This paper describes the erosion processes of a small black marl catchment. It is based on terrestrial laser scanner digital elevation model campaigns. A detailed sediment budget is performed, leading to a seasonal sediment transport pattern described spatially and temporally. The link with precipitation intensities and duration is analysed, leading to a conceptual model of erosion that provides clear input for future research regarding potential impacts of climate change on erosion processes.

To better understand how rainfall, erosion, and other landscape processes create patterns of outflow from catchments, we developed a new way of measuring how the land surface is organized. Each hillslope area, where water and sediment are sourced, has an elevation above the catchment outlet and a horizontal distance that materials must travel to reach the outlet. We combined these attributes in a new metric that captures how the production and loss of energy varies within and between catchments.

In order to test the assumption that erosion rates derived from Be-10 are not affected by increases in erosion due to contemporary agricultural land use, we measured erosion rates in three tributaries of the Mekong River. We find that in the most heavily agricultural landscapes, the apparent long-term erosion rate correlates best with measures of modern land use, suggesting that agriculture has eroded below the mixed layer and is affecting apparent erosion rates derived from Be-10.

The ice sheets that once spread across northern North America dramatically changed the drainage basin areas and discharges of rivers across the continent. As these ice sheets retreated, starting around 19 500 years ago, they sent meltwater to the oceans, influencing climate and building a geologic record of deglaciation. This record can be used to evaluate ice-sheet reconstructions and build an improved history and understanding of past ice-sheet collapse across North America.

Complex sandy coastlines, such as capes and spits, are important socio-economically while underpinning and protecting important natural habitats. Although they may protect inshore areas, they are inherently fragile and susceptible to erosion. We have explored how spits and capes might adapt to changing wave climate through modelling. We find that coastlines may not be in equilibrium with current conditions, and past shapes may strongly influence those adapting to new wave climates.

Spatial bedrock erosion data from stream channels are important for engineering issues and landscape evolution model assessment. However, acquiring such data is challenging and only few data sets exist. Detecting changes in repeated photographs of painted bedrock surfaces easily allows for semi-quantitative conclusions on the spatial distribution of sediment transport and its effects: abrasion on surfaces facing the streamflow and shielding of surfaces by abundant sediment.

We quantify the glacial legacy of Holocene erosion at the eastern edge of the European Alps and add insight to the debate on drivers of Alpine erosion. We present the first data explicitly comparing ¹⁰Be-based erosion rates in previously glaciated and non-glaciated basins (n = 26). Erosion rates vary 5-fold across the region, correlating with local topography and glacial history. Our approach and unique study site allow us to isolate the role of glacial topographic legacies from other controls.