Articles | Volume 7, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-609-2019
© Author(s) 2019. 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-7-609-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
01 Jul 2019
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 01 Jul 2019
| 01 Jul 2019
Alluvial channel response to environmental perturbations: fill-terrace formation and sediment-signal disruption
Institut für Umweltwissenschaften und Geographie, Universität Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Helmholtz Zentrum Potsdam, GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Sara Savi
Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476
Potsdam, Germany
Andrew D. Wickert
Department of Earth Sciences and Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Aaron Bufe
Helmholtz Zentrum Potsdam, GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Taylor F. Schildgen
Helmholtz Zentrum Potsdam, GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Potsdam, 14476
Potsdam, Germany
Related authors
Elizabeth Orr, Taylor Schildgen, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, and Ricardo Alonso
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, 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.
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.
Sophia Dosch, Niels Hovius, Marisa Repasch, Joel Scheingross, Jens M. Turowski, Stefanie Tofelde, Oliver Rach, and Dirk Sachse
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2485, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2485, 2023
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 river bed, 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 investigations globally.
Sara Savi, Stefanie Tofelde, Andrew D. Wickert, Aaron Bufe, Taylor F. Schildgen, and Manfred R. Strecker
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 303–322, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-303-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-303-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial deposits record changes in water and sediment supply. As such, they are often used to reconstruct the tectonic or climatic history of a basin. In this study we used an experimental setting to analyze how fluvial deposits register changes in water or sediment supply at a confluence zone. We provide a new conceptual framework that may help understanding the construction of these deposits under different forcings conditions, information crucial to correctly inferring the history of a basin.
Sara Savi, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, Fabiana Castino, and Taylor Schildgen
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-30, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-30, 2017
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
When using cosmogenic nuclides to determine exposure ages or denudation rates in rapidly evolving landscapes, challenges arise related to the small number of nuclides that have accumulated in surface materials. Here we describe an approach that defines a lower threshold above which samples with low 10Be content can be statistically distinguished from laboratory blanks. This in turn dictates the meaning and reliability of the samples and their possible use.
Elizabeth Orr, Taylor Schildgen, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, and Ricardo Alonso
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, 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.
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.
Matias Romero, Shanti B. Penprase, Maximillian S. Van Wyk de Vries, Andrew D. Wickert, Andrew G. Jones, Shaun A. Marcott, Jorge A. Strelin, Mateo A. Martini, Tammy M. Rittenour, Guido Brignone, Mark D. Shapley, Emi Ito, Kelly R. MacGregor, and Marc W. Caffee
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-24, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-24, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Investigating past glaciated regions is crucial to understanding how ice sheets have responded to climate forcings and how they might respond to different emission scenarios in the near future. We use two independent dating techniques to document the timing and extent of the last two glacial cycles in southern Patagonia. Our work highlights feedbacks in the Earth’s system responsible for driving glacier growth in the Southern Hemisphere prior to the global Last Glacial Maximum.
Lingxiao Gong, Peter van der Beek, Taylor F. Schildgen, Edward R. Sobel, Simone Racano, and Apolline Mariotti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2651, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2651, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The central South Tian Shan displays a complex river pattern spatially. We choose the transition zone in between and analyse topographic and fluvial metrics along the river profile. Considering the river patterns and the timing constraints, we suggest that the river patterns were triggered by a big capture event, potentially affected by both tectonic and climate factors. This conclusion underlines the importance of local contingent factors in driving drainage development.
Andrew D. Wickert, Jabari C. Jones, and Gene-Hua Crystal Ng
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3118, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3118, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
For over a century, scientists have used a simple algebraic relationship to estimate the amount of water flowing through a river (its discharge) from the height of the flow (its stage). Here we add physical realism to this approach by explicitly representing both the channel and floodplain, thereby allowing channel and floodplain geometry and roughness to these estimates. Our proposed advance may improve predictions of floods and water resources, even when the river channel itself changes.
Sophia Dosch, Niels Hovius, Marisa Repasch, Joel Scheingross, Jens M. Turowski, Stefanie Tofelde, Oliver Rach, and Dirk Sachse
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2485, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2485, 2023
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 river bed, 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 investigations globally.
Peter van der Beek and Taylor F. Schildgen
Geochronology, 5, 35–49, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-35-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-35-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Thermochronometric data can provide unique insights into the patterns of rock exhumation and the driving mechanisms of landscape evolution. Several well-established thermal models allow for a detailed exploration of how cooling rates evolved in a limited area or along a transect, but more regional analyses have been challenging. We present age2exhume, a thermal model that can be used to rapidly provide a synoptic overview of exhumation rates from large regional thermochronologic datasets.
Aaron Bufe, Kristen L. Cook, Albert Galy, Hella Wittmann, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 513–530, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-513-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-513-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Erosion modulates Earth's carbon cycle by exposing a variety of lithologies to chemical weathering. We measured water chemistry in streams on the eastern Tibetan Plateau that drain either metasedimentary or granitoid rocks. With increasing erosion, weathering shifts from being a CO2 sink to being a CO2 source for both lithologies. However, metasedimentary rocks typically weather 2–10 times faster than granitoids, with implications for the role of lithology in modulating the carbon cycle.
Maximillian Van Wyk de Vries and Andrew D. Wickert
The Cryosphere, 15, 2115–2132, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2115-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2115-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We can measure glacier flow and sliding velocity by tracking patterns on the ice surface in satellite images. The surface velocity of glaciers provides important information to support assessments of glacier response to climate change, to improve regional assessments of ice thickness, and to assist with glacier fieldwork. Our paper describes Glacier Image Velocimetry (GIV), a new, easy-to-use, and open-source toolbox for calculating high-resolution velocity time series for any glacier on earth.
Richard Barnes, Kerry L. Callaghan, and Andrew D. Wickert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 105–121, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-105-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-105-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Existing ways of modeling the flow of water amongst landscape depressions such as swamps and lakes take a long time to run. However, as our previous work explains, depressions can be quickly organized into a data structure – the depression hierarchy. This paper explains how the depression hierarchy can be used to quickly simulate the realistic filling of depressions including how they spill over into each other and, if they become full enough, how they merge into one another.
Richard Barnes, Kerry L. Callaghan, and Andrew D. Wickert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 431–445, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-431-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-431-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Maps of elevation are used to help predict the flow of water so we can better understand landslides, floods, and global climate change. However, modeling the flow of water is difficult when elevation maps include swamps, lakes, and other depressions. This paper explains a new method that overcomes these difficulties, allowing models to run faster and more accurately.
Sara Savi, Stefanie Tofelde, Andrew D. Wickert, Aaron Bufe, Taylor F. Schildgen, and Manfred R. Strecker
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 303–322, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-303-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-303-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial deposits record changes in water and sediment supply. As such, they are often used to reconstruct the tectonic or climatic history of a basin. In this study we used an experimental setting to analyze how fluvial deposits register changes in water or sediment supply at a confluence zone. We provide a new conceptual framework that may help understanding the construction of these deposits under different forcings conditions, information crucial to correctly inferring the history of a basin.
Mitch K. D'Arcy, Taylor F. Schildgen, Jens M. Turowski, and Pedro DiNezio
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 755–771, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-755-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-755-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The age of formation of sedimentary deposits is often interpreted to record information about past environmental changes. Here, we show that the timing of abandonment of surfaces also provides valuable information. We derive a new set of equations that can be used to estimate when a sedimentary surface was abandoned based on what is known about its activity from surface dating. Estimates of abandonment age can benefit a variety of geomorphic analyses, which we illustrate with a case study.
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.
Andrew D. Wickert, Chad T. Sandell, Bobby Schulz, and Gene-Hua Crystal Ng
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2065–2076, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2065-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2065-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Measuring Earth's changing environment is a critical part of natural science, but to date most of the equipment to do so is expensive, proprietary, and difficult to customize. We addressed this challenge by developing and deploying the ALog, a low-power, lightweight, Arduino-compatible data logger. We present our hardware schematics and layouts, as well as our customizable code library that operates the ALog and helps users to link it to off-the-shelf sensors.
Leila Saberi, Rachel T. McLaughlin, G.-H. Crystal Ng, Jeff La Frenierre, Andrew D. Wickert, Michel Baraer, Wei Zhi, Li Li, and Bryan G. Mark
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 405–425, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-405-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-405-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The relationship among glacier melt, groundwater, and streamflow remains highly uncertain, especially in tropical glacierized watersheds in response to climate. We implemented a multi-method approach and found that melt contribution varies considerably and may drive streamflow variability at hourly to multi-year timescales, rather than buffer it, as commonly thought. Some of the melt contribution occurs through groundwater pathways, resulting in longer timescale interactions with streamflow.
Andrew D. Wickert and Taylor F. Schildgen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 17–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-17-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-17-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers can raise or lower their beds by depositing or eroding sediments. We combine equations for flow, channel/valley geometry, and gravel transport to learn how climate and tectonics shape down-valley profiles of river-bed elevation. Rivers steepen when they receive more sediment (relative to water) and become straighter with tectonic uplift. Weathering and breakdown of gravel is needed to produce gradually widening river channels with concave-up profiles that are often observed in the field.
G.-H. Crystal Ng, Andrew D. Wickert, Lauren D. Somers, Leila Saberi, Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff, Richard G. Niswonger, and Jeffrey M. McKenzie
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4755–4777, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4755-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4755-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The profound importance of water has led to the development of increasingly complex hydrological models. However, implementing these models is usually time-consuming and requires specialized expertise, stymieing their widespread use to support science-driven decision-making. In response, we have developed GSFLOW–GRASS, a robust and comprehensive set of software tools that can be readily used to set up and execute GSFLOW, the U.S. Geological Survey's coupled groundwater–surface-water flow model.
Sara Savi, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, Fabiana Castino, and Taylor Schildgen
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-30, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2017-30, 2017
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
When using cosmogenic nuclides to determine exposure ages or denudation rates in rapidly evolving landscapes, challenges arise related to the small number of nuclides that have accumulated in surface materials. Here we describe an approach that defines a lower threshold above which samples with low 10Be content can be statistically distinguished from laboratory blanks. This in turn dictates the meaning and reliability of the samples and their possible use.
Andrew D. Wickert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 831–869, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-831-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-831-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
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.
A. D. Wickert
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 997–1017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-997-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-997-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's lithosphere bends beneath surface loads, such as ice, sediments, and mountain belts. The pattern of this bending, or flexural isostatic response, is a function of both the loads and the spatially variable strength of the lithosphere. gFlex is an easy-to-use program to calculate flexural isostastic response, and may be used to better understand how ice sheets, glaciers, large lakes, sedimentary basins, volcanoes, and other surface loads interact with the solid Earth.
Related subject area
Physical: Geomorphology (including all aspects of fluvial, coastal, aeolian, hillslope and glacial geomorphology)
Role of the forcing sources in morphodynamic modelling of an embayed beach
A machine learning approach to the geomorphometric detection of ribbed moraines in Norway
Stream hydrology controls on ice cliff evolution and survival on debris-covered glaciers
Time-varying drainage basin development and erosion on volcanic edifices
Geomorphic risk maps for river migration using probabilistic modeling – a framework
Evolution of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans: insights from geomorphic experiments and morphodynamic models
Riverine sediment response to deforestation in the Amazon basin
Physical modeling of ice-sheet-induced salt movements using the example of northern Germany
Downstream rounding rate of pebbles in the Himalaya
A physics-based model for fluvial valley width
Implications for the resilience of modern coastal systems derived from mesoscale barrier dynamics at Fire Island, New York
Quantifying the migration rate of drainage divides from high-resolution topographic data
Long-term monitoring (1953–2019) of geomorphologically active sections of Little Ice Age lateral moraines in the context of changing meteorological conditions
Coevolving edge rounding and shape of glacial erratics: the case of Shap granite, UK
Pliocene shorelines and the epeirogenic motion of continental margins: A target dataset for dynamic topography models
Dimensionless argument: a narrow grain size range near 2 mm plays a special role in river sediment transport and morphodynamics
Path length and sediment transport estimation from DEMs of difference: a signal processing approach
Influence of cohesive clay on wave–current ripple dynamics captured in a 3D phase diagram
Statistical characterization of erosion and sediment transport mechanics in shallow tidal environments – Part 1: Erosion dynamics
Statistical characterization of erosion and sediment transport mechanics in shallow tidal environments – Part 2: Suspended sediment dynamics
Geomorphological and hydrological controls on sediment export in earthquake-affected catchments in the Nepal Himalaya
Optimization of passive acoustic bedload monitoring in rivers by signal inversion
Stochastic properties of coastal flooding events – Part 2: Probabilistic analysis
Field monitoring of pore water pressure in fully and partly saturated debris flows at Ohya landslide scar, Japan
Analysis of autogenic bifurcation processes resulting in river avulsion
Bedload transport fluctuations, flow conditions, and disequilibrium ratio at the Swiss Erlenbach stream: results from 27 years of high-resolution temporal measurements
Stochastic properties of coastal flooding events – Part 1: convolutional-neural-network-based semantic segmentation for water detection
Coexistence of two dune scales in a lowland river
Alpine hillslope failure in the western US: insights from the Chaos Canyon landslide, Rocky Mountain National Park, USA
Using repeat UAV-based laser scanning and multispectral imagery to explore eco-geomorphic feedbacks along a river corridor
Numerical modelling of the evolution of a river reach with a complex morphology to help define future sustainable restoration decisions
Method to evaluate large-wood behavior in terms of the convection equation associated with sediment erosion and deposition
Effects of seasonal variations in vegetation and precipitation on catchment erosion rates along a climate and ecological gradient: insights from numerical modeling
On the use of convolutional deep learning to predict shoreline change
On the use of packing models for the prediction of fluvial sediment porosity
Automated riverbed composition analysis using deep learning on underwater images
Marsh-induced backwater: the influence of non-fluvial sedimentation on a delta's channel morphology and kinematics
Spatial and temporal variations in rockwall erosion rates derived from cosmogenic 10Be in medial moraines at five valley glaciers around Pigne d'Arolla, Switzerland
Building a bimodal landscape: bedrock lithology and bed thickness controls on the morphology of Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico, USA
Geotechnical controls on erodibility in fluvial impact erosion
Linear-stability analysis of plane beds under flows with suspended loads
Estimating surface water availability in high mountain rock slopes using a numerical energy balance model
Sediment source and sink identification using Sentinel-2 and a small network of turbidimeters on the Vjosa River
Spatiotemporal bedload transport patterns over two-dimensional bedforms
Ice-buttressing-controlled rock slope failure on a cirque headwall, Lake District, UK
The probabilistic nature of dune collisions in 2D
Shape still matters: rockfall interactions with trees and deadwood in a mountain forest uncover a new facet of rock shape dependency
Earthquake contributions to coastal cliff retreat
Morphologic and morphometric differences between gullies formed in different substrates on Mars: new insights into the gully formation processes
Testing the sensitivity of the CAESAR-Lisflood landscape evolution model to grid cell size
Nil Carrion-Bertran, Albert Falqués, Francesca Ribas, Daniel Calvete, Rinse de Swart, Ruth Durán, Candela Marco-Peretó, Marta Marcos, Angel Amores, Tim Toomey, Àngels Fernández-Mora, and Jorge Guillén
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 819–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-819-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-819-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The sensitivity to the wave and sea-level forcing sources in predicting a 6-month embayed beach evolution is assessed using two different morphodynamic models. After a successful model calibration using in situ data, other sources are applied. The wave source choice is critical: hindcast data provide wrong results due to an angle bias, whilst the correct dynamics are recovered with the wave conditions from an offshore buoy. The use of different sea-level sources gives no significant differences.
Thomas J. Barnes, Thomas V. Schuler, Simon Filhol, and Karianne S. Lilleøren
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 801–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-801-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-801-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we use machine learning to automatically outline landforms based on their characteristics. We test several methods to identify the most accurate and then proceed to develop the most accurate to improve its accuracy further. We manage to outline landforms with 65 %–75 % accuracy, at a resolution of 10 m, thanks to high-quality/high-resolution elevation data. We find that it is possible to run this method at a country scale to quickly produce landform inventories for future studies.
Eric Petersen, Regine Hock, and Michael G. Loso
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 727–745, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-727-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-727-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ice cliffs are melt hot spots that increase melt rates on debris-covered glaciers which otherwise see a reduction in melt rates. In this study, we show how surface runoff streams contribute to the generation, evolution, and survival of ice cliffs by carving into the glacier and transporting rocky debris. On Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, 33 % of ice cliffs are actively influenced by streams, while nearly half are within 10 m of streams.
Daniel O'Hara, Liran Goren, Roos M. J. van Wees, Benjamin Campforts, Pablo Grosse, Pierre Lahitte, Gabor Kereszturi, and Matthieu Kervyn
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 709–726, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-709-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-709-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how volcanic edifices develop drainage basins remains unexplored in landscape evolution. Using digital evolution models of volcanoes with varying ages, we quantify the geometries of their edifices and associated drainage basins through time. We find that these metrics correlate with edifice age and are thus useful indicators of a volcano’s history. We then develop a generalized model for how volcano basins develop and compare our results to basin evolution in other settings.
Brayden Noh, Omar Wani, Kieran B. J. Dunne, and Michael P. Lamb
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 691–708, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-691-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-691-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we propose a framework for generating risk maps that provide the probabilities of erosion due to river migration. This framework uses concepts from probability theory to learn the river migration model's parameter values from satellite data while taking into account parameter uncertainty. Our analysis shows that such geomorphic risk estimation is more reliable than models that do not explicitly consider various sources of variability and uncertainty.
Steven Y. J. Lai, David Amblas, Aaron Micallef, and Hervé Capart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 621–640, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-621-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-621-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the creation of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans on active faults, which can be defined by gravity-dominated breaching and underflow-dominated diffusion processes. The study reveals the self-similarity in canyon–fan long profiles, uncovers Hack’s scaling relationship and proposes a formula to estimate fan volume using canyon length. This is validated by global data from source-to-sink systems, providing insights into deep-water sedimentary processes.
Anuska Narayanan, Sagy Cohen, and John R. Gardner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 581–599, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-581-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-581-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the profound impact of deforestation in the Amazon on sediment dynamics. Novel remote sensing data and statistical analyses reveal significant changes, especially in heavily deforested regions, with rapid effects within a year. In less disturbed areas, a 1- to 2-year lag occurs, influenced by natural sediment shifts and human activities. These findings highlight the need to understand the consequences of human activity for our planet's future.
Jacob Hardt, Tim P. Dooley, and Michael R. Hudec
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 559–579, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-559-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-559-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the reaction of salt structures on ice sheet transgressions. We used a series of sandbox models that enabled us to experiment with scaled-down versions of salt bodies from northern Germany. The strongest reactions occurred when large salt pillows were partly covered by the ice load. Subsurface salt structures may play an important role in the energy transition, e.g., as energy storage. Thus, it is important to understand all processes that affect their stability.
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.
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.
Daniel J. Ciarletta, Jennifer L. Miselis, Julie C. Bernier, and Arnell S. Forde
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 449–475, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-449-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-449-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstructed the evolution of Fire Island, a barrier island in New York, USA, to identify drivers of landscape change. Results reveal Fire Island was once divided into multiple inlet-separated islands with distinct features. Later, inlets closed, and Fire Island’s landscape became more uniform as human activities intensified. The island is now less mobile and less likely to resist and recover from storm impacts and sea level rise. This vulnerability may exist for other stabilized barriers.
Chao Zhou, Xibin Tan, Yiduo Liu, and Feng Shi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 433–448, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-433-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-433-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The drainage-divide stability provides new insights into both the river network evolution and the tectonic and/or climatic changes. Several methods have been proposed to determine the direction of drainage-divide migration. However, how to quantify the migration rate of drainage divides remains challenging. In this paper, we propose a new method to calculate the migration rate of drainage divides from high-resolution topographic data.
Moritz Altmann, Madlene Pfeiffer, Florian Haas, Jakob Rom, Fabian Fleischer, Tobias Heckmann, Livia Piermattei, Michael Wimmer, Lukas Braun, Manuel Stark, Sarah Betz-Nutz, and Michael Becht
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 399–431, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-399-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-399-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We show a long-term erosion monitoring of several sections on Little Ice Age lateral moraines with derived sediment yield from historical and current digital elevation modelling (DEM)-based differences. The first study period shows a clearly higher range of variability of sediment yield within the sites than the later periods. In most cases, a decreasing trend of geomorphic activity was observed.
Paul A. Carling
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 381–397, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-381-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-381-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Edge rounding in Shap granite glacial erratics is an irregular function of distance from the source outcrop in northern England, UK. Block shape is conservative, evolving according to block fracture mechanics – stochastic and silver ratio models – towards either of two attractor states. Progressive reduction in size occurs for blocks transported at the sole of the ice mass where the blocks are subject to compressive and tensile forces of the ice acting against a bedrock or till surface.
Andrew Hollyday, Maureen E. Raymo, Jacqueline Austermann, Fred Richards, Mark Hoggard, and Alessio Rovere
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2099, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2099, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Sea level was significantly higher during the Pliocene Epoch, around three million years ago. The present-day elevations of shorelines that formed in the past provide data constraint on the extent of ice sheet melt and the global sea level response under warm Pliocene conditions. In this study, we identify ten escarpments that formed from wavecut erosion during Pliocene times and compare their elevations with model predictions of solid Earth deformation processes to estimate past sea level.
Gary Parker, Chenge An, Michael P. Lamb, Marcelo H. Garcia, Elizabeth H. Dingle, and Jeremy G. Venditti
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 367–380, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-367-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-367-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
River morphology has traditionally been divided by the size 2 mm. We use dimensionless arguments to show that particles in the 1–5 mm range (i) are the finest range not easily suspended by alluvial flood flows, (ii) are transported preferentially over coarser gravel, and (iii), within limits, are also transported preferentially over sand. We show how fluid viscosity mediates the special status of sediment in this range.
Lindsay Marie Capito, Enrico Pandrin, Walter Bertoldi, Nicola Surian, and Simone Bizzi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 321–345, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-321-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-321-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We propose that the pattern of erosion and deposition from repeat topographic surveys can be a proxy for path length in gravel-bed rivers. With laboratory and field data, we applied tools from signal processing to quantify this periodicity and used these path length estimates to calculate sediment transport using the morphological method. Our results highlight the potential to expand the use of the morphological method using only remotely sensed data as well as its limitations.
Xuxu Wu, Jonathan Malarkey, Roberto Fernández, Jaco H. Baas, Ellen Pollard, and Daniel R. Parsons
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 231–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-231-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-231-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The seabed changes from flat to rippled in response to the frictional influence of waves and currents. This experimental study has shown that the speed of this change, the size of ripples that result and even whether ripples appear also depend on the amount of sticky mud present. This new classification on the basis of initial mud content should lead to improvements in models of seabed change in present environments by engineers and the interpretation of past environments by geologists.
Andrea D'Alpaos, Davide Tognin, Laura Tommasini, Luigi D'Alpaos, Andrea Rinaldo, and Luca Carniello
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 181–199, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-181-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-181-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Sediment erosion induced by wind waves is one of the main drivers of the morphological evolution of shallow tidal environments. However, a reliable description of erosion events for the long-term morphodynamic modelling of tidal systems is still lacking. By statistically characterizing sediment erosion dynamics in the Venice Lagoon over the last 4 centuries, we set up a novel framework for a synthetic, yet reliable, description of erosion events in tidal systems.
Davide Tognin, Andrea D'Alpaos, Luigi D'Alpaos, Andrea Rinaldo, and Luca Carniello
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 201–218, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-201-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-201-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reliable quantification of sediment transport processes is necessary to understand the fate of shallow tidal environments. Here we present a framework for the description of suspended sediment dynamics to quantify deposition in the long-term modelling of shallow tidal systems. This characterization, together with that of erosion events, allows one to set up synthetic, yet reliable, models for the long-term evolution of tidal landscapes.
Emma L. S. Graf, Hugh D. Sinclair, Mikaël Attal, Boris Gailleton, Basanta Raj Adhikari, and Bishnu Raj Baral
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 135–161, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-135-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-135-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using satellite images, we show that, unlike other examples of earthquake-affected rivers, the rivers of central Nepal experienced little increase in sedimentation following the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. Instead, a catastrophic flood occurred in 2021 that buried towns and agricultural land under up to 10 m of sediment. We show that intense storms remobilised glacial sediment from high elevations causing much a greater impact than flushing of earthquake-induced landslides.
Mohamad Nasr, Adele Johannot, Thomas Geay, Sebastien Zanker, Jules Le Guern, and Alain Recking
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 117–134, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-117-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-117-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrophones are used to monitor sediment transport in the river by listening to the acoustic noise generated by particle impacts on the riverbed. However, this acoustic noise is modified by the river flow and can cause misleading information about sediment transport. This article proposes a model that corrects the measured acoustic signal. Testing the model showed that the corrected signal is better correlated with bedload flux in the river.
Byungho Kang, Rusty A. Feagin, Thomas Huff, and Orencio Durán Vinent
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 105–115, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-105-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-105-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We provide a detailed characterization of the frequency, intensity and duration of flooding events at a site along the Texas coast. Our analysis demonstrates the suitability of relatively simple wave run-up models to estimate the frequency and intensity of coastal flooding. Our results validate and expand a probabilistic model of coastal flooding driven by wave run-up that can then be used in coastal risk management in response to sea level rise.
Shunsuke Oya, Fumitoshi Imaizumi, and Shoki Takayama
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 67–86, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-67-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-67-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The monitoring of pore water pressure in fully and partly saturated debris flows was performed at Ohya landslide scar, central Japan. The pore water pressure in some partly saturated flows greatly exceeded the hydrostatic pressure. The depth gradient of the pore water pressure in the lower part of the flow was generally higher than the upper part of the flow. We conclude that excess pore water pressure is present in many debris flow surges and is an important mechanism in debris flow behavior.
Gabriele Barile, Marco Redolfi, and Marco Tubino
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 87–103, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-87-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-87-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
River bifurcations often show the closure of one branch (avulsion), whose causes are still poorly understood. Our model shows that when one branch stops transporting sediments, the other considerably erodes and captures much more flow, resulting in a self-sustaining process. This phenomenon intensifies when increasing the length of the branches, eventually leading to branch closure. This work may help to understand when avulsions occur and thus to design sustainable river restoration projects.
Dieter Rickenmann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 11–34, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-11-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-11-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Field measurements of the bedload flux with a high temporal resolution in a steep mountain stream were used to analyse the transport fluctuations as a function of the flow conditions. The disequilibrium ratio, a proxy for the solid particle concentration in the flow, was found to influence the sediment transport behaviour, and above-average disequilibrium conditions – associated with a larger sediment availability on the streambed – substantially affect subsequent transport conditions.
Byungho Kang, Rusty A. Feagin, Thomas Huff, and Orencio Durán Vinent
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coastal flooding can cause significant damage to coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities and is expected to increase in frequency with the acceleration of sea level rise. In order to respond to it, it is crucial to measure and model their frequency and intensity. Here, we show deep-learning techniques can be successfully used to automatically detect flooding events from complex coastal imagery, opening the way to real-time monitoring and data acquisition for model development.
Judith Y. Zomer, Bart Vermeulen, and Antonius J. F. Hoitink
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1283–1298, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1283-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1283-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Secondary bedforms that are superimposed on large, primary dunes likely play a large role in fluvial systems. This study demonstrates that they can be omnipresent. Especially during peak flows, they grow large and can have steep slopes, likely affecting flood risk and sediment transport dynamics. Primary dune morphology determines whether they continuously or intermittently migrate. During discharge peaks, the secondary bedforms can become the dominant dune scale.
Matthew C. Morriss, Benjamin Lehmann, Benjamin Campforts, George Brencher, Brianna Rick, Leif S. Anderson, Alexander L. Handwerger, Irina Overeem, and Jeffrey Moore
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1251–1274, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1251-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we investigate the 28 June 2022 collapse of the Chaos Canyon landslide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. We find that the landslide was moving prior to its collapse and took place at peak spring snowmelt; temperature modeling indicates the potential presence of permafrost. We hypothesize that this landslide could be part of the broader landscape evolution changes to alpine terrain caused by a warming climate, leading to thawing alpine permafrost.
Christopher Tomsett and Julian Leyland
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1223–1249, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1223-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1223-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Vegetation influences how rivers change through time, yet the way in which we analyse vegetation is limited. Current methods collect detailed data at the individual plant level or determine dominant vegetation types across larger areas. Herein, we use UAVs to collect detailed vegetation datasets for a 1 km length of river and link vegetation properties to channel evolution occurring within the study site, providing a new method for investigating the influence of vegetation on river systems.
Rabab Yassine, Ludovic Cassan, Hélène Roux, Olivier Frysou, and François Pérès
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1199–1221, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1199-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1199-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Predicting river morphology evolution is very complicated, especially for mountain rivers with complex morphologies such as the Lac des Gaves reach in France. A 2D hydromorphological model was developed to reproduce the channel's evolution and provide reliable volumetric predictions while revealing the challenge of choosing adapted sediment transport and friction laws. Our model can provide decision-makers with reliable predictions to design suitable restoration measures for this reach.
Daisuke Harada and Shinji Egashira
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1183–1197, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1183-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1183-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper proposes a method for describing large-wood behavior in terms of the convection equation and the storage equation, which are associated with active sediment erosion and deposition. Compared to the existing Lagrangian method, the proposed method can easily simulate the behavior of large wood in the flow field with active sediment transport. The method is applied to the flood disaster in the Akatani River in 2017, and the 2-D flood flow computations are successfully performed.
Hemanti Sharma and Todd A. Ehlers
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1161–1181, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1161-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1161-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Seasonality in precipitation (P) and vegetation (V) influences catchment erosion (E), although which factor plays the dominant role is unclear. In this study, we performed a sensitivity analysis of E to P–V seasonality through numerical modeling. Our results suggest that P variations strongly influence seasonal variations in E, while the effect of seasonal V variations is secondary but significant. This is more pronounced in moderate and least pronounced in extreme environmental settings.
Eduardo Gomez-de la Peña, Giovanni Coco, Colin Whittaker, and Jennifer Montaño
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1145–1160, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1145-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1145-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Predicting how shorelines change over time is a major challenge in coastal research. We here have turned to deep learning (DL), a data-driven modelling approach, to predict the movement of shorelines using observations from a camera system in New Zealand. The DL models here implemented succeeded in capturing the variability and distribution of the observed shoreline data. Overall, these findings indicate that DL has the potential to enhance the accuracy of current shoreline change predictions.
Christoph Rettinger, Mina Tabesh, Ulrich Rüde, Stefan Vollmer, and Roy M. Frings
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1097–1115, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1097-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1097-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Packing models promise efficient and accurate porosity predictions of fluvial sediment deposits. In this study, three packing models were reviewed, calibrated, and validated. Only two of the models were able to handle the continuous and large grain size distributions typically encountered in rivers. We showed that an extension by a cohesion model is necessary and developed guidelines for successful predictions in different rivers.
Alexander A. Ermilov, Gergely Benkő, and Sándor Baranya
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1061–1095, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1061-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1061-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A novel, artificial-intelligence-based riverbed sediment analysis methodology is introduced that uses underwater images to identify the characteristic sediment classes. The main novelties of the procedure are as follows: underwater images are used, the method enables continuous mapping of the riverbed along the measurement vessel’s route contrary to conventional techniques, the method is cost-efficient, and the method works without scaling.
Kelly M. Sanks, John B. Shaw, Samuel M. Zapp, José Silvestre, Ripul Dutt, and Kyle M. Straub
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1035–1060, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1035-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1035-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
River deltas encompass many depositional environments (like channels and wetlands) that interact to produce coastal environments that change through time. The processes leading to sedimentation in wetlands are often neglected from physical delta models. We show that wetland sedimentation constrains flow to the channels, changes sedimentation rates, and produces channels more akin to field-scale deltas. These results have implications for the management of these vulnerable coastal landscapes.
Katharina Wetterauer and Dirk Scherler
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1013–1033, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1013-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1013-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In glacial landscapes, debris supply rates vary spatially and temporally. Rockwall erosion rates derived from cosmogenic 10Be concentrations in medial moraine debris at five Swiss glaciers around Pigne d'Arolla indicate an increase in erosion from the end of the Little Ice Age towards deglaciation but temporally more stable rates over the last ∼100 years. Rockwall erosion rates are higher where rockwalls are steep and north-facing, suggesting a potential slope and temperature control.
Sam Anderson, Nicole Gasparini, and Joel Johnson
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 995–1011, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-995-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-995-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We measured rock strength and amount of fracturing in the two different rock types, sandstones and carbonates, in Last Chance Canyon, New Mexico, USA. Where there is more carbonate bedrock, hills and channels steepen in Last Chance Canyon. This is because the carbonate-type bedrock tends to be more thickly bedded, is less fractured, and is stronger. The carbonate bedrock produces larger boulders than the sandstone bedrock, which can protect the more fractured sandstone bedrock from erosion.
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.
Koji Ohata, Hajime Naruse, and Norihiro Izumi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 961–977, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-961-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-961-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the influence of sediment transport modes on the formation of bedforms using theoretical analysis. The results of the theoretical analysis were verified with published data of plane beds obtained by fieldwork and laboratory experiments. We found that suspended sand particles can promote the formation of plane beds on a fine-grained bed, which suggests that the presence of suspended particles suppresses the development of dunes under submarine sediment-laden gravity currents.
Matan Ben-Asher, Florence Magnin, Sebastian Westermann, Josué Bock, Emmanuel Malet, Johan Berthet, Ludovic Ravanel, and Philip Deline
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 899–915, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-899-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-899-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Quantitative knowledge of water availability on high mountain rock slopes is very limited. We use a numerical model and field measurements to estimate the water balance at a steep rock wall site. We show that snowmelt is the main source of water at elevations >3600 m and that snowpack hydrology and sublimation are key factors. The new information presented here can be used to improve the understanding of thermal, hydrogeological, and mechanical processes on steep mountain rock slopes.
Jessica Droujko, Srividya Hariharan Sudha, Gabriel Singer, and Peter Molnar
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 881–897, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-881-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-881-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We combined data from satellite images with data measured from a kayak in order to understand the propagation of fine sediment in the Vjosa River. We were able to find some storm-activated and some permanent sources of sediment. We also estimated how much fine sediment is carried into the Adriatic Sea by the Vjosa River: approximately 2.5 Mt per year, which matches previous findings. With our work, we hope to show the potential of open-access satellite images.
Kate C. P. Leary, Leah Tevis, and Mark Schmeeckle
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 835–847, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-835-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-835-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Despite the importance of bedforms (e.g., ripples, dunes) to sediment transport, the details of sediment transport on a sub-bedform scale are poorly understood. This paper investigates sediment transport in the downstream and cross-stream directions over bedforms with straight crests. We find that the patterns of bedload transport are highly variable on the sub-bedform scale, which is important for our understanding of the evolution of bedforms with complex crest geometries.
Paul A. Carling, John D. Jansen, Teng Su, Jane Lund Andersen, and Mads Faurschou Knudsen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 817–833, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-817-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-817-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Many steep glaciated rock walls collapsed when the Ice Age ended. How ice supports a steep rock wall until the ice decays is poorly understood. A collapsed rock wall was surveyed in the field and numerically modelled. Cosmogenic exposure dates show it collapsed and became ice-free ca. 18 ka ago. The model showed that the rock wall failed very slowly because ice was buttressing the slope. Dating other collapsed rock walls can improve understanding of how and when the last Ice Age ended.
Paul A. Jarvis, Clement Narteau, Olivier Rozier, and Nathalie M. Vriend
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 803–815, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-803-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-803-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Sand dune migration velocity is inversely proportional to dune size. Consequently, smaller, faster dunes can collide with larger, slower downstream dunes. Such collisions can result in either coalescence or ejection, whereby the dunes exchange mass but remain separate. Our numerical simulations show that the outcome depends probabilistically on the dune size ratio, which we describe through an empirical function. Our numerical predictions compare favourably against experimental observations.
Adrian Ringenbach, Peter Bebi, Perry Bartelt, Andreas Rigling, Marc Christen, Yves Bühler, Andreas Stoffel, and Andrin Caviezel
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 779–801, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-779-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-779-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Swiss researchers carried out repeated rockfall experiments with rocks up to human sizes in a steep mountain forest. This study focuses mainly on the effects of the rock shape and lying deadwood. In forested areas, cubic-shaped rocks showed a longer mean runout distance than platy-shaped rocks. Deadwood especially reduced the runouts of these cubic rocks. The findings enrich standard practices in modern rockfall hazard zoning assessments and strongly urge the incorporation of rock shape effects.
Colin K. Bloom, Corinne Singeisen, Timothy Stahl, Andrew Howell, and Chris Massey
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 757–778, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-757-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-757-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Earthquakes can cause damaging coastal cliff retreat, but we have a limited understanding of how these infrequent events influence multidecadal retreat. This makes hazard planning a challenge. In this study, we use historic aerial images to measure coastal cliff-top retreat at a site in New Zealand. We find that earthquakes account for close to half of multidecadal retreat at this site, and our results have helped us to develop tools for estimating the influence of earthquakes at other sites.
Rishitosh K. Sinha, Dwijesh Ray, Tjalling De Haas, Susan J. Conway, and Axel Noblet
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 713–730, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-713-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-713-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Our detailed investigation of Martian gullies formed in different substrates in 29 craters distributed between 30°–75° S latitude suggests that they can be differentiated from one another in terms of (1) morphology and length of alcoves and (2) mean gradient of the gully fans. The comparison between the Melton ratio, alcove length, and fan gradient of Martian and terrestrial gullies suggests that Martian gullies were likely formed by terrestrial debris-flow-like processes in the past.
Christopher J. Skinner and Thomas J. Coulthard
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 695–711, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-695-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Landscape evolution models allow us to simulate the way the Earth's surface is shaped and help us to understand relevant processes, in turn helping us to manage landscapes better. The models typically represent the land surface using a grid of square cells of equal size, averaging heights in those squares. This study shows that the size chosen by the modeller for these grid cells is important, with larger sizes making sediment output events larger but less frequent.
Cited articles
Allen, P. A.: From landscapes into geological history, Nature, 451, 274–276,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06586, 2008.
Allen, P. A.: Sediment routing systems: The fate of sediment from source to
sink, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, USA, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316135754, 2017.
Allen, P. A. and Densmore, A. L.: Sediment flux from an uplifting fault
block, Basin Res., 12, 367–380, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2117.2000.00135.x, 2000.
Alloway, B. V., Lowe, D. J., Barrell, D. J. A., Newnham, R. M., Almond, P.
C., Augustinus, P. C., Bertler, N. A. N., Carter, L., Litchfield, N. J.,
Mcglone, M. S., Shulmeister, J., Vandergoes, M. J., Williams, P. W., and
Members, N.-I.: Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over
the past 30 000 years (NZ-INTIMATE project), J. Quaternary Sci., 22, 9–35,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1079, 2007.
Armitage, J. J., Duller, R. A., Whittaker, A. C., and Allen, P. A.:
Transformation of tectonic and climatic signals from source to sedimentary
archive, Nat. Geosci., 4, 231–235, 2011.
Armitage, J. J., Dunkley Jones, T., Duller, R. A., Whittaker, A. C., and
Allen, P. A.: Temporal buffering of climate-driven sediment flux cycles by
transient catchment response, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 369–370, 200–210,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.03.020, 2013.
Baynes, E. R. C., Lague, D., and Kermarrec, J.: Supercritical river terraces
generated by hydraulic and geomorphic interactions, Geology, 46, 1–4,
https://doi.org/10.1130/G40071.1, 2018.
Begin, Z. B., Meyer, D. F., and Schumm, S. A.: Development of longitudinal
profiles of alluvial channels in response to base-level lowering, Earth
Surf. Proc. Land., 6, 49–68, 1981.
Bierman, P. and Steig, E. J.: Estimating rates of denudation using
cosmogenic isotope abundances in sediment, Earth Surf. Proc. Land.,
21, 125–139, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199602)21:2<125::AID-ESP511>3.0.CO;2-8, 1996.
Blom, A., Viparelli, E., and Chavarrías, V.: The graded alluvial river:
Profile concavity and downstream fining, Geophys. Res. Lett, 43, 6285–6293,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068898, 2016.
Blom, A., Arkesteijn, L., Chavarrias, V., and Viparelli, E.: The equilibrium
alluvial river under variable flow and its channel-forming discharge, J.
Geophys. Res.-Earth, 122, 1924–1948, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JF004213, 2017.
Blum, M. D. and Tornqvist, T. E.: Fluvial responses to climate and sea-level
change: a review and look forward, Sedimentology, 47, 2–48,
https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3091.2000.00008.x, 2000.
Bonnet, S. and Crave, A.: Landscape response to climate change: Insights
from experimental modeling and implications for tectonic versus climatic
uplift of topography, Geology, 31, 123–126, 2003.
Bookhagen, B., Fleitmann, D., Nishiizumi, K., Strecker, M. R., and Thiede, R.
C.: Holocene monsoonal dynamics and fluvial terrace formation in the
northwest Himalaya, India, Geology, 34, 601–604, https://doi.org/10.1130/G22698.1,
2006.
Bridgland, D. and Westaway, R.: Climatically controlled river terrace
staircases: a worlwide Quaternary phenomenon, Geomorphology, 98,
285–315, 2008.
Brown, E. T., Stallard, R. F., Larsen, M. C., Raisbeck, G. M., and Yiou, F.:
Denudation rates determined from the accumulation of in situ-produced 10Be
in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett.,
129, 193–202, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(94)00249-X, 1995.
Bufe, A., Turowski, J. M., Burbank, D. W., Paola, C., Wickert, A. D., and
Tofelde, S.: Controls on lateral channel mobility and the reworked area of
active alluvial surfaces, in: EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts, 8–13 April 2018,
Vienna, Austria, p. 13437, 2018.
Buffington, J. M.: Changes in channel morphology over human time scales, chap. 32, Gravel-Bed Rivers Processes, Tools, Environments, edited by: Church, M., Biron, P. M., and Roy, A. G., Wiley, Chichester, UK, 435–463, 2012.
Bull, W. B.: Stream-terrace genesis: implications for soil development,
Geomorphology, 3, 351–367, https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-555X(90)90011-E, 1990.
Bull, W. B.: Geomorphic responses to climatic change, Oxford University
Press, USA, 1991.
Cantelli, A., Paola, C., and Parker, G.: Experiments on upstream-migrating
erosional narrowing and widening of an incisional channel caused by dam
removal, Water Resour. Res., 40, W03304, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003WR002940, 2004.
Castelltort, S. and Van Den Driessche, J.: How plausible are high-frequency
sediment supply-driven cycles in the stratigraphic record?, Sediment. Geol.,
157, 3–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0037-0738(03)00066-6, 2003.
Coulthard, T. J. T., Lewin, J., and Macklin, M. G.: Modelling differential
catchment response to environmental change, Geomorphology, 69, 222–241,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.01.008, 2005.
Dey, S., Thiede, R. C., Schildgen, T. F., Wittmann, H., Bookhagen, B.,
Scherler, D., Jain, V., and Strecker, M. R.: Climate-driven sediment
aggradation and incision since the late Pleistocene in the NW Himalaya,
India, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 449, 321–331,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.05.050, 2016.
Dixon, J. L., Heimsath, A. M., Kaste, J., and Amundson, R.: Climate-driven
processes of hillslope weathering, Geology, 37, 975–978,
https://doi.org/10.1130/G30045A.1, 2009.
Erkens, G., Dambeck, R., Volleberg, K. P., Bouman, M. T. I. J., Bos, J. A.
A., Cohen, K. M., Wallinga, J., and Hoek, W. Z.: Fluvial terrace formation in
the northern Upper Rhine Graben during the last 20,000 years as a result of
allogenic controls and autogenic evolution, Geomorphology, 103, 476–495,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.07.021, 2009.
Farabaugh, R. L. and Rigsby, C. A.: Climatic influence on sedimentology and
geomorphology of the Rio Ramis valley, Peru, J. Sediment. Res., 75,
12–28, 2005.
Faulkner, D. J., Larson, P. H., Jol, H. M., Running, G. L., Loope, H. M., and
Goble, R. J.: Autogenic incision and terrace formation resulting from abrupt
late-glacial base-level fall, lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin, USA,
Geomorphology, 266, 75–95, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.04.016, 2016.
Fisk, N. H.: Geological investigation of the alluvial valley of the lower
Mississippi River, Mississippi River Commission Print, Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA, 1944.
Frankel, K. L., Pazzaglia, F. J., and Vaughn, J. D.: Knickpoint evolution in
a vertically bedded substrate, upstream-dipping terraces, and Atlantic slope
bedrock channels, GSA Bull., 119, 476–486, https://doi.org/10.1130/B25965.1, 2007.
Fuller, I. C., Macklin, M. G., Lewin, J., Passmore, D. G., and Wintle, A. G.:
River response to high-frequency climate oscillations in southern Europe
over the past 200 ky, Geology, 26, 275–278,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1998)026<0275:RRTHFC>2.3.CO;2,
1998.
Garcin, Y., Schildgen, T. F., Torres Acosta, V., Melnick, D., Guillemoteau,
J., Willenbring, J., and Strecker, M. R.: Short-lived increase in erosion
during the African Humid Period: Evidence from the northern Kenya Rift,
Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 459, 58–69, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.11.017, 2017.
Gardner, T. W.: Experimental study of knickpoint and longitudinal profile
evolution in cohesive, homogeneous material, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull, 94,
664–572, https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1983)94<664:ESOKAL>2.0.CO;2, 1983.
Gilbert, G. K.: Report on the Geology of the Henry Mountains, US Gov. Print.
Off., Washington, D.C., USA, https://doi.org/10.3133/70038096, 1877.
Godard, V., Tucker, G. E., Burch Fisher, G., Burbank, D. W., and Bookhagen,
B.: Frequency-dependent landscape response to climatic forcing, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 40, 859–863, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50253, 2013.
Gonzalez, M. A.: Recent formation of arroyos in the Little Missouri Badlands
of southwestern North Dakota, Geomorphology, 38, 63–84, 2001.
Granger, D. E., Kirchner, J. W., and Finkel, R.: Spatially averaged long-term
erosion rates measured from in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides in alluvial
sediment, J. Geol., 104, 249–257, 1996.
Hanson, P. R., Mason, J. A., and Goble, R. J.: Fluvial terrace formation
along Wyoming's Laramie Range as a response to increased late Pleistocene
flood magnitudes, Geomorphology, 76, 12–25,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.08.010, 2006.
Hardy, D. R., Bradley, R. S., and Zolitschka, B.: The climatic signal in varved sediments from Lake C2, northern Ellesmere Island, Canada, J. Paleolimnol., 16, 227–238, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00176938, 1996.
Hippe, K., Kober, F., Zeilinger, G., Ivy-ochs, S., Maden, C., Wacker, L.,
Kubik, P. W., and Wieler, R.: Quantifying denudation rates and sediment
storage on the eastern Altiplano, Bolivia, using cosmogenic 10Be, 26Al, and
in situ 14C, Geomorphology, 179, 58–70, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.07.031,
2012.
Howard, A. D.: Numerical systems of terrace nomenclature: A critique, J.
Geol., 67, 239–243, 1959.
Howard, A. D.: Equilibrium and time scales in geomorphology: Application to
sand-bed alluvial streams, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 7, 303–325,
1982.
Huntington, E.: Some characteristics of the glacial period in non-glaciated
region, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 18, 351–388, 1907.
Hurst, M. D., Mudd, S. M., Walcott, R., Attal, M., and Yoo, K.: Using hilltop
curvature to derive the spatial distribution of erosion rates, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 117, 1–19, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JF002057, 2012.
Lane, E. W.: Importance of fluvial morphology in hydraulic engineering,
Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 81, 1–17, 1955.
Langbein, W. B. and Schumm, S. A.: Yield of sediment in relation to mean
annual precipitation, EOS T. Am. Geophys. Un., 39, 1076–1084, 1958.
Larson, P. H., Dorn, R. I., Faulkner, D. J., and Friend, D. A.: Toe-cut
terraces: A review and proposed criteria to differentiate from traditional
fluvial terraces, Prog. Phys. Geogr., 39, 417–439, 2015.
Lewis, W. V.: Stream trough experiments and terrace formation, Geol. Mag.,
81, 241–253, 1944.
Limaye, A. B. S. and Lamb, M. P.: Numerical model predictions of autogenic
fluvial terraces and comparison to climate change expectations, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 121, 512–544, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JF003392, 2016.
Litchfield, N. and Berryman, K.: Relations between postglacial fluvial
incision rates and uplift rates in the North Island, New Zealand, J.
Geophys. Res., 111, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JF000374, 2006.
Litty, C., Duller, R., and Schlunegger, F.: Paleohydraulic reconstruction of
a 40 ka-old terrace sequence implies that water discharge was larger than
today, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 41, 884–898,
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3872, 2016.
Mackin, J. H.: Concept of the graded river, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 59,
463–512, 1948.
Maddy, D., Bridgland, D., and Westaway, R.: Uplift-driven valley incision and
climate-controlled river terrace development in the Thames Valley, UK, Quatern.
Int., 79, 23–36, 2001.
Malatesta, L. C. and Avouac, J.: Contrasting river incision in north and
south Tian Shan piedmonts due to variable glacial imprint in mountain
valleys, Geology, 46, 659–662, 2018.
Malatesta, L. C. and Lamb, M. P.: Formation of waterfalls by intermittent
burial of active faults, GSA Bull., 130, 522–536, 2018.
Malatesta, L. C., Prancevic, J. P., and Avouac, J.: 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.
Malatesta, L., Avouac, J.-P., Brown, N. D., Breitenbach, S. F. M., Pan, J.,
Chevalier, M.-L., Rhodes, E., Saint-Carlier, D., Zhang, W., Charreau, J.,
Lavé, J., and Blard, P.-H.: Lag and mixing during sediment transfer
across the Tian Shan piedmont caused by climate- driven aggradation-incision
cycles, Basin Res., 30, 613–635, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12267, 2018.
McPhillips, D., Bierman, P. R., and Rood, D. H.: Millennial-scale record of
landslides in the Andes consistent with earthquake trigger, Nat. Geosci.,
7, 925–930, 2014.
Merritts, D. J., Vincent, K. R., and Wohl, E. E.: Long river profiles,
tectonism, and eustasy: A guide to interpreting fluvial terraces, J.
Geophys. Res., 99, 14031–14050, 1994.
Métivier, F. and Gaudemer, Y.: Stability of output fluxes of large
rivers in South and East Asia during the last 2 million years?: implications
on floodplain processes, Basin Res., 11, 293–303, 1999.
Meyer-Peter, E. and Müller, R.: Formulas for Bed-Load Transport, in: 2nd Meeting of the International Association
for Hydraulic Structures Research, 7–9 June 1948, Stockholm,
Sweden, International Association for Hydraulic Structures
Research, 39–64,
1948.
Mizutani, T.: Laboratory experiment and digital simulation of multiple
fill-cut terrace formation, Geomorphology, 24, 353–361,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-555X(98)00027-0, 1998.
Norton, K. P., Schlunegger, F., and Litty, C.: On the potential for regolith control of fluvial terrace formation in semi-arid escarpments, Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 147–157, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-147-2016, 2016.
Paola, C., Heller, P. L., and Angevine, C. L.: The large-scale dynamics of
grain-size variation in alluvial basins, 1: Theory, Basin Res., 4,
73–90, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2117.1992.tb00145.x, 1992.
Paola, C., Mullin, J., Ellis, C., Mohrig, D. C., Swenson, J. B., Parker, G.,
Hickson, T., Heller, P. L., Pratson, L., and Syvitski, J.: Experimental
stratigraphy, GSA Today, 11, 4–9, 2001.
Parker, G.: Hydraulic geometry of active gravel rivers, J. Hydraul. Div.,
105, 1185–1201, 1979.
Patton, P. C. and Schumm, S. A.: Ephemeral-Stream Processes: Implications
for Studies of Quaternary Valley Fills, Quaternary Res., 15, 24–43, 1981.
Pazzaglia, F. J.: 9.23 Fluvial terraces, in: Treatise of Geomorphology, edited by: Wohl, E., Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 379–-412, 2013.
Pederson, J. L., Anders, M. D., Rittenhour, T. M., Sharp, W. D., Gosse, J.
C., and Karlstrom, K. E.: Using fill terraces to understand incision rates
and evolution of the Colorado River in eastern Grand Canyon, Arizona, J.
Geophys. Res., 111, F02003, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JF000201, 2006.
Penck, A. and Brückner, E.: Die Alpen im Eiszeitalter, Tauchnitz, Leipzig, Germany, 1909.
Pepin, E., Carretier, S., Hérail, G., Regard, V., Charrier, R.,
Farías, M., García, V., and Giambiagi, L.: Pleistocene landscape
entrenchment: a geomorphological mountain to foreland field case, the Las
Tunas system, Argentina, Basin Res., 25, 613–637, 2013.
Poisson, B. and Avouac, J. P.: Holocene Hydrological Changes Inferred from
Alluvial Stream Entrenchment in North Tian Shan (Northwestern China), J.
Geol., 112, 231–249, 2004.
Roering, J. J., Perron, J. T., and Kirchner, J. W.: Functional relationships
between denudation and hillslope form and relief, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett.,
264, 245–258, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.09.035, 2007.
Romans, B. W., Castelltort, S., Covault, J. A., Fildani, A., and Walsh, J.
P.: Environmental signal propagation in sedimentary systems across
timescales, Earth-Sci. Rev., 153, 7–29,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.07.012, 2016.
Savi, S., Norton, K. P., Picotti, V., Akçar, N., Delunel, R.,
Brardinoni, F., Kubik, P., and Schlunegger, F.: Quantifying sediment supply
at the end of the last glaciation: Dynamic reconstruction of an alpine
debris-flow fan, GSA Bull., 126, 773–790, https://doi.org/10.1130/B30849.1, 2014.
Savi, S., Delunel, R., and Schlunegger, F.: Efficiency of frost-cracking
processes through space and time: An example from the eastern Italian Alps,
Geomorphology, 232, 248–260, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.01.009, 2015.
Schaller, M., von Blanckenburg, F., Hovius, N., Veldkamp, A., van den Berg,
M. W., and Kubik, P. W.: Paleoerosion rates from cosmogenic 10Be in a 1.3 Ma
terrace sequence: Response of the River Meuse to changes in climate and rock
uplift, J. Geol., 112, 127–144, 2004.
Scherler, D., Bookhagen, B., Wulf, H., Preusser, F., and Strecker, M. R.:
Increased late Pleistocene erosion rates during fluvial aggradation in the
Garhwal Himalaya , northern India, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 428, 255–266,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.06.034, 2015.
Scherler, D., Lamb, M. P., Rhodes, E. J., and Avouac, J. P.: Climate-change
versus landslide origin of fill terraces in a rapidly eroding bedrock
landscape: San Gabriel River, California, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 128,
1228–1248, https://doi.org/10.1130/B31356.1, 2016.
Schildgen, T., Dethier, D. P., Bierman, P., and Caffee, M.: 26Al and 10Be
dating of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fill terraces: A record of fluvial
deposition and incision, Colorado Front Range, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 27, 773–787, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.352, 2002.
Schildgen, T. F., Cosentino, D., Bookhagen, B., Niedermann, S., Yildirim,
C., Echtler, H., Wittmann, H., and Strecker, M. R.: Multi-phased uplift of
the southern margin of the Central Anatolian plateau, Turkey: A record of
tectonic and upper mantle processes, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 317–318,
85–95, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.12.003, 2012.
Schildgen, T. F., Robinson, R. A. J., Savi, S., Phillips, W. M., Spencer, J.
Q. G., Bookhagen, B., Scherler, D., Tofelde, S., Alonso, R. N., Kubik, P.
W., Binnie, S. A., and Strecker, M. R.: Landscape response to late
Pleistocene climate change in NW Argentina: Sediment flux modulated by basin
geometry and connectivity, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 121, 392–414,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003607, 2016.
Schmid, M., Ehlers, T. A., Werner, C., Hickler, T., and Fuentes-Espoz, J.-P.: Effect of changing vegetation and precipitation on denudation – Part 2: Predicted landscape response to transient climate and vegetation cover over millennial to million-year timescales, Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 859–881, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-859-2018, 2018.
Schumm, S. A.: Geomorphic thresholds and complex response of drainage
systems, Fluv. Geomorphol., 6, 69–85, 1973.
Schumm, S. A.: Geomorphic thresholds: the concept and its applications, R.
Geogr. Soc., 4, 485–515, 1979.
Schumm, S. A. and Parker, R. S.: Implication of complex response of drainage
systems for Quaternary alluvial stratigraphy, Nat. Phys. Sci., 243, 99–100,
1973.
Shen, Z., Törnqvist, T. E., Autin, W. J., Mateo, Z. R. P., Straub, K. M.,
and Mauz, B.: Rapid and widespread response of the Lower Mississippi River
to eustatic forcing during the last glacial-interglacial cycle, GSA Bull.,
124, 690–704, https://doi.org/10.1130/B30449.1, 2012.
Simpson, G. and Castelltort, S.: Model shows that rivers transmit
high-frequency climate cycles to the sedimentary record, Geology, 40,
1131–1134, https://doi.org/10.1130/G33451.1, 2012.
Slingerland, R. L. and Snow, R. S.: Stability analysis of a rejuvenated fluvial
system, Z. Geomorphol., 67, 93–102, 1988.
Steffen, D., Schlunegger, F., and Preusser, F.: Drainage basin response to
climate change in the Pisco valley, Peru, Geology, 37, 491–494, 2009.
Steffen, D., Schlunegger, F., and Preusser, F.: Late Pleistocene fans and
terraces in the Majes valley, southern Peru, and their relation to climatic
variations, Int. J. Earth Sci., 99, 1975–1989, 2010.
Tebbens, L. A., Veldkamp, A., Van Dijke, J. J., and Schoorl, J. M.: Modeling
longitudinal-profile development in response to Late Quaternary tectonics,
climate and sea-level changes: the River Meuse, Global Planet. Change, 27,
165–186, 2000.
Tofelde, S., Schildgen, T. F., Savi, S., Pingel, H., Wickert, A. D.,
Bookhagen, B., Wittmann, H., Alonso, R. N., Cottle, J., and Strecker, M. R.:
100 kyr fluvial cut-and-fill terrace cycles since the Middle Pleistocene in
the southern Central Andes, NW Argentina, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 473,
141–153, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.06.001, 2017.
Tofelde, S., Duesing, W., Schildgen, T. F., Wickert, A. D., Wittmann, H.,
Alonso, R. N., and Strecker, M.: Effects of deep-seated versus shallow
hillslope processes on cosmogenic 10Be concentrations in fluvial sand and
gravel, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 43, 3086–3098, 2018.
Tofelde, S., Savi, S., Wickert, A., Bufe, A., and Schildgen, T.: Physical experiments on fill-terrace formation and sediment-signal disruption, SEAD Internal Repository, https://doi.org/10.26009/s0ZYPUYN, 2019.
Torres Acosta, V., Schildgen, T. F., Clarke, B. A., Scherler, D., Bookhagen,
B., Wittmann, H., von Blanckenburg, F., and Strecker, M. R.: Effect of
vegetation cover on millennial-scale landscape denudation rates in East
Africa, Lithosphere, 7, 408–420, https://doi.org/10.1130/L402.1, 2015.
Tucker, G. E. and Slingerland, R.: Drainage basin responses to climate
change, Water Resour. Res., 33, 2031–2047, 1997.
Vandenberghe, J.: Timescales, climate and river development, Quaternary Sci.
Rev., 14, 631–638, https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-3791(95)00043-O, 1995.
Vandenberghe, J.: Climate forcing of fluvial system development: An
evolution of ideas, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 22, 2053–2060,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(03)00213-0, 2003.
van den Berg van Saparoea, A.-P. H. and Postma, G.: Control of climate
change on the yield of river systems, Recent Adv. Model. Siliciclastic
Shallow-Marine Stratigr. SEPM Spec. Publ., 90, 15–33, 2008.
Wegmann, K. W. and Pazzaglia, F. J.: Late Quaternary fluvial terraces of the
Romagna and Marche Apennines, Italy: Climatic, lithologic, and tectonic
controls on terrace genesis in an active orogen, Quaternay Sci. Rev., 28,
137–165, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.10.006, 2009.
Werner, C., Schmid, M., Ehlers, T. A., Fuentes-Espoz, J. P., Steinkamp, J., Forrest, M., Liakka, J., Maldonado, A., and Hickler, T.: Effect of changing vegetation and precipitation on denudation – Part 1: Predicted vegetation composition and cover over the last 21 thousand years along the Coastal Cordillera of Chile, Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 829–858, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-829-2018, 2018.
Wickert, A. D. and Schildgen, T. F.: Long-profile evolution of transport-limited gravel-bed rivers, Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 17–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-17-2019, 2019.
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.
Wittmann, H., von Blanckenburg, F., Maurice, L., Guyot, J. L., and Kubik, P.
W.: Recycling of Amazon floodplain sediment quantified by cosmogenic 26Al
and 10Be, Geology, 39, 467–470, https://doi.org/10.1130/G31829.1, 2011.
Wittmann, H., Malusà, M. G., Resentini, A., Garzanti, E., and Niedermann,
S.: The cosmogenic record of mountain erosion transmitted across a foreland
basin: source-to-sink analysis of in situ 10Be, 26Al and 21Ne in sediment of
the Po river catchment, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 452, 258–271,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.07.017, 2016.
Wobus, C. W., Tucker, G. E., and Anderson, R. S.: Does climate change create
distinctive patterns of landscape incision?, J. Geophys. Res.,
115, F04008, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JF001562, 2010.
Wohl, E. and Ikeda, H.: Experimental simulation of channel incision into a
cohesive substrate at varying gradients, Geology, 25, 295–298, 1997.
Womack, W. R. and Schumm, S. A.: Terraces of Douglas Creek, northwestern
Colorado: An example of episodic erosion, Geology, 5, 72–76,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1977)5<72:TODCNC>2.0.CO;2, 1977.
Zhang, P., Molnar, P., and Downs, W. R.: Increased sedimentation rates and
grain sizes 2–4 Myr ago due to the influence of climate change on erosion
rates, Nature, 410, 891–897, https://doi.org/10.1038/35073504, 2001.
Short summary
We performed seven physical experiments to explore terrace formation and sediment export from a braided alluvial river system that is perturbed by changes in water discharge, sediment supply, or base level. Each perturbation differently affects (1) the geometry of terraces and channels, (2) the timing of terrace formation, and (3) the transient response of sediment discharge. Our findings provide guidelines for interpreting fill terraces and sediment export from fluvial systems.
We performed seven physical experiments to explore terrace formation and sediment export from a...
