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Earth Surface Dynamics
An interactive open-access journal of the European Geosciences Union
Journal topic
- About
- Editorial board
- Articles
- Special issues
- Highlight articles
- Manuscript tracking
- Subscribe to alerts
- Peer review
- For authors
- For reviewers
- EGU publications
- Imprint
- Data protection
Journal metrics
Journal metrics
IF 3.765
3.719CiteScore
3.83SNIP 1.281
SJR 1.527
index 17h5-index 18
Abstracted/indexed
Abstracted/indexed
Volume 1, issue 1
Earth Surf. Dynam., 1, 13–27, 2013
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-13-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-13-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Earth Surf. Dynam., 1, 13–27, 2013
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-13-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-13-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article 07 Oct 2013
Research article | 07 Oct 2013
Climate, tectonics or morphology: what signals can we see in drainage basin sediment yields?
T. J. Coulthard and M. J. Van de WielRelated authors
Chloe Leach, Tom Coulthard, Andrew Barkwith, Daniel R. Parsons, and Susan Manson
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2019-197, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2019-197, 2019
Manuscript under review for GMD
Short summary
Short summary
Numerical models can be used to understand how coastal systems evolve over time, including likely responses to climate change. However, many existing models aimed at simulating 10–100-year time periods do not represent a vertical dimension and therefore, are unable to include the effect of sea-level rise. The Coastline Evolution Model 2D (CEM2D) presented in this paper is an advance in this field, with the inclusion of the vertical coastal profile against which the water level can be altered.
Christopher J. Skinner, Tom J. Coulthard, Wolfgang Schwanghart, Marco J. Van De Wiel, and Greg Hancock
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4873–4888, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4873-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4873-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Landscape evolution models are computer models used to understand how the Earth’s surface changes over time. Although designed to look at broad changes over very long time periods, they could potentially be used to predict smaller changes over shorter periods. However, to do this we need to better understand how the models respond to changes in their set-up – i.e. their behaviour. This work presents a method which can be applied to these models in order to better understand their behaviour.
Jorge A. Ramirez, Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar, Dhruvesh P. Patel, Tom J. Coulthard, and Margreth Keiler
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-544, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-544, 2016
Publication in HESS not foreseen
Short summary
Short summary
Surat, India has a population of 4.5 million and lies on the banks of the river Tapi and is located downstream from a dam that repeatedly floods the city. Floods in Surat may increase in occurrence due to urbanization and climate change. We have developed a model that floods 50 % of the city and exposes > 60 % of the population and critical infrastructure. We highlight how modeling has contributed to changes in flood risk management and resulted in actions that increase city resilience.
Tom J. Coulthard and Christopher J. Skinner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 757–771, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-757-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-757-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Landscape evolution models are driven by climate or precipitation data. We show that higher-resolution data lead to greater basin sediment yields (> 100 % increase) despite minimal changes in hydrological outputs. Spatially, simulations over 1000 years show finer-resolution data lead to a systematic bias of more erosion in headwater streams with more deposition in valley floors. This could have important implications for the long-term predictions of past and present landscape evolution models.
Chloe Leach, Tom Coulthard, Andrew Barkwith, Daniel R. Parsons, and Susan Manson
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2019-197, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2019-197, 2019
Manuscript under review for GMD
Short summary
Short summary
Numerical models can be used to understand how coastal systems evolve over time, including likely responses to climate change. However, many existing models aimed at simulating 10–100-year time periods do not represent a vertical dimension and therefore, are unable to include the effect of sea-level rise. The Coastline Evolution Model 2D (CEM2D) presented in this paper is an advance in this field, with the inclusion of the vertical coastal profile against which the water level can be altered.
Christopher J. Skinner, Tom J. Coulthard, Wolfgang Schwanghart, Marco J. Van De Wiel, and Greg Hancock
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 4873–4888, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4873-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4873-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Landscape evolution models are computer models used to understand how the Earth’s surface changes over time. Although designed to look at broad changes over very long time periods, they could potentially be used to predict smaller changes over shorter periods. However, to do this we need to better understand how the models respond to changes in their set-up – i.e. their behaviour. This work presents a method which can be applied to these models in order to better understand their behaviour.
Jorge A. Ramirez, Umamaheshwaran Rajasekar, Dhruvesh P. Patel, Tom J. Coulthard, and Margreth Keiler
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-544, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-544, 2016
Publication in HESS not foreseen
Short summary
Short summary
Surat, India has a population of 4.5 million and lies on the banks of the river Tapi and is located downstream from a dam that repeatedly floods the city. Floods in Surat may increase in occurrence due to urbanization and climate change. We have developed a model that floods 50 % of the city and exposes > 60 % of the population and critical infrastructure. We highlight how modeling has contributed to changes in flood risk management and resulted in actions that increase city resilience.
Tom J. Coulthard and Christopher J. Skinner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 757–771, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-757-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-757-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Landscape evolution models are driven by climate or precipitation data. We show that higher-resolution data lead to greater basin sediment yields (> 100 % increase) despite minimal changes in hydrological outputs. Spatially, simulations over 1000 years show finer-resolution data lead to a systematic bias of more erosion in headwater streams with more deposition in valley floors. This could have important implications for the long-term predictions of past and present landscape evolution models.
Related subject area
Physical: Geomorphology (including all aspects of fluvial, coastal, aeolian, hillslope and glacial geomorphology)
Permafrost distribution in steep rock slopes in Norway: measurements, statistical modelling and implications for geomorphological processes
Reconstruction of river valley evolution before and after the emplacement of the giant Seymareh rock avalanche (Zagros Mts., Iran)
Experiments on patterns of alluvial cover and bedrock erosion in a meandering channel
How does the downstream boundary affect avulsion dynamics in a laboratory bifurcation?
River channel width controls blocking by slow-moving landslides in California's Franciscan mélange
Introducing PebbleCounts: a grain-sizing tool for photo surveys of dynamic gravel-bed rivers
Quantifying the restoration success of wood introductions to increase coho salmon winter habitat
Seismic and geologic controls on spatial clustering of landslides in three large earthquakes
Evaluating the potential of post-processing kinematic (PPK) georeferencing for UAV-based structure- from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry and surface change detection
Percentile-based grain size distribution analysis tools (GSDtools) – estimating confidence limits and hypothesis tests for comparing two samples
A global delta dataset and the environmental variables that predict delta formation on marine coastlines
Displacement mechanisms of slow-moving landslides in response to changes in porewater pressure and dynamic stress
Evaluating post-glacial bedrock erosion and surface exposure duration by coupling in situ optically stimulated luminescence and 10Be dating
Alluvial channel response to environmental perturbations: fill-terrace formation and sediment-signal disruption
A coupled soilscape–landform evolution model: model formulation and initial results
Estimating the disequilibrium in denudation rates due to divide migration at the scale of river basins
Spatial and temporal patterns of sediment storage and erosion following a wildfire and extreme flood
An index concentration method for suspended load monitoring in large rivers of the Amazonian foreland
Determining flow directions in river channel networks using planform morphology and topology
Testing a failure surface prediction and deposit reconstruction method for a landslide cluster that occurred during Typhoon Talas (Japan)
Sediment supply from lateral moraines to a debris-covered glacier in the Himalaya
Potential erosion capacity of gravity currents created by changing initial conditions
Modelling braided river morphodynamics using a particle travel length framework
Observations and scaling of tidal mass transport across the lower Ganges–Brahmaputra delta plain: implications for delta management and sustainability
Glacial limitation of tropical mountain height
Long-term erosion of the Nepal Himalayas by bedrock landsliding: the role of monsoons, earthquakes and giant landslides
Short communication: Challenges and applications of structure-from-motion photogrammetry in a physical model of a braided river
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Environmental signal shredding on sandy coastlines
Long-profile evolution of transport-limited gravel-bed rivers
The rarefied (non-continuum) conditions of tracer particle transport in soils, with implications for assessing the intensity and depth dependence of mixing from geochronology
Measuring subaqueous progradation of the Wax Lake Delta with a model of flow direction divergence
Directional dependency and coastal framework geology: implications for barrier island resilience
Impacts of a large flood along a mountain river basin: the importance of channel widening and estimating the large wood budget in the upper Emme River (Switzerland)
Determining the scales of collective entrainment in collision-driven bed load
Fluvial response to changes in the magnitude and frequency of sediment supply in a 1-D model
Uniform grain-size distribution in the active layer of a shallow, gravel-bedded, braided river (the Urumqi River, China) and implications for paleo-hydrology
Morphodynamic model of the lower Yellow River: flux or entrainment form for sediment mass conservation?
Initial insights from a global database of rainfall-induced landslide inventories: the weak influence of slope and strong influence of total storm rainfall
Morphology of bar-built estuaries: empirical relation between planform shape and depth distribution
Clast imbrication in coarse-grained mountain streams and stratigraphic archives as indicator of deposition in upper flow regime conditions
Late Holocene channel pattern change from laterally stable to meandering – a palaeohydrological reconstruction
Assessing the large-scale impacts of environmental change using a coupled hydrology and soil erosion model
GlobR2C2 (Global Recession Rates of Coastal Cliffs): a global relational database to investigate coastal rocky cliff erosion rate variations
Mechanical state of gravel soil in mobilization of rainfall-induced landslides in the Wenchuan seismic area, Sichuan province, China
Temporal variability in detrital 10Be concentrations in a large Himalayan catchment
Evidence of, and a proposed explanation for, bimodal transport states in alluvial rivers
The Google Earth Engine Digitisation Tool (GEEDiT) and the Margin change Quantification Tool (MaQiT) – simple tools for the rapid mapping and quantification of changing Earth surface margins
How concave are river channels?
The influence of a vegetated bar on channel-bend flow dynamics
Florence Magnin, Bernd Etzelmüller, Sebastian Westermann, Ketil Isaksen, Paula Hilger, and Reginald L. Hermanns
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 1019–1040, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1019-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-1019-2019, 2019
Short summary
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This study proposes the first permafrost (i.e. ground with temperature permanently < 0 °C) map covering the steep rock slopes of Norway. It was created by using rock temperature data collected at the near surface of 25 rock walls spread across the country between 2010 and 2018. The map shows that permafrost mostly exists above 1300–1400 m a.s.l. in southern Norway and close to sea level in northern Norway. The results have strong potential for the study of rock wall sliding and failure.
Michele Delchiaro, Marta Della Seta, Salvatore Martino, Maryam Dehbozorgi, and Reza Nozaem
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 929–947, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-929-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-929-2019, 2019
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This study provides insights into the causes and effects of the largest landslide and related damming that occurred on the emerged Earth surface. Understanding the hazard conditions is important for refining risk mitigation strategies for extreme landslide scenarios. We mapped and dated lacustrine and fluvial terrace sediments constraining the evolutionary model of the valley, thus providing the basis for future studies on the possible seismic trigger for such an extreme case study.
Roberto Fernández, Gary Parker, and Colin P. Stark
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 949–968, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-949-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-949-2019, 2019
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This paper describes the case of a meandering bedrock river with loose sediment on the bed. In such rivers, the sediment hits and erodes the bed as it moves with the flow. We did experiments in a laboratory flume to identify the areas where the sediment moves and those where it deposits. We discovered that the size and location of those areas change with the amount of sediment in the channel and its curvature. The fluctuations of sediment cover over the bed drive the erosion potential.
Gerard Salter, Vaughan R. Voller, and Chris Paola
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 911–927, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-911-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-911-2019, 2019
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Bifurcations are the switches that steer water and sediment in delta and multithread river networks, playing an important role in shaping the landscape. In lab experiments, we found that when the downstream branches grow through time, frequent switching in the water and sediment partitioning occurs. In contrast, once sediment freely exits the downstream boundary, long periods of time when one branch dominates occur; however, unlike our theoretical prediction, these are not permanent.
Noah J. Finnegan, Kiara N. Broudy, Alexander L. Nereson, Joshua J. Roering, Alexander L. Handwerger, and Georgina Bennett
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 879–894, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-879-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-879-2019, 2019
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In some settings, landslides trigger valley blockages that impound huge volumes of sediment, often drastically changing river habitat and habitability. In other settings, landslides appear to have little effect on rivers. In this study, we explore what governs the different sensitivity of rivers to blocking from landslide debris. We accomplish this by comparing two sites in California with dramatic differences in blocking from otherwise similar slow-moving landslides.
Benjamin Purinton and Bodo Bookhagen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 859–877, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-859-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-859-2019, 2019
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We develop and test new methods for counting pebble-size distributions in photos of gravel-bed rivers. Our open-source algorithms provide good estimates in complex imagery from high-energy mountain rivers. We discuss methods of river cross-section photo collection and processing into seamless georeferenced imagery. Application of a semi-automated version of the algorithm in small patches can be used as validation data for upscaling to entire survey sites using a fully automated version.
Russell T. Bair, Catalina Segura, and Christopher M. Lorion
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 841–857, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-841-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-841-2019, 2019
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Large wood (LW) pieces are often part of fish habitat restoration projects. We investigated reach-scale changes after the addition of LW that are relevant to juvenile coho salmon. A survivable habitat for juvenile coho was characterized in terms of critical swim speed and bed stability. Model predictions showed that survivable habitat increased by 86–128 % in terms of flow velocity and bed stability. Our findings are applicable to stream restoration efforts throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Claire Rault, Alexandra Robert, Odin Marc, Niels Hovius, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 829–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, 2019
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Large earthquakes trigger thousands of landslides in the area of their epicentre. For three earthquake cases, we have determined the position of these landslides along hillslopes. These co-seismic landslides tend to cluster at ridge crests and slope toes. We show that crest clustering is specific to seismic triggering. But although co-seismic landslides locate higher in the landscape than rainfall-induced landslides, geological features strongly modulate their position along the hillslopes.
He Zhang, Emilien Aldana-Jague, François Clapuyt, Florian Wilken, Veerle Vanacker, and Kristof Van Oost
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 807–827, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-807-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-807-2019, 2019
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We evaluated the performance of a drone system to reconstruct 3-D topography. We used a direct georeferencing method to make the pictures have precise coordinates, which also improves the survey efficiency. With both consumer-grade and professional-grade camera and drone setups, we obtained centimetric accuracy, which provides a flexible application in topography remote sensing using drones.
Brett C. Eaton, R. Dan Moore, and Lucy G. MacKenzie
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 789–806, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-789-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-789-2019, 2019
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Researchers studying gravel bed rivers almost always require a sample of the bed surface grain size range. These samples are typically expressed as cumulative frequency distributions. We present statistical techniques for generating and plotting confidence intervals for the various size percentiles and for determining whether size percentiles from two samples are statistically different. The techniques are implemented in an R package; a simplified version is implemented in a spreadsheet.
Rebecca L. Caldwell, Douglas A. Edmonds, Sarah Baumgardner, Chris Paola, Samapriya Roy, and Jaap H. Nienhuis
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 773–787, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-773-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-773-2019, 2019
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River deltas are valuable resources that support biodiversity and human habitation. Despite this we do not have a global census of deltas nor do we know the conditions that promote their formation. We surveyed 5399 river mouths greater than 50 m wide and found that 2174 (40 %) create a delta. The conditions that lead to delta formation are high sediment input and low wave and tide conditions. These results can be used to understand how deltas will adapt to environmental changes.
Jonathan M. Carey, Chris I. Massey, Barbara Lyndsell, and David N. Petley
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 707–722, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-707-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-707-2019, 2019
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Slow-moving landslides are a major hazard but their movement mechanisms during earthquakes and rainstorms are not fully understood. We collected samples from a slow-moving landslide complex in New Zealand and subjected them to a range of porewater pressure and dynamic stress scenarios in a dynamic back-pressured shear box. Our results show how the complex movement patterns, observed in many large slow-moving landslides, may be mobilized by strong earthquakes and significant rain events.
Benjamin Lehmann, Frédéric Herman, Pierre G. Valla, Georgina E. King, and Rabiul H. Biswas
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 633–662, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-633-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-633-2019, 2019
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Assessing the impact of glaciation at the Earth's surface requires simultaneous quantification of the impact of climate variability on past glacier fluctuations and on bedrock erosion. Here we present a new approach for evaluating post-glacial bedrock surface erosion in mountainous environments by combining two different surface exposure dating methods. This approach can be used to estimate how bedrock erosion rates vary spatially and temporally since glacier retreat in an alpine environment.
Stefanie Tofelde, Sara Savi, Andrew D. Wickert, Aaron Bufe, and Taylor F. Schildgen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 609–631, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-609-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-609-2019, 2019
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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.
W. D. Dimuth P. Welivitiya, Garry R. Willgoose, and Greg R. Hancock
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 591–607, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-591-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-591-2019, 2019
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The paper describes a model that simultaneously evolves both the soil profile and the landform, creating a coupled soilscape–landscape evolution model. The physics in the model is presented and justified from physical processes. The behaviour of the model is then explored for a variety of process formulations for a one-dimensional hillslope consisting of a flat upslope, steep midslope, and flat lowlands, exploring the erosion and deposition behaviour, and soil profile evolution over time.
Timothée Sassolas-Serrayet, Rodolphe Cattin, Matthieu Ferry, Vincent Godard, and Martine Simoes
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2019-31, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2019-31, 2019
Revised manuscript accepted for ESurf
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The topographic steady state assumption is often used in Geomorphology. However recent studies suggest that drainage network is more mobile than previously thought. Using landscape evolution models, we show that those migrations have a significant impact on basin-wide denudation rates even if an overall topographic steady state is achieved at large scale. Our approach provides new tools to derive minimal uncertainties in basin scale denudation rates due to this topographic disequilibrium.
Daniel J. Brogan, Peter A. Nelson, and Lee H. MacDonald
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 563–590, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-563-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-563-2019, 2019
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We used high-resolution topography collected over 4 years to investigate how two watersheds in Colorado responded to the June 2012 High Park Fire and an extreme flood in September 2013. After the fire, sediment was eroded from the hillslopes and deposited in valley bottoms, and the large flood eroded much of this deposited sediment. Patterns of erosion and deposition were related to landscape characteristics, burn severity, and rainfall, which may inform future post-fire treatment strategies.
William Santini, Benoît Camenen, Jérôme Le Coz, Philippe Vauchel, Jean-Loup Guyot, Waldo Lavado, Jorge Carranza, Marco A. Paredes, Jhonatan J. Pérez Arévalo, Nore Arévalo, Raul Espinoza Villar, Frédéric Julien, and Jean-Michel Martinez
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 515–536, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-515-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-515-2019, 2019
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A simple model is proposed to improve the sediment concentration monitoring in the large rivers of the Peruvian Amazon from an index concentration sampled in the flow. This powerful tool for optimizing the concentration sampling would allow for detailed uncertainty analysis on the sediment fluxes. It could be coupled with remote sensing and hydrological modeling to serve as a step toward the development of an integrated approach for assessing sediment fluxes in poorly monitored basins.
Jon Schwenk, Anastasia Piliouras, and Joel C. Rowland
Earth Surf. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2019-19, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2019-19, 2019
Revised manuscript accepted for ESurf
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Standing on a riverbank, it is usually obvious which direction the river flows. However, when observing a river from space, we cannot see the flowing water and must use context to determine flow directions. For complicated river channel networks such as those of deltas and braided rivers, determining the flow direction of each channel within the network is not trivial. We present and demonstrate a method to automatically determine flow directions within aerially-viewed river channel networks.
Michel Jaboyedoff, Masahiro Chigira, Noriyuki Arai, Marc-Henri Derron, Benjamin Rudaz, and Ching-Ying Tsou
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 439–458, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-439-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-439-2019, 2019
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High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) can now be acquired using airborne laser scanners. This allows for a detailed analysis of the geometry of landslides. Several large landslides were triggered by Typhoon Talas in Japan in 2011. The comparison of pre- and post-DEMs allowed us to test a method of defining landslide failure surfaces before catastrophic movements. It provides new results about the curvature of the failure surface and the volume expansion of the deposit.
Teun van Woerkom, Jakob F. Steiner, Philip D. A. Kraaijenbrink, Evan S. Miles, and Walter W. Immerzeel
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 411–427, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-411-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-411-2019, 2019
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Using data obtained from multiple UAV flights over a debris-covered glacier in the Himalaya between 2013 and 2018, we show that the adjacent moraines erode at rates of up to 16 cm per year, contributing to this debris cover. With retreating ice and resulting instability of moraines, this causes the glacier to cover a narrow zone along the lateral moraines in ever-thicker layers of rocks, resulting in a possible future decrease of local melt.
Jessica Zordan, Anton J. Schleiss, and Mário J. Franca
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 377–391, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-377-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-377-2019, 2019
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The effect of buoyancy and bottom slope on the runout and entrainment capacity of experimentally reproduced saline gravity currents is studied. The shape of the current is modified due to the entrainment of ambient water, particularly within the body region. For steep slopes, two opposite mechanisms of mass exchange are identified: the current entrainment of water from the upper surface due to the enhanced friction at the interface and the head feeding by a rear-fed current.
Alan Kasprak, James Brasington, Konrad Hafen, Richard D. Williams, and Joseph M. Wheaton
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 247–274, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-247-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-247-2019, 2019
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We present a modelling framework for the prediction of gravel-bed braided river evolution. The model is unique in that it simplifies sediment transport through the use of empirically-derived relationships between channel form and flood-scale particle transport distances, or path lengths, which ultimately allow for longer duration model runs with reduced computational demand. We use field surveys on two braided rivers to validate the model at the event, annual, and decadal timescales.
Richard Hale, Rachel Bain, Steven Goodbred Jr., and Jim Best
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 231–245, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-231-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-231-2019, 2019
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In Bangladesh, we measure how water and sediment move through tidal channels in an area heavily impacted by both sea-level rise and the strategies that humans use to adapt. We found that the amount of water moving through the system is largely controlled by the strength of the tides, while the mass of sediment being transported is strongly connected to the season and to a lesser extent the tides. These results are important for developing strategies to protect both human and natural landscapes.
Maxwell T. Cunningham, Colin P. Stark, Michael R. Kaplan, and Joerg M. Schaefer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 147–169, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-147-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-147-2019, 2019
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Glacial erosion is known to limit the height of midlatitude mountain ranges affected by substantial glaciation during cold periods. Our study examines this phenomenon in the tropics. A new form of hypsometric analysis, along with other evidence, of 10 tropical ranges reveals widespread signs of a perched glacial base level at the ELA. Although glacial influence is moderate to weak in these environments, the evidence suggests that glacial erosion acts to limit the height of tropical ranges.
Odin Marc, Robert Behling, Christoff Andermann, Jens M. Turowski, Luc Illien, Sigrid Roessner, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 107–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-107-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-107-2019, 2019
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We mapped eight monsoon-related (> 100 m2) and large (> 0.1 km2) landslides in the Nepal Himalayas since 1970. Adding inventories of Holocene landslides, giant landslides (> 1 km3), and landslides from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, we constrain the size–frequency distribution of monsoon- and earthquake-induced landslides. Both contribute ~50 % to a long-term (> 10 kyr) total erosion of ~2 mm yr-1, matching the long-term exhumation rate. Large landslides rarer than 10Be sampling time drive erosion.
Pauline Leduc, Sarah Peirce, and Peter Ashmore
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 97–106, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-97-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-97-2019, 2019
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This paper presents applications of structure-from-motion photogrammetry in a physical model of a braided river used to quantify morphology change and provide estimates of water depth, as well as image analysis for mapping bed surface texture.
Adam M. Forte and Kelin X. Whipple
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 87–95, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-87-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-87-2019, 2019
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Quantitative analysis of digital topography is an important part of many modern geologic investigations. We have constructed a series of software tools, the Topographic Analysis Kit (TAK), built on top of the existing TopoToolbox library, to allow for efficient and easy analysis of topography that limits the required computing and domain-specific knowledge necessary to successfully produce robust analyses of topographic data.
Eli D. Lazarus, Mitchell D. Harley, Chris E. Blenkinsopp, and Ian L. Turner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 77–86, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-77-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-77-2019, 2019
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A single storm event can change the shape of a sandy beach dramatically, but beaches also exhibit a remarkable ability to recover. So how important are storm-driven changes to a beach in the long term? This question affects predictions of future shoreline change. Here we explore
signal shredding– when sediment transport erases any signature of outside driving forces. Our results suggest that major storm impacts may tell us little about long-term shoreline change and vice versa.
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
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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.
David Jon Furbish, Rina Schumer, and Amanda Keen-Zebert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1169–1202, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1169-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1169-2018, 2018
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We present in this mostly theoretical contribution a systematic treatment of tracer particle mixing in soils. We elaborate the consequences of rarefied (non-continuum) conditions of transport and mixing, and we augment this with numerical analyses that reveal important information not readily apparent in the analytical formulations, including an illustration of the variability in 10Be concentrations and OSL ages of individual particles in soils, with implications for interpreting field data.
John B. Shaw, Justin D. Estep, Amanda R. Whaling, Kelly M. Sanks, and Douglas A. Edmonds
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1155–1168, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1155-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1155-2018, 2018
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Deltas are important landforms because many people live near them. Specific water flow patterns of spreading and contraction are produced where delta channel flow meets the ocean. Tracers on the water surface allow this pattern to be measured from space. We identify this pattern on a growing river delta in 40 years of images, allowing us to track its growth in a new way. This method has potential to improve monitoring of deltas worldwide.
Phillipe A. Wernette, Chris Houser, Bradley A. Weymer, Mark E. Everett, Michael P. Bishop, and Bobby Reece
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1139–1153, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1139-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1139-2018, 2018
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Barrier islands change through time and space in response to natural and human forces. This paper shows that barrier island development and the beach–dune system can be influenced asymmetrically during island development by ancient and buried river valleys that cross the modern barrier island. Given the importance of the natural environment, coastal management projects should first seek to understand how the island developed in order to more effectively balance natural and human pressure.
Virginia Ruiz-Villanueva, Alexandre Badoux, Dieter Rickenmann, Martin Böckli, Salome Schläfli, Nicolas Steeb, Markus Stoffel, and Christian Rickli
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1115–1137, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1115-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1115-2018, 2018
Dylan B. Lee and Douglas Jerolmack
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1089–1099, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1089-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1089-2018, 2018
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The transport of pebbles in a river is smooth and continuous under high flow conditions but under typical flows becomes erratic and unpredictable. We perform experiments to learn more about the origins of this unpredictable, intermittent behavior. Our results show that this unpredictability is similar to how infrequent avalanches occur in a sandpile. Transport events are similar in size but become more infrequent and erratic as the river transports less and less sediment.
Tobias Müller and Marwan A. Hassan
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1041–1057, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1041-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1041-2018, 2018
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We used a numerical model to study how mountain streams adjust to series of sediment input events, e.g., landslides. We recreated flume experiments with similar scope and then expanded their parameter space, allowing us to find conditions under which the stream becomes overloaded with sediment. This occurs when the stream cannot evacuate a sediment input in the time between pulses. Our results can help to better understand the long-term adjustment of mountain streams to episodic sediment supply.
Laure Guerit, Laurie Barrier, Youcun Liu, Clément Narteau, Eric Lajeunesse, Eric Gayer, and François Métivier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 1011–1021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1011-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1011-2018, 2018
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The grain-size distribution of ancient alluvial systems is commonly determined from sections of gravel deposits exposed vertically to reconstruct paleo-environments or changes in tectonics and/or climate. To test whether such a grain-size distribution is equivalent to one of the sediments that was in direct contact with the flow at the time of deposition, we dug a large trench in an active gravel-bedded, braided river. We show that the granulometry is uniform at the scale of the active layer.
Chenge An, Andrew J. Moodie, Hongbo Ma, Xudong Fu, Yuanfeng Zhang, Kensuke Naito, and Gary Parker
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 989–1010, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-989-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-989-2018, 2018
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In most models of river morphodynamics, sediment mass conservation is described by the Exner equation, which may take either the flux form or the entrainment form. Here we compare the two forms of the Exner equation under conditions typical of the lower Yellow River. We find that when using a single sediment grain size, there is little difference between the two forms. But when considering sediment mixtures, the two forms will show very different patterns of grain sorting.
Odin Marc, André Stumpf, Jean-Philippe Malet, Marielle Gosset, Taro Uchida, and Shou-Hao Chiang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 903–922, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-903-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-903-2018, 2018
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Rainfall-induced landslides cause significant damage and fatality worldwide, but we have few datasets constraining the impact of individual storms. We present and analyze 8 landslide inventories, with >150 to >150 00 landslides, comprehensively representing the landslide population caused by 8 storms from Asia and the Americas. We found that the total storm rainfall is a major control on total landsliding, landslide size, and that storms trigger landslides on less steep slopes than earthquakes.
Jasper R. F. W. Leuven, Sanja Selaković, and Maarten G. Kleinhans
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 763–778, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-763-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-763-2018, 2018
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This paper reports the along-channel variability in occurring bed levels as described by hypsometry in natural estuaries. We found a novel relation between the estuary planform shape and the hypsometric function shape, which implies that it is possible to characterise and predict subwater estuarine morphology and bed levels in data-poor environments.
Fritz Schlunegger and Philippos Garefalakis
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 743–761, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-743-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-743-2018, 2018
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Clast imbrication, which is a depositional fabric where clasts overlap each other similar to a run of toppled dominoes, is one of the most conspicuous sedimentary structures in coarse-grained fluvial deposits. However, the conditions leading to this fabric have been contested. Here, we calculate the hydrological conditions for various stream gradients. We find that clast imbrication most likely forms where channel gradients exceed a threshold and where upper flow regime conditions prevail.
Jasper H. J. Candel, Maarten G. Kleinhans, Bart Makaske, Wim Z. Hoek, Cindy Quik, and Jakob Wallinga
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 723–741, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-723-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-723-2018, 2018
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In this study we show how the Overijsselse Vecht river changed from a laterally stable to a meandering river ca. 500 years ago. We developed a methodology to reconstruct the historical discharge and found that the change in river style was caused by an increase in peak discharges. This increase was likely caused by the Little Ice Age and land use changes in the catchment (peat reclamation and exploitation). This study shows how river style changes as a result of discharge regime changes.
Joris P. C. Eekhout, Wilco Terink, and Joris de Vente
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 687–703, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-687-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-687-2018, 2018
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Climate change will likely increase soil erosion in many locations worldwide. This increase in erosion will have large-scale impacts, such as the siltation of reservoirs. We developed a new soil erosion model to evaluate these impacts, which has an advantage over existing models in that it includes most relevant processes: rainfall–runoff generation, vegetation development, and soil erosion and deposition. The model is suited to perform scenario studies on climate change and land management.
Mélody Prémaillon, Vincent Regard, Thomas J. B. Dewez, and Yves Auda
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 651–668, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-651-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-651-2018, 2018
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Coastal erosion is of major concern for society. Our study focused on rocky coasts, where coastal evolution remains poorly understood. We utilized the increasing number of erosion-related data and compiled them to better understand how and to what degree rocky coasts erode. We found that rock resistance primarily explained erosion rates, whilst the influence of the climate and sea was secondary. Weak rock coasts lose a median of 23 meters per century, about ten times more than hard rock coasts.
Liping Liao, Yunchuan Yang, Zhiquan Yang, Yingyan Zhu, Jin Hu, and D. H. Steve Zou
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 637–649, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-637-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-637-2018, 2018
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In this paper, artificial model tests were used to observe the changes of soil moisture content and pore water pressure, as well as macroscopic and microscopic phenomena of gravel soil. In addition, the mathematical formula of the critical state was derived from the triaxial test data. Finally, the mechanical states of gravel soil were determined. In the process of landslide initiation, dilatation and contraction were two types of gravel soil state, but dilatation was dominant.
Elizabeth H. Dingle, Hugh D. Sinclair, Mikaël Attal, Ángel Rodés, and Vimal Singh
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 611–635, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-611-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-611-2018, 2018
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We present 18 new cosmogenic radionuclide samples collected from modern river sand and dated Holocene terrace and floodplain deposits from the Ganga River at the Himalayan mountain front, which display a notable degree of temporal variability. This variability is explored using field observations and numerical and statistical analysis. We propose that the observed variability is driven by the nature of stochastic inputs of sediment and the evacuation timescales of individual sediment deposits.
Kieran B. J. Dunne and Douglas J. Jerolmack
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 583–594, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-583-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-583-2018, 2018
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What controls the size and shape of a river – its width, depth, and slope? The cross-sectional channel geometry of gravel-bedded rivers is understood to be a function of the river's fluid shear stress and the weight of the average particle on its bed; however, there is no satisfactory explanation for sand-bedded rivers. We analyze global datasets and individual river profiles and propose that accounting for riverbank cohesion could allow for an explanation for sand-bedded river channel geometry.
James M. Lea
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 551–561, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-551-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-551-2018, 2018
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The new, free and easy-to-use tools in this paper (GEEDiT, GEEDiT-Reviewer and MaQiT) allow users to visualise, map and review margins from full satellite records of Landsat 4–8 and Sentinel 1–2 in addition to quantifying these margin changes with unprecedented speed. This allows previously prohibitive volumes of remote-sensing data to be analysed easily, flexibly and rapidly. These tools have potential applications across the geosciences for the exploration and analysis of satellite imagery.
Simon M. Mudd, Fiona J. Clubb, Boris Gailleton, and Martin D. Hurst
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 505–523, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-505-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-505-2018, 2018
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Rivers can reveal information about erosion rates, tectonics, and climate. In order to make meaningful inferences about these influences, one must be able to compare headwaters to downstream parts of the river network. We describe new methods for normalizing river steepness for drainage area to better understand how rivers record erosion rates in eroding landscapes.
Sharon Bywater-Reyes, Rebecca M. Diehl, and Andrew C. Wilcox
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 487–503, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-487-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-487-2018, 2018
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Channel bends and bars make up an important physical and ecological unit within rivers. Many riparian vegetation species need river bars for their life cycle, colonizing bars after flooding events. Once vegetation is established on bars, they can alter the flow and patterns of erosion and deposition. We used a hydraulic model to quantify the impact such riparian vegetation of various sizes and densities has on flow dynamics and inferred the expected changes in river erosion and deposition.
Earth Surface Dynamics
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