Articles | Volume 9, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1279-2021
© Author(s) 2021. 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-9-1279-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Sep 2021
Research article |
| 20 Sep 2021
| 20 Sep 2021
Hilltop curvature as a proxy for erosion rate: wavelets enable rapid computation and reveal systematic underestimation
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
85721, USA
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
97403, USA
Joshua J. Roering
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
97403, USA
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Short summary
We used a mathematical technique known as a wavelet transform to calculate the curvature of hilltops in western Oregon, which we used to estimate erosion rate. We find that this technique operates over 1000 times faster than other techniques and produces accurate erosion rates. We additionally built artificial hillslopes to test the accuracy of curvature measurement methods. We find that at fast erosion rates, curvature is underestimated, raising questions of measurement accuracy elsewhere.
We used a mathematical technique known as a wavelet transform to calculate the curvature of...
