Articles | Volume 9, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-539-2021
© 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-9-539-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
16 Jun 2021
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 16 Jun 2021
| 16 Jun 2021
Rarefied particle motions on hillslopes – Part 1: Theory
David Jon Furbish
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Joshua J. Roering
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
Tyler H. Doane
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
currently at: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Danica L. Roth
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
currently at: Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
Sarah G. W. Williams
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Angel M. Abbott
formerly at: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
deceased, 10 August 2018
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Sarah G. W. Williams and David J. Furbish
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 701–721, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-701-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-701-2021, 2021
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Particle motions and travel distances prior to deposition on hillslope surfaces depend on a balance of gravitational and frictional forces. We elaborate how particle energy is partitioned and dissipated during travel using measurements of particle travel distances supplemented with high-speed imaging of drop–impact–rebound experiments. Results show that particle shape plays a dominant role in how energy is partitioned during impact with a surface and how far particles travel in two dimensions.
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The generalized Pareto distribution of particle travel distances on steep hillslopes, as described in a companion paper (Furbish et al., 2021a), is entirely consistent with measurements of travel distances obtained from laboratory and field-based experiments, supplemented with high-speed imaging and audio recordings that highlight the effects of bumpety-bump particle motions. Particle size and shape, in concert with surface roughness, strongly influence particle energetics and deposition.
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The generalized Pareto distribution of particle travel distances on steep hillslopes, as described in two companion papers (Furbish et al., 2021a, 2021b), is a maximum entropy distribution. This simply represents the most probable way that a great number of particles become distributed into distance states, subject to a fixed total energetic cost due to frictional effects of particle–surface collisions. The maximum entropy criterion is equivalent to a formal application of Occam's razor.
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Using analyses of particle motions on steep hillslopes in three companion papers (Furbish et al., 2021a, 2021b, 2021c), we offer philosophical perspective on the merits of a statistical mechanics framework for describing sediment particle motions and transport, and the implications of rarefied versus continuum transport conditions. We highlight the mechanistic yet probabilistic nature of the approach, and the importance of tailoring the style of thinking to the process and scale of interest.
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS).
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Loose grains travel farther after a fire because no vegetation is left to stop them. This matters since loose grains at the base of a slope can turn into a debris flow if it rains. To find if grass growing back after a fire had different impacts on grains of different sizes on slopes of different steepness, we dropped thousands of natural grains and measured how far they went. Large grains went farther 7 months after the fire than 11 months after, and small grain movement didn’t change much.
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We describe a new method of reconstructing the long-term, pre-observational frequency and/or intensity of wildfires in forested landscapes using trace concentrations of the noble gases helium and neon that are formed in soil mineral grains by cosmic-ray bombardment of the Earth's surface.
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William T. Struble and Joshua J. Roering
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1279–1300, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1279-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1279-2021, 2021
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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.
Sarah G. W. Williams and David J. Furbish
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 701–721, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-701-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-701-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Particle motions and travel distances prior to deposition on hillslope surfaces depend on a balance of gravitational and frictional forces. We elaborate how particle energy is partitioned and dissipated during travel using measurements of particle travel distances supplemented with high-speed imaging of drop–impact–rebound experiments. Results show that particle shape plays a dominant role in how energy is partitioned during impact with a surface and how far particles travel in two dimensions.
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Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 577–613, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-577-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-577-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The generalized Pareto distribution of particle travel distances on steep hillslopes, as described in a companion paper (Furbish et al., 2021a), is entirely consistent with measurements of travel distances obtained from laboratory and field-based experiments, supplemented with high-speed imaging and audio recordings that highlight the effects of bumpety-bump particle motions. Particle size and shape, in concert with surface roughness, strongly influence particle energetics and deposition.
David Jon Furbish, Sarah G. W. Williams, and Tyler H. Doane
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 615–628, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-615-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-615-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The generalized Pareto distribution of particle travel distances on steep hillslopes, as described in two companion papers (Furbish et al., 2021a, 2021b), is a maximum entropy distribution. This simply represents the most probable way that a great number of particles become distributed into distance states, subject to a fixed total energetic cost due to frictional effects of particle–surface collisions. The maximum entropy criterion is equivalent to a formal application of Occam's razor.
David Jon Furbish and Tyler H. Doane
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Short summary
Short summary
Using analyses of particle motions on steep hillslopes in three companion papers (Furbish et al., 2021a, 2021b, 2021c), we offer philosophical perspective on the merits of a statistical mechanics framework for describing sediment particle motions and transport, and the implications of rarefied versus continuum transport conditions. We highlight the mechanistic yet probabilistic nature of the approach, and the importance of tailoring the style of thinking to the process and scale of interest.
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This paper explores how the geometry of rill networks contributes to observed nonlinear relationships between soil loss and hillslope length. This work develops probability functions of geometrical quantities of the networks and then extends the theory to hydraulic variables by relying on well-known relationships. Theory is complemented by numerical modeling on numerical and natural surfaces. Results suggest that the particular arrangement of rill networks contributes to nonlinear relationships.
Shawn M. Chartrand and David Jon Furbish
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-16, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-16, 2021
Preprint withdrawn
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Short summary
Sediment particles are transported along the bottom of rivers during floods. Descriptions of the transport process are commonly restricted to the strength of the water flow. In our research we use mathematical theory and data from laboratory experiments to explore whether sediment particles colliding with the river bed can help explain our observations of transport. We learn that particle collisions are likely an important component of the transport process and we offer thoughts for future work.
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Short summary
Sediment particles skitter down steep hillslopes on Earth and Mars. Particles gain speed in going downhill but are slowed down and sometimes stop due to collisions with the rough surface. The likelihood of stopping depends on the energetics of speeding up (heating) versus slowing down (cooling). Statistical physics predicts that particle travel distances are described by a generalized Pareto distribution whose form varies with the Kirkby number – the ratio of heating to cooling.
Sediment particles skitter down steep hillslopes on Earth and Mars. Particles gain speed in...
