Articles | Volume 9, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021
© 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-9-923-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
03 Aug 2021
Research article |
| 03 Aug 2021
| 03 Aug 2021
Last-glacial-cycle glacier erosion potential in the Alps
Julien Seguinot
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Independent scholar, Anafi, Greece
Ian Delaney
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Related authors
Anja Løkkegaard, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Christian Zdanowicz, Gary D. Clow, Martin P. Lüthi, Samuel H. Doyle, Henrik H. Thomsen, David Fisher, Joel Harper, Andy Aschwanden, Bo M. Vinther, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Harry Zekollari, Toby Meierbachtol, Ian McDowell, Neil Humphrey, Anne Solgaard, Nanna B. Karlsson, Shfaqat A. Khan, Benjamin Hills, Robert Law, Bryn Hubbard, Poul Christoffersen, Mylène Jacquemart, Julien Seguinot, Robert S. Fausto, and William T. Colgan
The Cryosphere, 17, 3829–3845, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3829-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3829-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a database compiling 95 ice temperature profiles from the Greenland ice sheet and peripheral ice caps. Ice viscosity and hence ice flow are highly sensitive to ice temperature. To highlight the value of the database in evaluating ice flow simulations, profiles from the Greenland ice sheet are compared to a modeled temperature field. Reoccurring discrepancies between modeled and observed temperatures provide insight on the difficulties faced when simulating ice temperatures.
Eef C. H. van Dongen, Guillaume Jouvet, Shin Sugiyama, Evgeny A. Podolskiy, Martin Funk, Douglas I. Benn, Fabian Lindner, Andreas Bauder, Julien Seguinot, Silvan Leinss, and Fabian Walter
The Cryosphere, 15, 485–500, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The dynamic mass loss of tidewater glaciers is strongly linked to glacier calving. We study calving mechanisms under a thinning regime, based on 5 years of field and remote-sensing data of Bowdoin Glacier. Our data suggest that Bowdoin Glacier ungrounded recently, and its calving behaviour changed from calving due to surface crevasses to buoyancy-induced calving resulting from basal crevasses. This change may be a precursor to glacier retreat.
Julien Seguinot, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Guillaume Jouvet, Matthias Huss, Martin Funk, and Frank Preusser
The Cryosphere, 12, 3265–3285, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3265-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3265-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
About 25 000 years ago, Alpine glaciers filled most of the valleys and even extended onto the plains. In this study, with help from traces left by glaciers on the landscape, we use a computer model that contains knowledge of glacier physics based on modern observations of Greenland and Antarctica and laboratory experiments on ice, and one of the fastest computers in the world, to attempt a reconstruction of the evolution of Alpine glaciers through time from 120 000 years ago to today.
Guillaume Jouvet, Yvo Weidmann, Julien Seguinot, Martin Funk, Takahiro Abe, Daiki Sakakibara, Hakime Seddik, and Shin Sugiyama
The Cryosphere, 11, 911–921, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-911-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-911-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we combine UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) images taken over the Bowdoin Glacier, north-western Greenland, and a model describing the viscous motion of ice to track the propagation of crevasses responsible for the collapse of large icebergs at the glacier-ocean front (calving). This new technique allows us to explain the systematic calving pattern observed in spring and summer of 2015 and anticipate a possible rapid retreat in the future.
Patrick Becker, Julien Seguinot, Guillaume Jouvet, and Martin Funk
Geogr. Helv., 71, 173–187, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-71-173-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-71-173-2016, 2016
Julien Seguinot, Irina Rogozhina, Arjen P. Stroeven, Martin Margold, and Johan Kleman
The Cryosphere, 10, 639–664, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-639-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-639-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We use a numerical model based on approximated ice flow physics and calibrated against field-based evidence to present numerical simulations of multiple advance and retreat phases of the former Cordilleran ice sheet in North America during the last glacial cycle (120 000 to 0 years before present).
J. Seguinot, C. Khroulev, I. Rogozhina, A. P. Stroeven, and Q. Zhang
The Cryosphere, 8, 1087–1103, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1087-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1087-2014, 2014
Alan Robert Alexander Aitken, Ian Delaney, Guillaume Pirot, and Mauro A. Werder
The Cryosphere, 18, 4111–4136, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4111-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4111-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how glaciers generate sediment and transport it to the ocean is important for understanding ocean ecosystems and developing knowledge of the past cryosphere from marine sediments. This paper presents a new way to simulate sediment transport in rivers below ice sheets and glaciers and quantify volumes and characteristics of sediment that can be used to reveal the hidden record of the subglacial environment for both past and present glacial conditions.
Ian Delaney, Andrew Tedstone, Mauro A. Werder, and Daniel Farinotti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2580, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2580, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Sediment transport in rivers and under glaciers depends on water velocity and channel width. In rivers, water discharge changes affect flow depth, width, and velocity. Under glaciers, pressurized water changes velocity more than shape. Due to these differences, this study shows that sediment transport under glaciers varies widely and peaks before water flow does, creating a complex relationship. Understanding these dynamics helps interpret sediment discharge from glaciers in different climates.
Anja Løkkegaard, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Christian Zdanowicz, Gary D. Clow, Martin P. Lüthi, Samuel H. Doyle, Henrik H. Thomsen, David Fisher, Joel Harper, Andy Aschwanden, Bo M. Vinther, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Harry Zekollari, Toby Meierbachtol, Ian McDowell, Neil Humphrey, Anne Solgaard, Nanna B. Karlsson, Shfaqat A. Khan, Benjamin Hills, Robert Law, Bryn Hubbard, Poul Christoffersen, Mylène Jacquemart, Julien Seguinot, Robert S. Fausto, and William T. Colgan
The Cryosphere, 17, 3829–3845, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3829-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3829-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a database compiling 95 ice temperature profiles from the Greenland ice sheet and peripheral ice caps. Ice viscosity and hence ice flow are highly sensitive to ice temperature. To highlight the value of the database in evaluating ice flow simulations, profiles from the Greenland ice sheet are compared to a modeled temperature field. Reoccurring discrepancies between modeled and observed temperatures provide insight on the difficulties faced when simulating ice temperatures.
Ian Delaney, Leif Anderson, and Frédéric Herman
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 663–680, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-663-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-663-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a two-dimensional subglacial sediment transport model that evolves a sediment layer in response to subglacial sediment transport conditions. The model captures sediment transport in supply- and transport-limited regimes across a glacier's bed and considers both the creation and transport of sediment. Model outputs show how the spatial distribution of sediment and water below a glacier can impact the glacier's discharge of sediment and erosion of bedrock.
Flavien Beaud, Saif Aati, Ian Delaney, Surendra Adhikari, and Jean-Philippe Avouac
The Cryosphere, 16, 3123–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3123-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3123-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding sliding at the bed of glaciers is essential to understand the future of sea-level rise and glacier-related hazards. Yet there is currently no universal law to describe this mechanism. We propose a universal glacier sliding law and a method to qualitatively constrain it. We use satellite remote sensing to create velocity maps over 6 years at Shisper Glacier, Pakistan, including its recent surge, and show that the observations corroborate the generalized theory.
Eef C. H. van Dongen, Guillaume Jouvet, Shin Sugiyama, Evgeny A. Podolskiy, Martin Funk, Douglas I. Benn, Fabian Lindner, Andreas Bauder, Julien Seguinot, Silvan Leinss, and Fabian Walter
The Cryosphere, 15, 485–500, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The dynamic mass loss of tidewater glaciers is strongly linked to glacier calving. We study calving mechanisms under a thinning regime, based on 5 years of field and remote-sensing data of Bowdoin Glacier. Our data suggest that Bowdoin Glacier ungrounded recently, and its calving behaviour changed from calving due to surface crevasses to buoyancy-induced calving resulting from basal crevasses. This change may be a precursor to glacier retreat.
Julien Seguinot, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Guillaume Jouvet, Matthias Huss, Martin Funk, and Frank Preusser
The Cryosphere, 12, 3265–3285, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3265-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3265-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
About 25 000 years ago, Alpine glaciers filled most of the valleys and even extended onto the plains. In this study, with help from traces left by glaciers on the landscape, we use a computer model that contains knowledge of glacier physics based on modern observations of Greenland and Antarctica and laboratory experiments on ice, and one of the fastest computers in the world, to attempt a reconstruction of the evolution of Alpine glaciers through time from 120 000 years ago to today.
Guillaume Jouvet, Yvo Weidmann, Julien Seguinot, Martin Funk, Takahiro Abe, Daiki Sakakibara, Hakime Seddik, and Shin Sugiyama
The Cryosphere, 11, 911–921, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-911-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-911-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we combine UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) images taken over the Bowdoin Glacier, north-western Greenland, and a model describing the viscous motion of ice to track the propagation of crevasses responsible for the collapse of large icebergs at the glacier-ocean front (calving). This new technique allows us to explain the systematic calving pattern observed in spring and summer of 2015 and anticipate a possible rapid retreat in the future.
Patrick Becker, Julien Seguinot, Guillaume Jouvet, and Martin Funk
Geogr. Helv., 71, 173–187, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-71-173-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-71-173-2016, 2016
Julien Seguinot, Irina Rogozhina, Arjen P. Stroeven, Martin Margold, and Johan Kleman
The Cryosphere, 10, 639–664, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-639-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-639-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We use a numerical model based on approximated ice flow physics and calibrated against field-based evidence to present numerical simulations of multiple advance and retreat phases of the former Cordilleran ice sheet in North America during the last glacial cycle (120 000 to 0 years before present).
J. Seguinot, C. Khroulev, I. Rogozhina, A. P. Stroeven, and Q. Zhang
The Cryosphere, 8, 1087–1103, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1087-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1087-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Physical: Landscape Evolution: modelling and field studies
Hillslope diffusion and channel steepness in landscape evolution models
Channel concavity controls planform complexity of branching drainage networks
Knickpoints and fixed points: the evolution of fluvial morphology under the combined effect of fault uplift and dam obstruction on a soft bedrock river
GraphFlood 1.0: an efficient algorithm to approximate 2D hydrodynamics for landscape evolution models
Short Communication: Numerically simulated time to steady state is not a reliable measure of landscape response time
Modeling the formation of toma hills based on fluid dynamics with a modified Voellmy rheology
A Fractal Framework for Channel-Hillslope Coupling
Drainage rearrangement in an intra-continental mountain belt: a case study from the central South Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan
Flexural isostatic response of continental-scale deltas to climatically driven sea level changes
Scaling between volume and runout of rock avalanches explained by a modified Voellmy rheology
Past anthropogenic land use change caused a regime shift of the fluvial response to Holocene climate change in the Chinese Loess Plateau
Steady-state forms of channel profiles shaped by debris flow and fluvial processes
Refining patterns of melt with forward stratigraphic models of stable Pleistocene coastlines
Optimising global landscape evolution models with 10Be
Self-organization of channels and hillslopes in models of fluvial landform evolution and its potential for solving scaling issues
Stream laws in analog tectonic-landscape models
A control volume finite-element model for predicting the morphology of cohesive-frictional debris flow deposits
Erosion and weathering in carbonate regions reveal climatic and tectonic drivers of carbonate landscape evolution
Patterns and rates of soil movement and shallow failures across several small watersheds on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska
River incision, 10Be production and transport in a source-to-sink sediment system (Var catchment, SW Alps)
Simulating the effect of subsurface drainage on the thermal regime and ground ice in blocky terrain in Norway
An experimental study of drainage network development by surface and subsurface flow in low-gradient landscapes
The push and pull of abandoned channels: how floodplain processes and healing affect avulsion dynamics and alluvial landscape evolution in foreland basins
Climate changes and the formation of fluvial terraces in central Amazonia inferred from landscape evolution modeling
Investigation of stochastic-threshold incision models across a climatic and morphological gradient
Comparing the transport-limited and ξ–q models for sediment transport
Autogenic knickpoints in laboratory landscape experiments
Transmissivity and groundwater flow exert a strong influence on drainage density
Graphically interpreting how incision thresholds influence topographic and scaling properties of modeled landscapes
Escarpment retreat rates derived from detrital cosmogenic nuclide concentrations
Hilltop curvature as a proxy for erosion rate: wavelets enable rapid computation and reveal systematic underestimation
Short communication: Analytical models for 2D landscape evolution
Effect of rock uplift and Milankovitch timescale variations in precipitation and vegetation cover on catchment erosion rates
Modeling glacial and fluvial landform evolution at large scales using a stream-power approach
Topographic disequilibrium, landscape dynamics and active tectonics: an example from the Bhutan Himalaya
The rate and extent of wind-gap migration regulated by tributary confluences and avulsions
Inferring potential landslide damming using slope stability, geomorphic constraints, and run-out analysis: a case study from the NW Himalaya
Groundwater erosion of coastal gullies along the Canterbury coast (New Zealand): a rapid and episodic process controlled by rainfall intensity and substrate variability
Erosional response of granular material in landscape models
Transport-limited fluvial erosion – simple formulation and efficient numerical treatment
Dimensional analysis of a landscape evolution model with incision threshold
Computing water flow through complex landscapes – Part 2: Finding hierarchies in depressions and morphological segmentations
Rivers as linear elements in landform evolution models
Interactions between main channels and tributary alluvial fans: channel adjustments and sediment-signal propagation
Drainage divide networks – Part 1: Identification and ordering in digital elevation models
Drainage divide networks – Part 2: Response to perturbations
Hillslope denudation and morphologic response to a rock uplift gradient
Geomorphic signatures of the transient fluvial response to tilting
The destiny of orogen-parallel streams in the Eastern Alps: the Salzach–Enns drainage system
Statistical modelling of co-seismic knickpoint formation and river response to fault slip
David G. Litwin, Luca C. Malatesta, and Leonard S. Sklar
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 277–293, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-277-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-277-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Channel–hillslope coupling in landscape evolution models can strongly affect channel profiles. When hillslope diffusion is applied everywhere and only topography is tracked, a new scaling predicts how detachment-limited channels steepen with hillslope diffusion. Field data support channel steepening to transport sediment but not as predicted by the scaling, highlighting the need for a critical inspection of channel–hillslope coupling approaches.
Liran Goren and Eitan Shelef
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1347–1369, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1347-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1347-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
To explore the pattern formed by rivers as they crisscross the land, we developed a way to measure how these patterns vary, from straight to complex, winding paths. We discovered that a river's degree of complexity depends on how the river slope changes downstream. Although this is strange (i.e., why would changes in slope affect twists of a river in map view?), we show that this dependency is almost inevitable and that the complexity could signify how arid the climate is or used to be.
Hung-En Chen, Yen-Yu Chiu, Chih-Yuan Cheng, and Su-Chin Chen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1329–1346, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1329-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1329-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the fluvial morphology evolution in three rivers in Taiwan caused by natural tectonic movements (the 1999 Mw 7.6 Chi-Chi earthquake) and human-made structures (dams). Knickpoints resulting from riverbed uplift shift, leading to gradual evolution from instability to equilibrium. Dams, on the other hand, cause continuous degradation of the bed. When both effects exist on a reach, the impact of the knickpoint gradually fades away, but the effects of the dam on the river persist.
Boris Gailleton, Philippe Steer, Philippe Davy, Wolfgang Schwanghart, and Thomas Bernard
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1295–1313, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1295-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1295-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use cutting-edge algorithms and conceptual simplifications to solve the equations that describe surface water flow. Using quantitative data on rainfall and elevation, GraphFlood calculates river width and depth and approximates erosive power, making it a suitable tool for large-scale hazard management and understanding the relationship between rivers and mountains.
Nicole M. Gasparini, Adam M. Forte, and Katherine R. Barnhart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1227–1242, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1227-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1227-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The time it takes for a landscape to adjust to new environmental conditions is critical for understanding the impacts of past and future environmental changes. We used different computational models and methods and found that predicted times for a landscape to reach a stable condition vary greatly. Our results illustrate that reporting how timescales are measured is important. Modelers should ensure that the measurement technique addresses the question.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1193–1203, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1193-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1193-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Toma hills are relatively isolated hills found in the deposits of rock avalanches, and their origin is still enigmatic. This paper presents the results of numerical simulations based on a modified version of a friction law that was originally introduced for snow avalanches. The model produces more or less isolated hills (which look much like toma hills) on the valley floor. The results provide, perhaps, the first explanation of the occurrence of toma hills based on a numerical model.
Benjamin A. Kargère, José A. Constantine, Tristram C. Hales, Stuart W. D. Grieve, and Stewart D. Johnson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2847, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2847, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we analyze contributing drainage regions, a proxy for discharge in channel-hillslope coupling using landscape evolution models. We present a fractal framework which reveals that drainage area is not well-defined for steady-state unchannelized locations. This clarifies the interaction between geomorphic parameters and grid resolution, furthering understanding of channel-hillslope interactions in both computational and real-world settings.
Lingxiao Gong, Peter van der Beek, Taylor F. Schildgen, Edward R. Sobel, Simone Racano, Apolline Mariotti, and Fergus McNab
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 973–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-973-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-973-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We choose the large Saryjaz river from South Tian Shan to analyse topographic and fluvial metrics. By quantifying the spatial distribution of major metrics and comparing with modelling patterns, we suggest that the observed transience was triggered by a big capture event during the Plio-Pleistocene and potentially affected by both tectonic and climate factors. This conclusion underlines the importance of local contingent factors in driving drainage development.
Sara Polanco, Mike Blum, Tristan Salles, Bruce C. Frederick, Rebecca Farrington, Xuesong Ding, Ben Mather, Claire Mallard, and Louis Moresi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 301–320, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-301-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-301-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Two-thirds of the world's most populated cities are situated close to deltas. We use computer simulations to understand how deltas sink or rise in response to climate-driven sea level changes that operate from thousands to millions of years. Our research shows that because of the interaction between the outer layers of the Earth, sediment transport, and sea level changes deltas develop a self-regulated mechanism that modifies the space they need to gain or lose land.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 219–229, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-219-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-219-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Large landslides turn into an avalanche-like mode of flow at high velocities, which allows for a much longer runout than predicted for a sliding solid body. In this study, the Voellmy rheology widely used in models for hazard assessment is reinterpreted and extended. The new approach predicts the increase in runout length with volume observed in nature quite well and may thus be a major step towards a more consistent modeling of rock avalanches and improved hazard assessment.
Hao Chen, Xianyan Wang, Yanyan Yu, Huayu Lu, and Ronald Van Balen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 163–180, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-163-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-163-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Wei River catchment, one of the centers of the agricultural revolution in China, has experienced intense land use changes since 6000 BCE. This makes it an ideal place to study the response of river systems to anthropogenic land use change. Modeling results show the sensitivity of discharge and sediment yield to climate change increased abruptly when the agricultural land area exceeded a threshold at around 1000 BCE. This regime shift in the fluvial catchment led to a large sediment pulse.
Luke A. McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Odin Marc, William Struble, and Katherine R. Barnhart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1117–1143, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Debris flows are mixtures of mud and rocks that can travel at high speeds across steep landscapes. Here, we propose a new model to describe how landscapes are shaped by debris flow erosion over long timescales. Model results demonstrate that the shapes of channel profiles are sensitive to uplift rate, meaning that it may be possible to use topographic data from steep channel networks to infer how erosion rates vary across a landscape.
Patrick Boyden, Paolo Stocchi, and Alessio Rovere
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 917–931, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-917-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-917-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Preservation bias often hampers the extraction of sea level changes from the stratigraphic record. In this contribution, we use a forward stratigraphic model to build three synthetic subtropical fringing reefs for a site in southwestern Madagascar (Indian Ocean). Each of the three synthetic reefs represents a different ice sheet melt scenario for the Pleistocene. We then evaluate each resultant reef sequence against the observed stratigraphic record.
Gregory A. Ruetenik, John D. Jansen, Pedro Val, and Lotta Ylä-Mella
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 865–880, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-865-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-865-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We compare models of erosion against a global compilation of long-term erosion rates in order to find and interpret best-fit parameters using an iterative search. We find global signals among exponents which control the relationship between erosion rate and slope, as well as other parameters which are common in long-term erosion modelling. Finally, we analyse the global variability in parameters and find a correlation between precipitation and coefficients for optimised models.
Stefan Hergarten and Alexa Pietrek
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 741–755, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-741-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-741-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The transition from hillslopes to channelized flow is typically attributed to a threshold catchment size in landform evolution models. Here we propose an alternative concept directly based on topography. Using this concept, channels and hillslopes self-organize, whereby the catchment size of the channel heads varies over some range. Our numerical results suggest that this concept works better than the established idea of a strict threshold catchment size.
Riccardo Reitano, Romano Clementucci, Ethan M. Conrad, Fabio Corbi, Riccardo Lanari, Claudio Faccenna, and Chiara Bazzucchi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 731–740, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-731-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-731-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Tectonics and surface processes work together in shaping orogens through their evolution. Laboratory models are used to overcome some limitations of direct observations since they allow for continuous and detailed analysis of analog orogens. We use a rectangular box filled with an analog material made of granular materials to study how erosional laws apply and how erosion affects the analog landscape as a function of the applied boundary conditions (regional slope and rainfall rate).
Tzu-Yin Kasha Chen, Ying-Chen Wu, Chi-Yao Hung, Hervé Capart, and Vaughan R. Voller
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 325–342, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-325-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-325-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Predicting the extent and thickness of debris flow deposits is important for assessing and mitigating hazards. We propose a simplified mass balance model for predicting the morphology of terminated debris flows depositing over complex topography. A key element in this model is that the termination of flow of the deposit is determined by prescribed values of yield stress and friction angle. The model results are consistent with available analytical solutions and field and laboratory observations.
Richard Ott, Sean F. Gallen, and David Helman
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 247–257, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-247-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-247-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We compile data on carbonate denudation, the sum of mechanical erosion and chemical weathering, from cosmogenic nuclides and use them in conjunction with weathering data to constrain the partitioning of denudation into erosion and weathering. We show how carbonate erosion and weathering respond to different climatic and tectonic conditions and find that variations in denudation partitioning can be used to explain the vastly different morphology of carbonate landscapes on Earth.
Joanmarie Del Vecchio, Emma R. Lathrop, Julian B. Dann, Christian G. Andresen, Adam D. Collins, Michael M. Fratkin, Simon Zwieback, Rachel C. Glade, and Joel C. Rowland
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 227–245, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-227-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-227-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In cold regions of the Earth, thawing permafrost can change the landscape, impact ecosystems, and lead to the release of greenhouse gases. In this study we used many observational tools to better understand how sediment moves on permafrost hillslopes. Some topographic change conforms to our understanding of slope stability and sediment transport as developed in temperate landscapes, but much of what we observed needs further explanation by permafrost-specific geomorphic models.
Carole Petit, Tristan Salles, Vincent Godard, Yann Rolland, and Laurence Audin
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 183–201, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-183-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-183-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present new tools in the landscape evolution model Badlands to simulate 10Be production, erosion and transport. These tools are applied to a source-to-sink system in the SW French Alps, where the model is calibrated. We propose a model that fits river incision rates and 10Be concentrations in sediments, and we show that 10Be in deep marine sediments is a signal with multiple contributions that cannot be easily interpreted in terms of climate forcing.
Cas Renette, Kristoffer Aalstad, Juditha Aga, Robin Benjamin Zweigel, Bernd Etzelmüller, Karianne Staalesen Lilleøren, Ketil Isaksen, and Sebastian Westermann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 33–50, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-33-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-33-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
One of the reasons for lower ground temperatures in coarse, blocky terrain is a low or varying soil moisture content, which most permafrost modelling studies did not take into account. We used the CryoGrid community model to successfully simulate this effect and found markedly lower temperatures in well-drained, blocky deposits compared to other set-ups. The inclusion of this drainage effect is another step towards a better model representation of blocky mountain terrain in permafrost regions.
Brian G. Sockness and Karen B. Gran
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 581–603, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-581-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-581-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To study channel network development following continental glaciation, we ran small physical experiments where networks slowly expanded into flat surfaces. By changing substrate and rainfall, we altered flow pathways between surface and subsurface. Initially, most channels grew by overland flow. As relief increased, erosion through groundwater sapping occurred, especially in runs with high infiltration and low cohesion, highlighting the importance of groundwater in channel network evolution.
Harrison K. Martin and Douglas A. Edmonds
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 555–579, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-555-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-555-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
River avulsions (rivers suddenly changing course) redirect water and sediment. These floods can harm people and control how some landscapes evolve. We model how abandoned channels from older avulsions affect where, when, and why future avulsions occur in mountain-front areas. We show that abandoned channels can push and pull avulsions, and the way they heal controls landscapes. Avulsion models should include abandoned channels; we also highlight opportunities for future field workers.
Ariel Henrique do Prado, Renato Paes de Almeida, Cristiano Padalino Galeazzi, Victor Sacek, and Fritz Schlunegger
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 457–471, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-457-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-457-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our work is focused on describing how and why the terrace levels of central Amazonia were formed during the last 100 000 years. We propose to address this question through a landscape evolution numerical model. Our results show that terrace levels at lower elevation were established in response to dry–wet climate changes and the older terrace levels at higher elevations most likely formed in response to a previously higher elevation of the regional base level.
Clément Desormeaux, Vincent Godard, Dimitri Lague, Guillaume Duclaux, Jules Fleury, Lucilla Benedetti, Olivier Bellier, and the ASTER Team
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 473–492, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-473-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-473-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Landscape evolution is highly dependent on climatic parameters, and the occurrence of intense precipitation events is considered to be an important driver of river incision. We compare the rate of erosion with the variability of river discharge in a mountainous landscape of SE France where high-magnitude floods regularly occur. Our study highlights the importance of the hypotheses made regarding the threshold that river discharge needs to exceed in order to effectively cut down into the bedrock.
Jean Braun
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 301–327, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-301-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-301-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
By comparing two models for the transport of sediment, we find that they share a similar steady-state solution that adequately predicts the shape of most depositional systems made of a fan and an alluvial plain. The length of the fan is controlled by the size of the mountain drainage area feeding the sedimentary system and its slope by the incoming sedimentary flux. We show that the models differ in their transient behavior to external forcing and are characterized by different response times.
Léopold de Lavaissière, Stéphane Bonnet, Anne Guyez, and Philippe Davy
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 229–246, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-229-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-229-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers are known to record changes in tectonic or climatic variation through long adjustment of their longitudinal profile slope. Here we describe such adjustments in experimental landscapes and show that they may result from the sole effect of intrinsic geomorphic processes. We propose a new model of river evolution that links long profile adjustment to cycles of river widening and narrowing. This result emphasizes the need to better understand control of lateral erosion on river width.
Elco Luijendijk
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The distance between rivers is a noticeable feature of the Earth's surface. Previous work has indicated that subsurface groundwater flow may be important for drainage density. Here, I present a new model that combines subsurface and surface water flow and erosion, and demonstrates that groundwater exerts an important control on drainage density. Streams that incise rapidly can capture the groundwater discharge of adjacent streams, which may cause these streams to become dry and stop incising.
Nikos Theodoratos and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1545–1561, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1545-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1545-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We examine stream-power incision and linear diffusion landscape evolution models with and without incision thresholds. We present a steady-state relationship between curvature and the steepness index, which plots as a straight line. We view this line as a counterpart to the slope–area relationship for the case of landscapes with hillslope diffusion. We show that simple shifts and rotations of this line graphically express the topographic response of landscapes to changes in model parameters.
Yanyan Wang and Sean D. Willett
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1301–1322, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1301-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1301-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Although great escarpment mountain ranges are characterized by high relief, modern erosion rates suggest slow rates of landscape change. We question this interpretation by presenting a new method for interpreting concentrations of cosmogenic isotopes. Our analysis shows that erosion has localized onto an escarpment face, driving retreat of the escarpment at high rates. Our quantification of this retreat rate rationalizes the high-relief, dramatic landscape with the rates of geomorphic change.
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
Short summary
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.
Philippe Steer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1239–1250, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1239-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1239-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
How landscapes respond to tectonic and climatic changes is a major issue in Earth sciences. I have developed a new model that solves for landscape evolution in two dimensions using analytical solutions. Compared to numerical models, this new model is quicker and more accurate. It can compute in a single time step the topography at equilibrium of a landscape or be used to describe its evolution through time, e.g. during changes in tectonic or climatic conditions.
Hemanti Sharma, Todd A. Ehlers, Christoph Glotzbach, Manuel Schmid, and Katja Tielbörger
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1045–1072, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1045-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1045-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We study effects of variable climate–vegetation with different uplift rates on erosion–sedimentation using a landscape evolution modeling approach. Results suggest that regardless of uplift rates, transients in precipitation–vegetation lead to transients in erosion rates in the same direction of change. Vegetation-dependent erosion and sedimentation are influenced by Milankovitch timescale changes in climate, but these transients are superimposed upon tectonically driven uplift rates.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 937–952, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-937-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-937-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a new approach to modeling glacial erosion on large scales. The formalism is similar to large-scale models of fluvial erosion, so glacial and fluvial processes can be easily combined. The model is simpler and numerically less demanding than established models based on a more detailed description of the ice flux. The numerical implementation almost achieves the efficiency of purely fluvial models, so that simulations over millions of years can be performed on standard PCs.
Martine Simoes, Timothée Sassolas-Serrayet, Rodolphe Cattin, Romain Le Roux-Mallouf, Matthieu Ferry, and Dowchu Drukpa
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 895–921, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-895-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-895-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Elevated low-relief regions and major river knickpoints have for long been noticed and questioned in the emblematic Bhutan Himalaya. We document the morphology of this region using morphometric analyses and field observations, at a variety of spatial scales. Our findings reveal a highly unstable river network, with numerous non-coeval river captures, most probably related to a dynamic response to local tectonic uplift in the mountain hinterland.
Eitan Shelef and Liran Goren
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 687–700, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-687-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-687-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Drainage basins are bounded by water divides (divides) that define their shape and extent. Divides commonly coincide with high ridges, but in places that experienced extensive tectonic deformation, divides sometimes cross elongated valleys. Inspired by field observations and using simulations of landscape evolution, we study how side channels that drain to elongated valleys induce pulses of divide migration, affecting the distribution of water and erosion products across mountain ranges.
Vipin Kumar, Imlirenla Jamir, Vikram Gupta, and Rajinder K. Bhasin
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 351–377, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-351-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-351-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Despite a history of landslide damming and flash floods in the NW Himalaya, only a few studies have been performed. This study predicts some potential landslide damming sites in the Satluj valley, NW Himalaya, using field observations, laboratory analyses, geomorphic proxies, and numerical simulations. Five landslides, comprising a total landslide volume of 26.3 ± 6.7 M m3, are found to have the potential to block the river in the case of slope failure.
Aaron Micallef, Remus Marchis, Nader Saadatkhah, Potpreecha Pondthai, Mark E. Everett, Anca Avram, Alida Timar-Gabor, Denis Cohen, Rachel Preca Trapani, Bradley A. Weymer, and Phillipe Wernette
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1–18, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We study coastal gullies along the Canterbury coast of New Zealand using field observations, sample analyses, drones, satellites, geophysical instruments and modelling. We show that these coastal gullies form when rainfall intensity is higher than 40 mm per day. The coastal gullies are formed by landslides where buried channels or sand lenses are located. This information allows us to predict where coastal gullies may form in the future.
Riccardo Reitano, Claudio Faccenna, Francesca Funiciello, Fabio Corbi, and Sean D. Willett
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 973–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-973-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-973-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Looking into processes that occur on different timescales that span over thousands or millions of years is difficult to achieve. This is the case when we try to understand the interaction between tectonics and surface processes. Analog modeling is an investigating technique that can overcome this limitation. We study the erosional response of an analog landscape by varying the concentration of components of analog materials that strongly affect the evolution of experimental landscapes.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 841–854, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-841-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-841-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Many contemporary models of large-scale fluvial erosion focus on the detachment-limited regime where all material entrained by the river is immediately excavated. This limitation facilitates the comparison with real river profiles and strongly reduces the numerical complexity. Here a simple formulation for the opposite case, transport-limited erosion, and a new numerical scheme that achieves almost the same numerical efficiency as detachment-limited models are presented.
Nikos Theodoratos and James W. Kirchner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 505–526, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-505-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-505-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We non-dimensionalized a commonly used model of landscape evolution that includes an incision threshold. Whereas the original model included four parameters, we obtained a dimensionless form with a single parameter, which quantifies the relative importance of the incision threshold. Working with this form saves computational time and simplifies theoretical analyses.
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.
Stefan Hergarten
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 367–377, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-367-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-367-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Models of fluvial erosion have a long history in landform evolution modeling. Interactions between rivers and processes acting at hillslopes (e.g., landslides) are receiving growing interest in this context. While present-day computer capacities allow for applying such coupled models, there is still a scaling problem when considering rivers to be linear elements on a topography. Based on a reinterpretation of old empirical results, this study presents a new approach to overcome this problem.
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.
Dirk Scherler and Wolfgang Schwanghart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 245–259, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-245-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-245-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Drainage divides are believed to provide clues about divide migration and the instability of landscapes. Here, we present a novel approach to extract drainage divides from digital elevation models and to order them in a drainage divide network. We present our approach by studying natural and artificial landscapes generated with a landscape evolution model and disturbed to induce divide migration.
Dirk Scherler and Wolfgang Schwanghart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 261–274, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-261-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-261-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Drainage divides are believed to provide clues about divide migration and the instability of landscapes. Here, we present a novel approach to extract drainage divides from digital elevation models and to order them in a drainage divide network. We present our approach by studying natural and artificial landscapes generated with a landscape evolution model and disturbed to induce divide migration.
Vincent Godard, Jean-Claude Hippolyte, Edward Cushing, Nicolas Espurt, Jules Fleury, Olivier Bellier, Vincent Ollivier, and the ASTER Team
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 221–243, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-221-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-221-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Slow-slipping faults are often difficult to identify in landscapes. Here we analyzed high-resolution topographic data from the Valensole area at the front of the southwestern French Alps. We measured various properties of hillslopes such as their relief and the shape of hilltops. We observed systematic spatial variations of hillslope morphology indicative of relative changes in erosion rates. These variations are potentially related to slow tectonic deformation across the studied area.
Helen W. Beeson and Scott W. McCoy
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 123–159, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-123-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-123-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We used a computer model to show that, when a landscape is tilted, rivers respond in a distinct way such that river profiles take on unique forms that record tilt timing and magnitude. Using this suite of river forms, we estimated tilt timing and magnitude in the Sierra Nevada, USA, and results were consistent with independent measures. Our work broadens the scope of tectonic histories that can be extracted from landscape form to include tilting, which has been documented in diverse locations.
Georg Trost, Jörg Robl, Stefan Hergarten, and Franz Neubauer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 69–85, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-69-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-69-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The evolution of the drainage system in the Eastern Alps is inherently linked to different tectonic stages. This leads to a situation in which major orogen-parallel alpine rivers, such as the Salzach and the Enns, are characterized by elongated east–west-oriented catchments. We investigate the stability of present-day drainage divides and the stability of reconstructed paleo-drainage systems. Our results indicate a progressive stability of the network towards the present-day situation.
Philippe Steer, Thomas Croissant, Edwin Baynes, and Dimitri Lague
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 681–706, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-681-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-681-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We use a statistical earthquake generator to investigate the influence of fault activity on river profile development and on the formation of co-seismic knickpoints. We find that the magnitude distribution of knickpoints resulting from a purely seismic fault is homogeneous. Shallow aseismic slip favours knickpoints generated by large-magnitude earthquakes nucleating at depth. Accounting for fault burial by alluvial cover can modulate the topographic expression of earthquakes and fault activity.
Cited articles
Albrecht, T., Winkelmann, R., and Levermann, A.: Glacial-cycle simulations of
the Antarctic Ice Sheet with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) – Part 1: Boundary conditions and climatic forcing, The Cryosphere, 14, 599–632, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-599-2020, 2020a. a
Albrecht, T., Winkelmann, R., and Levermann, A.: Glacial-cycle simulations of
the Antarctic Ice Sheet with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) – Part 2: Parameter ensemble analysis, The Cryosphere, 14, 633–656, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-633-2020, 2020b. a
Alley, R. B., Cuffey, K. M., Evenson, E. B., Strasser, J. C., Lawson, D. E.,
and Larson, G. J.: How glaciers entrain and transport basal sediment: physical constraints, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 16, 1017–1038,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(97)00034-6, 1997. a
Alley, R. B., Cuffey, K. M., and Zoet, L. K.: Glacial erosion: status and
outlook, Ann. Glaciol., 60, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2019.38, 2019. a
Anderson, L. S. and Anderson, R. S.: Modeling debris-covered glaciers: response to steady debris deposition, The Cryosphere, 10, 1105–1124, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1105-2016, 2016. a
Anderson, R., Dühnforth, M., Colgan, W., and Anderson, L.: Far-flung
moraines: Exploring the feedback of glacial erosion on the evolution of
glacier length, Geomorphology, 179, 269–285, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.08.018, 2012. a, b
Barr, I., Ely, J., Spagnolo, M., Clark, C., Evans, I., Pellicer, X., Pellitero, R., and Rea, B.: Climate patterns during former periods of mountain glaciation in Britain and Ireland: Inferences from the cirque record, Palaeogeogr., Palaeocl., 485, 466–475, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.07.001, 2017. a
Barr, I., Ely, J., Spagnolo, M., Evans, I., and Tomkins, M.: The dynamics of
mountain erosion: cirque growth slows as landscapes age, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 44, 2628–2637, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4688, 2019. a, b
Beaud, F., Flowers, G. E., and Pimentel, S.: Seasonal-scale abrasion and
quarrying patterns from a two-dimensional ice-flow model coupled to distributed and channelized subglacial drainage, Geomorphology, 219,
176–191, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.04.036, 2014. a
Beaud, F., Venditti, J., Flowers, G., and Koppes, M.: Excavation of subglacial bedrock channels by seasonal meltwater flow, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 43, 1960–1972, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4367, 2018. a
Bendixen, M., Iversen, L. L., Bjørk, A. A., Elberling, B.,
Westergaard-Nielsen, A., Overeem, I., Barnhart, K. R., Khan, S. A., Abermann,
J., Langley, K., and Kroon, A.: Delta progradation in Greenland driven by increasing glacial mass loss, Nature, 550, 101–104, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature23873, 2017. a
Coutterand, S.: Etude géomorphologique des flux glaciaires dans les Alpes
nord-occidentales au Pléistocène récent: du maximum de la dernière glaciation aux premières étapes de la déglaciation, PhD thesis, Université de Savoie, Savoie, 2010. a
Dansgaard, W., Johnsen, S. J., Clausen, H. B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Gundestrup,
N. S., Hammer, C. U., Hvidberg, C. S., Steffensen, J. P., Sveinbjörnsdottir, A. E., Jouzel, J., and Bond, G.: Evidence for general
instability of past climate from a 250-kyr ice-core record, Nature, 364,
218–220, https://doi.org/10.1038/364218a0, 1993. a, b
Dee, D. P., Uppala, S. M., Simmons, A. J., Berrisford, P., Poli, P., Kobayashi, S., Andrae, U., Balmaseda, M. A., Balsamo, G., Bauer, P., Bechtold, P., Beljaars, A. C. M., van de Berg, L., Bidlot, J., Bormann, N., Delsol, C., Dragani, R., Fuentes, M., Geer, A. J., Haimberger, L., Healy, S. B., Hersbach, H., Hólm, E. V., Isaksen, L., Kållberg, P., Köhler, M., Matricardi, M., McNally, A. P., Monge-Sanz, B. M., Morcrette, J.-J., Park, B.-K., Peubey, C., de Rosnay, P., Tavolato, C., Thépaut, J.-N., and
Vitart, F.: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: configuration and performance of the
data assimilation system, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 137, 553–597,
https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.828, 2011. a
Delaney, I. and Adhikari, S.: Increased Subglacial Sediment Discharge in a Warming Climate: Consideration of Ice Dynamics, Glacial Erosion, and Fluvial Sediment Transport, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2019GL085672, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085672, 2020. a, b
Delaney, I., Werder, M. A., and Farinotti, D.: A numerical model for fluvial
transport of subglacial sediment, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 124, 2197–2223, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019jf005004, 2019. a
Egholm, D., Nielsen, S., Pedersen, V., and Lesemann, J.-E.: Glacial effects
limiting mountain height, Nature, 460, 884–887, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08263,
2009. a
Egholm, D., Pedersen, V., Knudsen, M., and Larsen, N.: Coupling the flow of
ice, water, and sediment in a glacial landscape evolution model, Geomorphology, 141–142, 47–66, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.12.019, 2012a. a
Egholm, D., Pedersen, V., Knudsen, M., and Larsen, N.: On the importance of
higher order ice dynamics for glacial landscape evolution, Geomorphology, 141–142, 67–80, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.12.020, 2012b. a
Ehlers, J., Gibbard, P. L., and Hughes, P. D. (Eds.): vol. 15 of Dev. Quaternary Sci., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2011. a
Fabel, D., Ballantyne, C. K., and Xu, S.: Trimlines, blockfields, mountain-top erratics and the vertical dimensions of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet in NW Scotland, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 55, 91–102,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.09.002, 2012. a
Fernandez, R., Anderson, J., Wellner, J., Minzoni, R., Hallet, B., and Smith,
R. T.: Latitudinal variation in glacial erosion rates from Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula (46∘ S–65∘ S), B. Geol. Soc. Am., 128, 1000–1023, https://doi.org/10.1130/B31321.1, 2016. a
Fu, P., Heyman, J., Hättestrand, C., Stroeven, A. P., and Harbor, J. M.:
Glacial geomorphology of the Shaluli Shan area, southeastern Tibetan Plateau,
J. Maps, 8, 48–55, https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2012.668762, 2012. a
Fu, P., Harbor, J. M., Stroeven, A. P., Hättestrand, C., Heyman, J., and
Zhou, L.: Glacial geomorphology and paleoglaciation patterns in Shaluli Shan,
the southeastern Tibetan Plateau – Evidence for polythermal ice cap glaciation, Geomorphology, 182, 66–78, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.10.030, 2013. a
Ganti, V., von Hagke, C., Scherler, D., Lamb, M., Fischer, W., and Avouac,
J.-P.: Time scale bias in erosion rates of glaciated landscapes, Sci. Adv., 2, e1600204, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600204, 2016. a
Hallet, B.: A theoretical model of glacial abrasion, J. Glaciol., 23, 39–50,
https://doi.org/10.3189/s0022143000029725, 1979. a, b, c
Hallet, B.: Glacial quarrying: a simple theoretical model, Ann. Glaciol., 22,
1–8, https://doi.org/10.3189/1996aog22-1-1-8, 1996. a
Harbor, J. M., Hallet, B., and Raymond, C. F.: A numerical model of landform
development by glacial erosion, Nature, 333, 347–349, https://doi.org/10.1038/333347a0, 1988. a
Harper, J. and Humphrey, N.: High altitude Himalayan climate inferred from
glacial ice flux, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 1764, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL017329, 2003. a
Herman, F. and Champagnac, J.-D.: Plio-Pleistocene increase of erosion rates in mountain belts in response to climate change, Terra Nova, 28, 2–10,
https://doi.org/10.1111/ter.12186, 2016. a
Herman, F., Beaud, F., Champagnac, J., Lemieux, J. M., and Sternai, P.: Glacial hydrology and erosion patterns: a mechanism for carving glacial valleys, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 310, 498–508, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.08.022, 2011. a, b, c, d
Hewitt, I. and Creyts, T.: A model for the formation of eskers, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 46, 6673–6680, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082304, 2019. a
Hijmans, R. J., Cameron, S. E., Parra, J. L., Jones, P. G., and Jarvis, A.:
Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas, Int. J. Climatol., 25, 1965–1978, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.1276, 2005. a
Hildes, D. H., Clarke, G. K., Flowers, G. E., and Marshall, S. J.: Subglacial
erosion and englacial sediment transport modelled for North American ice
sheets, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 23, 409–430, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2003.06.005, 2004. a
Humphrey, N. F. and Raymond, C. F.: Hydrology, erosion and sediment production in a surging glacier: Variegated Glacier, Alaska, 1982–83, J.
Glaciol., 40, 539–552, https://doi.org/10.3189/s0022143000012429, 1994. a, b, c, d
Huss, M., Jouvet, G., Farinotti, D., and Bauder, A.: Future high-mountain
hydrology: a new parameterization of glacier retreat, Hydrol. Earth Syst.
Sci., 14, 815–829, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-14-815-2010, 2010. a
Huybrechts, P.: Sea-level changes at the LGM from ice-dynamic reconstructions
of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets during the glacial cycles,
Quaternary Sci. Rev., 21, 203–231, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0277-3791(01)00082-8, 2002. a
Imhof, M.: Combined climate-ice flow modelling of the Alpine ice field during
the Last Glacial Maximum, PhD thesis, ETH Zürich, Zurich,
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000471073, 2021. a
Imhof, M. A., Cohen, D., Seguinot, J., Aschwanden, A., Funk, M., and Jouvet,
G.: Modelling a paleo valley glacier network using a hybrid model: an
assessment with a Stokes ice flow model, J. Glaciol., 65, 1000–1010,
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2019.77, 2019. a
Iverson, N. R.: A theory of glacial quarrying for landscape evolution models,
Geology, 40, 679–682, https://doi.org/10.1130/G33079.1, 2012. a, b
Jansen, J., Knudsen, M., Andersen, J., Heyman, J., and Egholm, D.: Erosion
rates in Fennoscandia during the past million years, Quaternary Sci. Rev.,
207, 37–48, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.01.010, 2019. a, b
Jouzel, J., Masson-Delmotte, V., Cattani, O., Dreyfus, G., Falourd, S.,
Hoffmann, G., Minster, B., Nouet, J., Barnola, J. M., Chappellaz, J., Fischer, H., Gallet, J. C., Johnsen, S., Leuenberger, M., Loulergue, L., Luethi, D., Oerter, H., Parrenin, F., Raisbeck, G., Raynaud, D., Schilt, A.,
Schwander, J., Selmo, E., Souchez, R., Spahni, R., Stauffer, B., Steffensen,
J. P., Stenni, B., Stocker, T. F., Tison, J. L., Werner, M., and Wolff, E. W.: Orbital and Millennial Antarctic Climate Variability over the Past
800,000 Years, Science, 317, 793–796, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1141038, 2007. a, b
Kelly, M. A., Buoncristiani, J.-F., and Schlüchter, C.: A reconstruction of the last glacial maximum (LGM) ice surface geometry in the western Swiss
Alps and contiguous Alpine regions in Italy and France, Eclog. Geol. Helv., 97, 57–75, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00015-004-1109-6, 2004. a
Kleman, J.: Preservation of landforms under ice sheets and ice caps,
Geomorphology, 9, 19–32, https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-555x(94)90028-0, 1994. a
Kleman, J., Stroeven, A. P., and Lundqvist, J.: Patterns of Quaternary ice
sheet erosion and deposition in Fennoscandia and a theoretical framework for
explanation, Geomorphology, 97, 73–90, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.02.049,
2008. a
Kleman, J., Jansson, K., De Angelis, H., Stroeven, A., Hättestrand, C.,
Alm, G., and Glasser, N.: North American ice sheet build-up during the last
glacial cycle, 115–21 kyr, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 29, 2036–2051,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.04.021, 2010. a
Koppes, M. N. and Montgomery, D. R.: The relative efficacy of fluvial and
glacial erosion over modern to orogenic timescales, Nat. Geosci., 2, 644–647, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo616, 2009. a, b
Lai, J. and Anders, A. M.: Climatic controls on mountain glacier basal thermal regimes dictate spatial patterns of glacial erosion, Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2021-26, in review, 2021. a
Lane, S. N., Bakker, M., Gabbud, C., Micheletti, N., and Saugy, J.: Sediment
export, transient landscape response and catchment-scale connectivity
following rapid climate warming and alpine glacier recession, Geomorphology,
277, 210–227, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.02.015, 2017. a
Lisiecki, L. E. and Raymo, M. E.: A Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of 57 globally distributed benthic δ18O records, Paleoceanography, 20, PA1003, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004pa001071, 2005. a
MacGregor, K., Anderson, R., Anderson, S., and Waddington, E.: Numerical
simulations of glacial-valley longitudinal profile evolution, Geology, 28,
1031–1034, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2000)28<1031:NSOGLP>2.0.CO;2, 2000. a
Margold, M., Jansson, K. N., Kleman, J., and Stroeven, A. P.: Glacial meltwater landforms of central British Columbia, J. Maps, 7, 486–506,
https://doi.org/10.4113/jom.2011.1205, 2011. a
Mariotti, A., Blard, P.-H., Charreau, J., Toucanne, S., Jorry, S., Molliex, S., Bourlès, D., Aumaitre, G., and Keddadouche, K.: Nonlinear forcing of
climate on mountain denudation during glaciations, Nat. Geosci., 14, 16–22,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-00672-2, 2021. a, b
Martrat, B., Grimalt, J. O., Shackleton, N. J., de Abreu, L., Hutterli, M. A., and Stocker, T. F.: Four climate cycles of recurring deep and surface water destabilizations on the Iberian margin, Science, 317, 502–507,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1139994, 2007. a, b
Micheletti, N. and Lane, S. N.: Water yield and sediment export in small,
partially glaciated Alpine watersheds in a warming climate, Water Resour.
Res., 52, 4924–4943, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR018774, 2016. a
Moon, T., Joughin, I., Smith, B., and Howat, I.: 21st-Century Evolution of
Greenland Outlet Glacier Velocities, Science, 336, 576–578,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1219985, 2012. a
Mouginot, J., Rignot, E., and Scheuchl, B.: Sustained increase in ice discharge from the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, from 1973 to 2013, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 1576–1584, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL059069, 2014. a
Overeem, I., Hudson, B. D., Syvitski, J. P. M., Mikkelsen, A. B., Hasholt, B., van den Broeke, M. R., Noël, B. P. Y., and Morlighem, M.: Substantial
export of suspended sediment to the global oceans from glacial erosion in
Greenland, Nat. Geosci., 10, 859–863, https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO3046, 2017. a
Patterson, T. and Kelso, N. V.: Natural Earth, Free vector and raster map
data, available at: http://naturalearthdata.com, last access: 22 November 2017. a
Pedersen, V. K., Huismans, R. S., Herman, F., and Egholm, D. L.: Controls of
initial topography on temporal and spatial patterns of glacial erosion,
Geomorphology, 223, 96–116, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.06.028, 2014. a
Penck, A.: Glacial Features in the Surface of the Alps, J. Geol., 13, 1–19,
https://doi.org/10.1086/621202, 1905. a
Preusser, F., Reitner, J. M., and Schlüchter, C.: Distribution, geometry,
age and origin of overdeepened valleys and basins in the Alps and their
foreland, Swiss J. Geosci., 103, 407–426, 2010. a
Preusser, F., Graf, H. R., Keller, O., Krayss, E., and Schlüchter, C.:
Quaternary glaciation history of northern Switzerland, Quaternary Sci. J., 60, 282–305, https://doi.org/10.3285/eg.60.2-3.06, 2011. a
Sanders, J. W., Cuffey, K. M., Moore, J. R., MacGregor, K. R., and Kavanaugh,
J. L.: Periglacial weathering and headwall erosion in cirque glacier bergschrunds, Geology, 40, 779–782, https://doi.org/10.1130/g33330.1, 2012. a
Seguinot, J.: Glacial quarrying and development of overdeepenings in glacial
valleys: modelling experiments and case studies at Erdalen, Western Norway,
École normale supérieure, Paris, https://doi.org/10.31237/osf.io/8fzd6, 2008. a
Seguinot, J.: Numerical modelling of the Cordilleran ice sheet, PhD thesis,
Stockholm University, Stockholm, available at: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-106815 (last access: 2 August 2021), 2014. a
Seguinot, J.: Alpine ice sheet glacial cycle simulations aggregated variables
[data set], Zenodo, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3604174, 2019. a, b
Seguinot, J.: Alpine ice sheet glacial cycle simulations continuous variables
[data set], Zenodo, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3604142, 2020. a, b
Seguinot, J.: Alpine ice sheet erosion potential aggregated variables [data
set], Zenodo, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5084579, 2021a. a, b
Seguinot, J.: Alpine glaciers erosion potential over the last 120 000 years, vimeo, available at: https://vimeo.com/503162771 (last access: 2 August 2021), 2021b. a
Seguinot, J.: Alpine glacial cycle erosion vs ice volume, vimeo, available at: https://vimeo.com/512478926 (last access: 2 August 2021), 2021c. a
Seguinot, J.: Alpine glacial cycle erosion vs bedrock altitude, vimeo, available at: https://vimeo.com/512479008 (last access: 2 August 2021), 2021d. a
Seguinot, J., Rogozhina, I., Stroeven, A. P., Margold, M., and Kleman, J.:
Numerical simulations of the Cordilleran ice sheet through the last glacial
cycle, The Cryosphere, 10, 639–664, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-639-2016, 2016. a
Steinemann, O., Ivy-Ochs, S., Grazioli, S., Luetscher, M., Fischer, U. H.,
Vockenhuber, C., and Synal, H.-A.: Quantifying glacial erosion on a limestone
bed and the relevance for landscape development in the Alps, Earth Surf.
Proc. Land., 45, 1401–1417, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4812, 2020. a, b, c
Steinemann, O., Ivy-Ochs, S., Hippe, K., Christl, M., Haghipour, N., and Synal, H.-A.: Glacial erosion by the Trift glacier (Switzerland): Deciphering the development of riegels, rock basins and gorges, Geomorphology, 375, 107533, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107533, 2021. a, b, c
Sternai, P., Herman, F., Valla, P. G., and Champagnac, J.-D.: Spatial and
temporal variations of glacial erosion in the Rhone valley (Swiss Alps): Insights from numerical modeling, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 368, 119–131, 2013. a
Thomson, S., Brandon, M., Tomkin, J., Reiners, P., Vásquez, C., and Wilson, N.: Glaciation as a destructive and constructive control on mountain
building, Nature, 467, 313–317, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09365, 2010. a
Tulaczyk, S., Kamb, W. B., and Engelhardt, H. F.: Basal mechanics of Ice Stream B, west Antarctica: 1. Till mechanics, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 463–481, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999jb900329, 2000. a
Ugelvig, S., Egholm, D., Anderson, R., and Iverson, N.: Glacial erosion driven by variations in meltwater drainage, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123,
2863–2877, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004680, 2018. a, b, c, d
Valla, P. G., Shuster, D. L., and van der Beek, P. A.: Significant increase in relief of the European Alps during mid-Pleistocene glaciations, Nat. Geosci., 4, 688–692, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1242, 2011. a
Werder, M. A., Hewitt, I. J., Schoof, C. G., and Flowers, G. E.: Modeling
channelized and distributed subglacial drainage in two dimensions, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 2140–2158, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20146, 2013.
a
Willenbring, J. and Von Blanckenburg, F.: Long-term stability of global erosion rates and weathering during late-Cenozoic cooling, Nature, 465, 211–214, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09044, 2010. a
Wirsig, C., Zasadni, J., Christl, M., Akçar, N., and Ivy-Ochs, S.: Dating
the onset of LGM ice surface lowering in the High Alps, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 143, 37–50, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.05.001, 2016. a
Zekollari, H. and Huybrechts, P.: On the climate–geometry imbalance, response time and volume–area scaling of an alpine glacier: insights from a 3-D flow model applied to Vadret da Morteratsch, Switzerland, Ann. Glaciol., 56, 51–62, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015aog70a921, 2015. a
Short summary
Ancient Alpine glaciers have carved a fascinating landscape of piedmont lakes, glacial valleys, and mountain cirques. Using a previous supercomputer simulation of glacier flow, we show that glacier erosion has constantly evolved and moved to different parts of the Alps. Interestingly, larger glaciers do not always cause more rapid erosion. Instead, glacier erosion is modelled to slow down during glacier advance and peak during phases of retreat, such as the one the Earth is currently undergoing.
Ancient Alpine glaciers have carved a fascinating landscape of piedmont lakes, glacial valleys,...
