953, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-933-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-933-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The challenge to measure three-dimensional bank irregularities in a mid-sized river reach can be quickly solved in the field flying a drone with ground-control points and later applying structure from motion photogrammetry. We tested a simple approach that achieved sufficient resolution and accuracy to identify the full bank erosion cycle, including undermining. This is an easy-to-use and quickly deployed survey alternative to measure bank erosion processes along extended distances.
Daniel Wujanz, Michael Avian, Daniel Krueger, and Frank Neitzel
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 303–317, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-303-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-303-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The importance of increasing the degree of automation in the context of monitoring natural hazards or geological phenomena is apparent. A vital step in the processing chain of monitoring deformations is the transformation of captured epochs into a common reference systems. This led to the motivation to develop an algorithm that realistically carries out this task. The algorithm was tested on three different geomorphic events while the results were quite satisfactory.
Guillaume C. H. Goodwin, Simon M. Mudd, and Fiona J. Clubb
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 239–255, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-239-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-239-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Salt marshes are valuable environments that provide multiple services to coastal communities. However, their fast-paced evolution poses a challenge to monitoring campaigns due to time-consuming processing. The Topographic Identification of Platforms (TIP) method uses high-resolution topographic data to automatically detect the limits of salt marsh platforms within a landscape. The TIP method provides sufficient accuracy to monitor salt marsh change over time, facilitating coastal management.
Ellen Schwalbe and Hans-Gerd Maas
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 861–879, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-861-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-861-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The simple use of time-lapse cameras as a visual observation tool may already be a great help for environmental investigations. However, beyond that, they have the potential to also deliver precise measurements with high temporal and spatial resolution when applying appropriate processing techniques. In this paper we introduce a method for the determination of glacier motion fields from time-lapse images, but it might also be adapted for other environmental motion analysis tasks.
Wolfgang Schwanghart and Dirk Scherler
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 821–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-821-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-821-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
River profiles derived from digital elevation models are affected by errors. Here we present two new algorithms – quantile carving and the CRS algorithm – to hydrologically correct river profiles. Both algorithms preserve the downstream decreasing shape of river profiles, while CRS additionally smooths profiles to avoid artificial steps. Our algorithms are able to cope with the problems of overestimation and asymmetric error distributions.
François Clapuyt, Veerle Vanacker, Fritz Schlunegger, and Kristof Van Oost
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 791–806, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-791-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-791-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This work aims at understanding the behaviour of an earth flow located in the Swiss Alps by reconstructing very accurately its topography over a 2-year period. Aerial photos taken from a drone, which are then processed using a computer vision algorithm, were used to derive the topographic datasets. Combination and careful interpretation of high-resolution topographic analyses reveal the internal mechanisms of the earthflow and its complex rotational structure, which is evolving over time.
Denis Cohen and Massimiliano Schwarz
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 451–477, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-451-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-451-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Tree roots reinforce soils on slopes. A new slope stability model is presented that computes root reinforcement including the effects of root heterogeneities and dependence of root strength on tensile and compressive strain. Our results show that roots stabilize slopes that would otherwise fail under a rainfall event. Tension in roots is more effective than compression. Redistribution of forces in roots across the hillslope plays a key role in the stability of the slope during rainfall events.
Ryan A. Kromer, Antonio Abellán, D. Jean Hutchinson, Matt Lato, Marie-Aurelie Chanut, Laurent Dubois, and Michel Jaboyedoff
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 293–310, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-293-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-293-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We developed and tested an automated terrestrial laser scanning (ATLS) system with near-real-time change detection at the Séchilienne landslide. We monitored the landslide for a 6-week period collecting a point cloud every 30 min. We detected various slope processes including movement of scree material, pre-failure deformation of discrete rockfall events and deformation of the main landslide body. This system allows the study of slope processes a high level of temporal detail.
Benjamin Purinton and Bodo Bookhagen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 211–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-211-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-211-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluate the 12 m TanDEM-X DEM for geomorphometry and compare elevation accuracy (using over 300 000 dGPS measurements) and geomorphic metrics (e.g., slope and curvature) to other modern satellite-derived DEMs. The optically generated 5 m ALOS World 3D is less useful due to high-frequency noise. Despite improvements in radar-derived satellite DEMs, which are useful for elevation differencing and catchment analysis, lidar data are still necessary for fine-scale analysis of hillslope processes.
Céline Longchamp, Antonio Abellan, Michel Jaboyedoff, and Irene Manzella
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 743–755, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-743-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-743-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The main objective of this research is to analyze rock avalanche dynamics by means of a detailed structural analysis of the deposits coming from data of 3-D measurements. The studied deposits are of different magnitude: (1) decimeter level scale laboratory experiments and (2) well-studied rock avalanches.
Filtering techniques were developed and applied to a 3-D dataset in order to detect fault structures present in the deposits and to propose kinematic mechanisms for the propagation.
Giulia Sofia, John K. Hillier, and Susan J. Conway
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 721–725, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-721-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-721-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The interdisciplinarity of geomorphometry is its greatest strength and one of its major challenges. This special issue showcases exciting developments that are the building blocks for the next step-change in the field. In reading and compiling the contributions we hope that the scientific community will be inspired to seek out collaborations and share ideas across subject-boundaries, between technique-developers and users, enabling us as a community to gather knowledge from our digital landscape
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.
Livia Piermattei, Luca Carturan, Fabrizio de Blasi, Paolo Tarolli, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana, Antonio Vettore, and Norbert Pfeifer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 425–443, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-425-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-425-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the applicability of the SfM–MVS approach for calculating the geodetic mass balance of a glacier and for the detection of the surface displacement rate of an active rock glacier located in the eastern Italian Alps. The results demonstrate that it is possible to reliably quantify the investigated glacial and periglacial processes by means of a quick ground-based photogrammetric survey that was conducted using a consumer grade SRL camera and natural targets as ground control points.
Anette Eltner, Andreas Kaiser, Carlos Castillo, Gilles Rock, Fabian Neugirg, and Antonio Abellán
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 359–389, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-359-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-359-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Three-dimensional reconstruction of earth surfaces from overlapping images is a promising tool for geoscientists. The method is very flexible, cost-efficient and easy to use, leading to a high variability in applications at different scales. Performance evaluation reveals that good accuracies are achievable but depend on the requirements of the individual case study. Future applications and developments (i.e. big data) will consolidate this essential tool for digital surface mapping.
Sebastiano Trevisani and Marco Cavalli
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 343–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-343-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-343-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The generalization of the concept of roughness implies the need to refer to a family of roughness indices capturing specific aspects of surface morphology. We test the application of a flow-oriented directional measure of roughness based on the geostatistical index MAD (median of absolute directional differences), computed considering gravity-driven flow direction. The use of flow-directional roughness improves geomorphometric modeling and the interpretation of landscape morphology.
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.
M. T. Melis, F. Mundula, F. DessÌ, R. Cioni, and A. Funedda
Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 481–492, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-481-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-481-2014, 2014
S. Zhao and W. Cheng
Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 433–441, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-433-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-433-2014, 2014
S. Hergarten, J. Robl, and K. Stüwe
Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 97–104, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-97-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-97-2014, 2014
W. Schwanghart and D. Scherler
Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 1–7, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-1-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-1-2014, 2014
Short summary
Rock is exposed at the Earth surface when erosion rates locally exceed rates of soil production. This transition is marked by a diagnostic increase in topographic roughness, which we demonstrate can be a powerful indicator of the location of rock outcrop in a landscape. Using this to explore how hillslopes in two landscapes respond to increasing erosion rates, we find that the transition from soil-mantled to bedrock hillslopes is patchy and spatially heterogeneous.
Rock is exposed at the Earth surface when erosion rates locally exceed rates of soil production....
