Pub Date : 2024-05-06DOI: 10.5194/esurf-12-657-2024
Giulia Magnarini, Anya Champagne, Costanza Morino, Calvin Beck, Meven Philippe, Armelle Decaulne, Susan J. Conway
Abstract. Much work has been done to study the behaviour of long-runout landslides and their associated longitudinal ridges, yet the origin of the hypermobility of such landslides and the formation mechanism of longitudinal ridges are poorly understood. As terrestrial long-runout landslides emplaced on glaciers commonly exhibit longitudinal ridges, the presence of these landforms has been used to infer the presence of ice on Mars, where hundreds of well-preserved long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges are found. However, the presence of the same landforms in regions where extensive glaciations did not occur, for instance, on the Moon and in the Atacama region on Earth, suggests that ice is not the only factor influencing the formation of long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges. Iceland is a unique region for its high spatial density of well-preserved long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges. Here, we compiled the first catalogue of Icelandic long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges, and we compared them with Martian long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges of similar length. Moreover, we present detailed morphological observations of the Dalvík landslide deposit, in the Tröllaskagi peninsula, Iceland, and compare them with morphological observations of Martian landslides. Our results show that Icelandic long-runout landslides share key features with Martian analogue deposits, including splitting of longitudinal ridges and development of associated en echelon features. Therefore, Icelandic long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges represent good morphological analogues of Martian long-runout landslides. Moreover, Iceland offers an opportunity to investigate the occurrence of these landforms at a regional scale, as well as their link with deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum, which could also provide insights into Martian palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions.
{"title":"Long-runout landslides with associated longitudinal ridges in Iceland as analogues of Martian landslide deposits","authors":"Giulia Magnarini, Anya Champagne, Costanza Morino, Calvin Beck, Meven Philippe, Armelle Decaulne, Susan J. Conway","doi":"10.5194/esurf-12-657-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-657-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Much work has been done to study the behaviour of long-runout landslides and their associated longitudinal ridges, yet the origin of the hypermobility of such landslides and the formation mechanism of longitudinal ridges are poorly understood. As terrestrial long-runout landslides emplaced on glaciers commonly exhibit longitudinal ridges, the presence of these landforms has been used to infer the presence of ice on Mars, where hundreds of well-preserved long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges are found. However, the presence of the same landforms in regions where extensive glaciations did not occur, for instance, on the Moon and in the Atacama region on Earth, suggests that ice is not the only factor influencing the formation of long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges. Iceland is a unique region for its high spatial density of well-preserved long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges. Here, we compiled the first catalogue of Icelandic long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges, and we compared them with Martian long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges of similar length. Moreover, we present detailed morphological observations of the Dalvík landslide deposit, in the Tröllaskagi peninsula, Iceland, and compare them with morphological observations of Martian landslides. Our results show that Icelandic long-runout landslides share key features with Martian analogue deposits, including splitting of longitudinal ridges and development of associated en echelon features. Therefore, Icelandic long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges represent good morphological analogues of Martian long-runout landslides. Moreover, Iceland offers an opportunity to investigate the occurrence of these landforms at a regional scale, as well as their link with deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum, which could also provide insights into Martian palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140884492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-03DOI: 10.5194/esurf-12-641-2024
Clément Hibert, François Noël, David Toe, Miloud Talib, Mathilde Desrues, Emmanuel Wyser, Ombeline Brenguier, Franck Bourrier, Renaud Toussaint, Jean-Philippe Malet, Michel Jaboyedoff
Abstract. Understanding the dynamics of slope instabilities is critical to mitigate the associated hazards, but their direct observation is often difficult due to their remote locations and their spontaneous nature. Seismology allows us to get unique information on these events, including on their dynamics. However, the link between the properties of these events (mass and kinematics) and the seismic signals generated is still poorly understood. We conducted a controlled rockfall experiment in the Riou Bourdoux torrent (southern French Alps) to try to better decipher those links. We deployed a dense seismic network and inferred the dynamics of the block from the reconstruction of the 3D trajectory from terrestrial and airborne high-resolution stereophotogrammetry. We propose a new approach based on machine learning to predict the mass and the velocity of each block. Our results show that we can predict those quantities with average errors of approximately 10 % for the velocity and 25 % for the mass. These accuracies are as good as or better than those obtained by other approaches, but our approach has the advantage in that it does not require the source to be localised, nor does it require a high-resolution velocity model or a strong assumption on the seismic wave attenuation model. Finally, the machine learning approach allows us to explore more widely the correlations between the features of the seismic signal generated by the rockfalls and their physical properties, and it might eventually lead to better constraints on the physical models in the future.
{"title":"Machine learning prediction of the mass and the velocity of controlled single-block rockfalls from the seismic waves they generate","authors":"Clément Hibert, François Noël, David Toe, Miloud Talib, Mathilde Desrues, Emmanuel Wyser, Ombeline Brenguier, Franck Bourrier, Renaud Toussaint, Jean-Philippe Malet, Michel Jaboyedoff","doi":"10.5194/esurf-12-641-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-641-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Understanding the dynamics of slope instabilities is critical to mitigate the associated hazards, but their direct observation is often difficult due to their remote locations and their spontaneous nature. Seismology allows us to get unique information on these events, including on their dynamics. However, the link between the properties of these events (mass and kinematics) and the seismic signals generated is still poorly understood. We conducted a controlled rockfall experiment in the Riou Bourdoux torrent (southern French Alps) to try to better decipher those links. We deployed a dense seismic network and inferred the dynamics of the block from the reconstruction of the 3D trajectory from terrestrial and airborne high-resolution stereophotogrammetry. We propose a new approach based on machine learning to predict the mass and the velocity of each block. Our results show that we can predict those quantities with average errors of approximately 10 % for the velocity and 25 % for the mass. These accuracies are as good as or better than those obtained by other approaches, but our approach has the advantage in that it does not require the source to be localised, nor does it require a high-resolution velocity model or a strong assumption on the seismic wave attenuation model. Finally, the machine learning approach allows us to explore more widely the correlations between the features of the seismic signal generated by the rockfalls and their physical properties, and it might eventually lead to better constraints on the physical models in the future.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140830568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-02DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-2024-1239
Boris Gailleton, Philippe Steer, Philippe Davy, Wolfgang Schwanghart, Thomas Guillaume Adrien Bernard
Abstract. Computing hydrological fluxes at the Earth's surface is crucial for landscape evolution models, topographic analysis, and geographic information systems. However, existing formalisms, like single or multiple flow algorithms, often rely on ad-hoc rules based on local topographic slope and drainage area, neglecting the physics of water flow. While more physics-oriented solutions offer accuracy (e.g. shallow water equations), their computational costs limit their use in term of spatial and temporal scales. In this conrtibution, we introduce GraphFlood, a novel and efficient iterative method for computing river depth and water discharge in 2D on a digital elevation model (DEM). Leveraging the Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure of surface water flow, GraphFlood iteratively solves the 2D shallow water equations. This algorithm aims to find the correct hydraulic surface by balancing discharge input and output over the topography. At each iteration, we employ fast DAG algorithms to calculate flow accumulation on the hydraulic surface, approximating discharge input. Discharge output is then computed using the Manning flow resistance equation, similar to the River.lab model. Iteratively, the divergence of discharges increments flow depth until reaching a stationary state. This algorithm can also solve for flood wave propagation by approximating the input discharge function of the immediate upstream neighbours. We validate water depths obtained with the stationary solution against analytical solutions for rectangular channels and the River.lab and Caesar Lisflood models for natural DEMs. GraphFlood demonstrates significant computational advantages over previous hydrodynamic models, with approximately a 10-fold speed-up compared to the River.lab model. Additionally, its computational time scales slightly more than linearly with the number of cells, making it suitable for large DEMs exceeding 106–108 cells. We demonstrate the versatility of GraphFlood in integrating realistic hydrology into various topographic and morphometric analyses, including channel width measurement, inundation pattern delineation, floodplain delineation, and the classification of hillslope, colluvial, and fluvial domains. Furthermore, we discuss its integration potential in landscape evolution models, highlighting its simplicity of implementation and computational efficiency.
摘要计算地球表面的水文流量对于景观演变模型、地形分析和地理信息系统至关重要。然而,现有的形式主义,如单流或多流算法,往往依赖于基于局部地形坡度和排水面积的临时规则,而忽视了水流的物理特性。虽然以物理为导向的解决方案(如浅水方程)精度更高,但其计算成本限制了其在空间和时间尺度上的应用。在本报告中,我们介绍了 GraphFlood,这是一种新颖、高效的迭代方法,用于计算数字高程模型(DEM)上的二维河流深度和排水量。利用地表水流的有向无环图(DAG)结构,GraphFlood 可以迭代求解二维浅水方程。该算法旨在通过平衡地形上的排水输入和输出,找到正确的水力表面。每次迭代时,我们都采用快速 DAG 算法计算水力面上的流量累积,近似排泄输入。然后使用曼宁流阻方程计算排泄量输出,这与 River.lab 模型类似。迭代过程中,排水量的发散会增加水流深度,直至达到静止状态。该算法还可以通过近似上游邻近地区的输入排水量函数来解决洪波传播问题。我们根据矩形河道的分析解法以及自然 DEM 的 River.lab 和 Caesar Lisflood 模型验证了静态解法获得的水深。与以前的水动力模型相比,GraphFlood 在计算方面具有显著优势,与 River.lab 模型相比,计算速度提高了约 10 倍。此外,它的计算时间与单元数的线性比例略大,因此适用于超过 106-108 个单元的大型 DEM。我们展示了 GraphFlood 在将现实水文整合到各种地形和形态分析中的多功能性,包括河道宽度测量、淹没模式划分、洪泛区划分以及山坡、冲积和河道域分类。此外,我们还讨论了它在地貌演变模型中的集成潜力,强调了它的实施简便性和计算效率。
{"title":"GraphFlood 1.0: an efficient algorithm to approximate 2D hydrodynamics for Landscape Evolution Models","authors":"Boris Gailleton, Philippe Steer, Philippe Davy, Wolfgang Schwanghart, Thomas Guillaume Adrien Bernard","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2024-1239","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1239","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> Computing hydrological fluxes at the Earth's surface is crucial for landscape evolution models, topographic analysis, and geographic information systems. However, existing formalisms, like single or multiple flow algorithms, often rely on ad-hoc rules based on local topographic slope and drainage area, neglecting the physics of water flow. While more physics-oriented solutions offer accuracy (e.g. shallow water equations), their computational costs limit their use in term of spatial and temporal scales. In this conrtibution, we introduce GraphFlood, a novel and efficient iterative method for computing river depth and water discharge in 2D on a digital elevation model (DEM). Leveraging the Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure of surface water flow, GraphFlood iteratively solves the 2D shallow water equations. This algorithm aims to find the correct hydraulic surface by balancing discharge input and output over the topography. At each iteration, we employ fast DAG algorithms to calculate flow accumulation on the hydraulic surface, approximating discharge input. Discharge output is then computed using the Manning flow resistance equation, similar to the River.lab model. Iteratively, the divergence of discharges increments flow depth until reaching a stationary state. This algorithm can also solve for flood wave propagation by approximating the input discharge function of the immediate upstream neighbours. We validate water depths obtained with the stationary solution against analytical solutions for rectangular channels and the River.lab and Caesar Lisflood models for natural DEMs. GraphFlood demonstrates significant computational advantages over previous hydrodynamic models, with approximately a 10-fold speed-up compared to the River.lab model. Additionally, its computational time scales slightly more than linearly with the number of cells, making it suitable for large DEMs exceeding 10<sup>6</sup>–10<sup>8</sup> cells. We demonstrate the versatility of GraphFlood in integrating realistic hydrology into various topographic and morphometric analyses, including channel width measurement, inundation pattern delineation, floodplain delineation, and the classification of hillslope, colluvial, and fluvial domains. Furthermore, we discuss its integration potential in landscape evolution models, highlighting its simplicity of implementation and computational efficiency.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140830592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-30DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-2024-1070
Stefan Hergarten
Abstract. Toma hills are the perhaps most enigmatic morphological feature found in rock avalanche deposits. While it was already proposed that toma hills might emerge from the fluid-like behavior of rock avalanches, there still seems to be no consistent explanation for their occurrence. This paper presents numerical results based on a modified version of Voellmy's rheology, which was recently developed for explaining the long runout of rock avalanches. In contrast to the widely used original version, the modified Voellmy rheology defines distinct regimes of Coulomb friction at low velocities and velocity-dependent friction at high velocities. When movement slows down, falling back to Coulomb friction may cause a sudden increase in friction. Material accumulates in the region upstream of a point where this happens. In turn, high velocities may persist for some time in the downstream and lateral range, resulting in a thin deposit layer finally. In combination, both processes generate more or less isolated hills with shapes and sizes similar to toma hills found in real rock avalanche deposits. So the modified Voellmy rheology suggests a simple mechanism for the formation of toma hills.
{"title":"Modeling the formation of toma hills based on fluid dynamics with a modified Voellmy rheology","authors":"Stefan Hergarten","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2024-1070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1070","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> Toma hills are the perhaps most enigmatic morphological feature found in rock avalanche deposits. While it was already proposed that toma hills might emerge from the fluid-like behavior of rock avalanches, there still seems to be no consistent explanation for their occurrence. This paper presents numerical results based on a modified version of Voellmy's rheology, which was recently developed for explaining the long runout of rock avalanches. In contrast to the widely used original version, the modified Voellmy rheology defines distinct regimes of Coulomb friction at low velocities and velocity-dependent friction at high velocities. When movement slows down, falling back to Coulomb friction may cause a sudden increase in friction. Material accumulates in the region upstream of a point where this happens. In turn, high velocities may persist for some time in the downstream and lateral range, resulting in a thin deposit layer finally. In combination, both processes generate more or less isolated hills with shapes and sizes similar to toma hills found in real rock avalanche deposits. So the modified Voellmy rheology suggests a simple mechanism for the formation of toma hills.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"96 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140830624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-29DOI: 10.5194/esurf-12-581-2024
Anuska Narayanan, Sagy Cohen, John R. Gardner
Abstract. The Amazon experiences thousands of square kilometers of deforestation annually with recent rates increasing to levels unseen since the late 2000s. These increased rates of deforestation within the basin have led to changes in sediment concentration within its river systems, with potential impacts on ecological functioning, freshwater availability, and fluvial and coastal geomorphic processes. The relationship between deforestation and fluvial sediment dynamics in the Amazon has not been extensively studied using a basin-wide, comparative approach primarily due to lack of data. In this study, we utilize a novel remote-sensing-derived sediment concentration dataset to analyze the impact of deforestation from 2001 to 2020 on suspended sediment in large rivers (>50 m wide) across the Amazon River basin. These impacts are studied using a lag-based approach to quantify the spatiotemporal relationships between observed suspended sediment and changes in land cover over time. The results show that large-scale deforestation of the Amazon during the 2001–2020 period are associated with significant changes in sediment concentration in the eastern portion of the basin. In the heavily deforested eastern regions, the hydrogeomorphic response to deforestation occurs relatively rapidly (within a year), whereas the less disturbed western areas exhibit delays of 1 to 2 years before responses are observable. Moreover, we observe that deforestation must be substantial enough to overcome the collective influences of human activities and natural sediment variations to result in a discernible impact on sediment concentration in large rivers. In 69 % of Amazonian major tributary basins with an immediate response, more than 5 % of the basin was deforested during the 2001–2020 period, while in 85 % of basins with lagged responses, less than 5 % of the land was cleared. These findings suggest severe implications for future sediment dynamics across the Amazon if deforestation is to further expand into the basin.
{"title":"Riverine sediment response to deforestation in the Amazon basin","authors":"Anuska Narayanan, Sagy Cohen, John R. Gardner","doi":"10.5194/esurf-12-581-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-581-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The Amazon experiences thousands of square kilometers of deforestation annually with recent rates increasing to levels unseen since the late 2000s. These increased rates of deforestation within the basin have led to changes in sediment concentration within its river systems, with potential impacts on ecological functioning, freshwater availability, and fluvial and coastal geomorphic processes. The relationship between deforestation and fluvial sediment dynamics in the Amazon has not been extensively studied using a basin-wide, comparative approach primarily due to lack of data. In this study, we utilize a novel remote-sensing-derived sediment concentration dataset to analyze the impact of deforestation from 2001 to 2020 on suspended sediment in large rivers (>50 m wide) across the Amazon River basin. These impacts are studied using a lag-based approach to quantify the spatiotemporal relationships between observed suspended sediment and changes in land cover over time. The results show that large-scale deforestation of the Amazon during the 2001–2020 period are associated with significant changes in sediment concentration in the eastern portion of the basin. In the heavily deforested eastern regions, the hydrogeomorphic response to deforestation occurs relatively rapidly (within a year), whereas the less disturbed western areas exhibit delays of 1 to 2 years before responses are observable. Moreover, we observe that deforestation must be substantial enough to overcome the collective influences of human activities and natural sediment variations to result in a discernible impact on sediment concentration in large rivers. In 69 % of Amazonian major tributary basins with an immediate response, more than 5 % of the basin was deforested during the 2001–2020 period, while in 85 % of basins with lagged responses, less than 5 % of the land was cleared. These findings suggest severe implications for future sediment dynamics across the Amazon if deforestation is to further expand into the basin.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"176 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140811124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-29DOI: 10.5194/esurf-12-621-2024
Steven Y. J. Lai, David Amblas, Aaron Micallef, Hervé Capart
Abstract. Tectonics play a significant role in shaping the morphology of submarine canyons, which form essential links in source-to-sink (S2S) systems. It is difficult, however, to investigate the resulting morphodynamics over the long term. For this purpose, we propose a novel experimental approach that can generate submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans on continuously evolving active faults. We utilize morphometric analysis and morphodynamic models to understand the response of these systems to fault slip rate (Vr) and inflow discharge (Q). Our research reveals several key findings. Firstly, the fault slip rate controls the merging speed of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans, which in turn affects their quantity and spacing. Additionally, the long profile shapes of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans can be decoupled into a gravity-dominated breaching process and an underflow-dominated diffusion process, which can be described using a constant-slope relationship and a morphodynamic diffusion model, respectively. Furthermore, both experimental and simulated submarine canyon–hanging-wall fan long profiles exhibit strong self-similarity, indicating that the long profiles are scale independent. The Hack's scaling relationship established through morphometric analyses serves as an important link between different scales in S2S systems, bridging laboratory-scale data to field-scale data and submarine-to-terrestrial relationships. Lastly, for deep-water sedimentary systems, we propose an empirical formula to estimate fan volume using canyon length, and the data from 26 worldwide S2S systems utilized for comparison show a strong agreement. Our geomorphic experiments provide a novel perspective for better understanding of the influence of tectonics on deep-water sedimentary processes. The scaling relationships and empirical formulas we have established aim to assist in estimating volume information that is difficult to obtain during long-term landscape evolution processes.
{"title":"Evolution of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans: insights from geomorphic experiments and morphodynamic models","authors":"Steven Y. J. Lai, David Amblas, Aaron Micallef, Hervé Capart","doi":"10.5194/esurf-12-621-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-621-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Tectonics play a significant role in shaping the morphology of submarine canyons, which form essential links in source-to-sink (S2S) systems. It is difficult, however, to investigate the resulting morphodynamics over the long term. For this purpose, we propose a novel experimental approach that can generate submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans on continuously evolving active faults. We utilize morphometric analysis and morphodynamic models to understand the response of these systems to fault slip rate (Vr) and inflow discharge (Q). Our research reveals several key findings. Firstly, the fault slip rate controls the merging speed of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans, which in turn affects their quantity and spacing. Additionally, the long profile shapes of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans can be decoupled into a gravity-dominated breaching process and an underflow-dominated diffusion process, which can be described using a constant-slope relationship and a morphodynamic diffusion model, respectively. Furthermore, both experimental and simulated submarine canyon–hanging-wall fan long profiles exhibit strong self-similarity, indicating that the long profiles are scale independent. The Hack's scaling relationship established through morphometric analyses serves as an important link between different scales in S2S systems, bridging laboratory-scale data to field-scale data and submarine-to-terrestrial relationships. Lastly, for deep-water sedimentary systems, we propose an empirical formula to estimate fan volume using canyon length, and the data from 26 worldwide S2S systems utilized for comparison show a strong agreement. Our geomorphic experiments provide a novel perspective for better understanding of the influence of tectonics on deep-water sedimentary processes. The scaling relationships and empirical formulas we have established aim to assist in estimating volume information that is difficult to obtain during long-term landscape evolution processes.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140812701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-29DOI: 10.5194/esurf-12-601-2024
Sarah Hautekiet, Jan-Eike Rossius, Olivier Gourgue, Maarten Kleinhans, Stijn Temmerman
Abstract. Tidal marshes provide highly valued ecosystem services, which depend on variations in the geometric properties of the tidal channel networks dissecting marsh landscapes. The development and evolution of channel network properties are controlled by both abiotic (dynamic flow–landform feedbacks) and biotic processes (e.g. vegetation–flow–landform feedbacks). However, the relative role of biotic and abiotic processes, and under which condition one or the other is more dominant, remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impact of spatio-temporal plant colonization patterns on tidal channel network development through flume experiments. Four scaled experiments mimicking tidal landscape development were conducted in a tidal flume facility: two control experiments without vegetation, a third experiment with hydrochorous vegetation colonization (i.e. seed dispersal via the tidal flow), and a fourth with patchy colonization (i.e. by direct seeding on the sediment bed). Our results show that more dense and efficient channel networks are found in the vegetation experiments, especially in the hydrochorous seeding experiment with slower vegetation colonization. Further, an interdependency between abiotic and biotic controls on channel development can be deduced. Whether biotic factors affect channel network development seems to depend on the force of the hydrodynamic energy and the stage of the system development. Vegetation–flow–landform feedbacks are only dominant in contributing to channel development in places where intermediate hydrodynamic energy levels occur and mainly have an impact during the transition phase from a bare to a vegetated landscape state. Overall, our findings suggest a zonal domination of abiotic processes at the seaward side of intertidal basins, while biotic processes have an additional effect on system development more towards the landward side.
{"title":"On the relative role of abiotic and biotic controls in channel network development: insights from scaled tidal flume experiments","authors":"Sarah Hautekiet, Jan-Eike Rossius, Olivier Gourgue, Maarten Kleinhans, Stijn Temmerman","doi":"10.5194/esurf-12-601-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-601-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Tidal marshes provide highly valued ecosystem services, which depend on variations in the geometric properties of the tidal channel networks dissecting marsh landscapes. The development and evolution of channel network properties are controlled by both abiotic (dynamic flow–landform feedbacks) and biotic processes (e.g. vegetation–flow–landform feedbacks). However, the relative role of biotic and abiotic processes, and under which condition one or the other is more dominant, remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the impact of spatio-temporal plant colonization patterns on tidal channel network development through flume experiments. Four scaled experiments mimicking tidal landscape development were conducted in a tidal flume facility: two control experiments without vegetation, a third experiment with hydrochorous vegetation colonization (i.e. seed dispersal via the tidal flow), and a fourth with patchy colonization (i.e. by direct seeding on the sediment bed). Our results show that more dense and efficient channel networks are found in the vegetation experiments, especially in the hydrochorous seeding experiment with slower vegetation colonization. Further, an interdependency between abiotic and biotic controls on channel development can be deduced. Whether biotic factors affect channel network development seems to depend on the force of the hydrodynamic energy and the stage of the system development. Vegetation–flow–landform feedbacks are only dominant in contributing to channel development in places where intermediate hydrodynamic energy levels occur and mainly have an impact during the transition phase from a bare to a vegetated landscape state. Overall, our findings suggest a zonal domination of abiotic processes at the seaward side of intertidal basins, while biotic processes have an additional effect on system development more towards the landward side.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140810810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-26DOI: 10.5194/esurf-12-559-2024
Jacob Hardt, Tim P. Dooley, Michael R. Hudec
Abstract. Salt structures and their surroundings can play an important role in the energy transition related to a number of storage and energy applications. Thus, it is important to assess the current and future stability of salt bodies in their specific geological settings. We investigate the influence of ice sheet loading and unloading on subsurface salt structures using physical models based on the geological setting of northern Germany, which was repeatedly glaciated by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the Pleistocene. Apparent spatial correlations between subsurface salt structures in northern Germany and Weichselian ice marginal positions have been observed before, and the topic is a matter of ongoing debate. Recently described geomorphological features – termed surface cracks – have been interpreted as a direct result of ice-sheet-induced salt movement resulting in surface expansion. The spatial clustering and orientation of these surface cracks has not been well understood so far, owing to only a limited number of available studies dealing with the related salt tectonic processes. Thus, we use four increasingly complex physical models to test the basic loading and unloading principle, to analyze flow patterns within the salt source layer and within salt structures, and to examine the influence of the shape and orientation of the salt structures with respect to a lobate ice margin in a three-dimensional laboratory environment. Three salt structures of the northern German basin were selected as examples that were replicated in the laboratory. Salt structures were initially grown by differential loading and buried before loading. The ice load was simulated by a weight that was temporarily placed on a portion of the surface of the models. The replicated salt structures were either completely covered by the load, partly covered by the load, or situated outside the load extent. In all scenarios, a dynamic response of the system to the load could be observed; while the load was applied, the structures outside the load margin started to rise, with a decreasing tendency with distance from the load margin, and, at the same time, the structures under the load subsided. After the load was removed, a flow reversal set in, and previously loaded structures started to rise, whereas the structures outside the former load margin began to subside. The vertical displacements during the unloading stage were not as strong as during the load stage, and thus the system did not return to its pre-glaciation status. Modeled salt domes that were located at distance from the load margin showed a comparably weak reaction. A more extreme response was shown by modeled salt pillows whose margins varied from sub-parallel to sub-perpendicular to the load margin and were partly covered by the load. Under these conditions, the structures showed a strong reaction in terms of strain and vertical displacement. The observed strain patterns at the surface were influenced by the
{"title":"Physical modeling of ice-sheet-induced salt movements using the example of northern Germany","authors":"Jacob Hardt, Tim P. Dooley, Michael R. Hudec","doi":"10.5194/esurf-12-559-2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-559-2024","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Salt structures and their surroundings can play an important role in the energy transition related to a number of storage and energy applications. Thus, it is important to assess the current and future stability of salt bodies in their specific geological settings. We investigate the influence of ice sheet loading and unloading on subsurface salt structures using physical models based on the geological setting of northern Germany, which was repeatedly glaciated by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the Pleistocene. Apparent spatial correlations between subsurface salt structures in northern Germany and Weichselian ice marginal positions have been observed before, and the topic is a matter of ongoing debate. Recently described geomorphological features – termed surface cracks – have been interpreted as a direct result of ice-sheet-induced salt movement resulting in surface expansion. The spatial clustering and orientation of these surface cracks has not been well understood so far, owing to only a limited number of available studies dealing with the related salt tectonic processes. Thus, we use four increasingly complex physical models to test the basic loading and unloading principle, to analyze flow patterns within the salt source layer and within salt structures, and to examine the influence of the shape and orientation of the salt structures with respect to a lobate ice margin in a three-dimensional laboratory environment. Three salt structures of the northern German basin were selected as examples that were replicated in the laboratory. Salt structures were initially grown by differential loading and buried before loading. The ice load was simulated by a weight that was temporarily placed on a portion of the surface of the models. The replicated salt structures were either completely covered by the load, partly covered by the load, or situated outside the load extent. In all scenarios, a dynamic response of the system to the load could be observed; while the load was applied, the structures outside the load margin started to rise, with a decreasing tendency with distance from the load margin, and, at the same time, the structures under the load subsided. After the load was removed, a flow reversal set in, and previously loaded structures started to rise, whereas the structures outside the former load margin began to subside. The vertical displacements during the unloading stage were not as strong as during the load stage, and thus the system did not return to its pre-glaciation status. Modeled salt domes that were located at distance from the load margin showed a comparably weak reaction. A more extreme response was shown by modeled salt pillows whose margins varied from sub-parallel to sub-perpendicular to the load margin and were partly covered by the load. Under these conditions, the structures showed a strong reaction in terms of strain and vertical displacement. The observed strain patterns at the surface were influenced by the ","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140798132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-25DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-2024-1153
Jon D. Pelletier, Robert G. Hayes, Olivia Hoch, Brendan Fenerty, Luke A. McGuire
Abstract. The intersection of two non-parallel planes is a line. Howard (1990), following Horton (1932), proposed that the orientation and slope of a fluvial valley within a tributary network are geometrically constrained by the orientation and slope of the line formed by the intersection of planar approximations to the topography upslope from the tributary junction along the two tributary directions. Previously published analyses of junction-angle data support this geometric model, yet junction angles have also been proposed to be controlled by climate and/or optimality principles (e.g., minimum-power expenditure). In this paper, we document a test of the Howard (1990) model using ~107 fluvial network junctions in the conterminous U.S. and a portion of the Loess Plateau, China. Junction angles are consistent with the predictions of the Howard (1990) model when the orientations and slopes are computed using drainage basins rather than in the traditional way using valley-bottom segments near tributary junctions. When computed in the traditional way, junction angles are a function of slope ratios (as the Howard (1990) model) predicts, but data deviate from the Howard (1990) model in a manner that we propose is the result of valley-bottom meandering/tortuosity. We map the mean junction angles computed along valley bottoms within each 2.5 km x 2.5 km pixel of the conterminous U.S.A. and document lower mean junction angles in incised late-Cenozoic alluvial piedmont deposits compared to those of incised bedrock/older deposits. To understand how this finding relates to the geometric model of Howard (1990), we demonstrate that, for an idealized model of an initially unincised landform, i.e., a tilted plane with random microtopography, lower ratios of the mean microtopographic slope to the large-scale slope/tilt are associated with lower mean junction angles compared to landforms with higher such ratios. Using modern analogs, we demonstrate that unincised late-Cenozoic alluvial piedmonts likely had ratios of mean microtopographic slope to large-scale slope/tilt that were lower (i.e., ~1) prior to tributary drainage network development than the same ratios of bedrock/older deposits (≫1). This finding provides a means of understanding how the geometric model of Howard (1990) results in incised late Cenozoic alluvial piedmont deposits with lower mean tributary fluvial network junction angles, on average, compared to those of incised bedrock/older deposits. This work demonstrates that the topography of a landscape prior to fluvial incision exerts a key constraint on tributary fluvial network junction angles via a fundamental geometric principle that is independent of any climate- or optimality-based principle.
{"title":"Geometric constraints on tributary fluvial network junction angles","authors":"Jon D. Pelletier, Robert G. Hayes, Olivia Hoch, Brendan Fenerty, Luke A. McGuire","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2024-1153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1153","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> The intersection of two non-parallel planes is a line. Howard (1990), following Horton (1932), proposed that the orientation and slope of a fluvial valley within a tributary network are geometrically constrained by the orientation and slope of the line formed by the intersection of planar approximations to the topography upslope from the tributary junction along the two tributary directions. Previously published analyses of junction-angle data support this geometric model, yet junction angles have also been proposed to be controlled by climate and/or optimality principles (e.g., minimum-power expenditure). In this paper, we document a test of the Howard (1990) model using ~10<sup>7</sup> fluvial network junctions in the conterminous U.S. and a portion of the Loess Plateau, China. Junction angles are consistent with the predictions of the Howard (1990) model when the orientations and slopes are computed using drainage basins rather than in the traditional way using valley-bottom segments near tributary junctions. When computed in the traditional way, junction angles are a function of slope ratios (as the Howard (1990) model) predicts, but data deviate from the Howard (1990) model in a manner that we propose is the result of valley-bottom meandering/tortuosity. We map the mean junction angles computed along valley bottoms within each 2.5 km x 2.5 km pixel of the conterminous U.S.A. and document lower mean junction angles in incised late-Cenozoic alluvial piedmont deposits compared to those of incised bedrock/older deposits. To understand how this finding relates to the geometric model of Howard (1990), we demonstrate that, for an idealized model of an initially unincised landform, i.e., a tilted plane with random microtopography, lower ratios of the mean microtopographic slope to the large-scale slope/tilt are associated with lower mean junction angles compared to landforms with higher such ratios. Using modern analogs, we demonstrate that unincised late-Cenozoic alluvial piedmonts likely had ratios of mean microtopographic slope to large-scale slope/tilt that were lower (i.e., ~1) prior to tributary drainage network development than the same ratios of bedrock/older deposits (≫1). This finding provides a means of understanding how the geometric model of Howard (1990) results in incised late Cenozoic alluvial piedmont deposits with lower mean tributary fluvial network junction angles, on average, compared to those of incised bedrock/older deposits. This work demonstrates that the topography of a landscape prior to fluvial incision exerts a key constraint on tributary fluvial network junction angles via a fundamental geometric principle that is independent of any climate- or optimality-based principle.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140798135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-25DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-2024-579
Julius Reich, Axel Winterscheid
Abstract. Precise and reliable information about bedforms, regarding geometry and dynamics, is relevant for many applications – like ensuring safe conditions for navigation along the waterways, parameterizing the roughness of the riverbed in numerical models, or improving bedload measurement and monitoring techniques. There are many so-called dunetracking tools to extract this information from bathymetrical data. However, most of these tools require the setting of various input parameters, which in turn influence the resulting bedform characteristics. How to set the values for these parameters and what influence they have on the calculations has not yet been comprehensively investigated. This is why we introduce a new dunetracking tool, which is able to quantify the influence of varying input parameter settings by performing a Monte Carlo Simulation. The core of the tool is a combination of the two existing applications Bedforms-ATM (Guitierrez, 2018) and RhenoBT (Frings et al., 2012), which have been extended by adding additional features. A wavelet analysis has been adapted from Bedforms-ATM while a zerocrossing procedure and a cross correlation analysis have been implemented based on RhenoBT. The combination of both tools enables a more accurate and sound procedure, as the results of the first step are required input parameters in the second step. By performing a Monte Carlo Simulation, comprehensive sensitivity analyses can be carried out and the possible range of results is revealed. At the same time, the high degree of automation allows the processing of large amounts of data. By applying the tool to a test dataset, it was found that bedform parameters react with different sensitivity to varying input parameter settings. Bedform lengths appeared to be more sensitive (uncertainties up to 50 % were identified) than bedform heights. The setting of a window size in the zerocrossing procedure (especially for the upper layer of bedforms in case secondary bedforms are present) was identified to be the most decisive input parameter. Here, however, the wavelet analysis offers orientation by providing a range of plausible input window sizes and thus allows a reduction of uncertainties. By choosing values outside this range, divergence behavior could be observed for several resulting bedform parameters. Concurrently, the time interval between two successive measurements has proven to have a significant influence on the determination of bedform dynamics. For the test dataset, the faster migrating secondary bedforms were no longer traceable for intervals longer than two hours. At the same time, they contributed to up to 90 % of the total bedload transport, highlighting the need for measurements in high temporal resolution in order to avoid a severe underestimation.
{"title":"A new dunetracking tool to support input parameter selection and uncertainty analyses using a Monte Carlo approach","authors":"Julius Reich, Axel Winterscheid","doi":"10.5194/egusphere-2024-579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-579","url":null,"abstract":"<strong>Abstract.</strong> Precise and reliable information about bedforms, regarding geometry and dynamics, is relevant for many applications – like ensuring safe conditions for navigation along the waterways, parameterizing the roughness of the riverbed in numerical models, or improving bedload measurement and monitoring techniques. There are many so-called dunetracking tools to extract this information from bathymetrical data. However, most of these tools require the setting of various input parameters, which in turn influence the resulting bedform characteristics. How to set the values for these parameters and what influence they have on the calculations has not yet been comprehensively investigated. This is why we introduce a new dunetracking tool, which is able to quantify the influence of varying input parameter settings by performing a Monte Carlo Simulation. The core of the tool is a combination of the two existing applications Bedforms-ATM (Guitierrez, 2018) and RhenoBT (Frings et al., 2012), which have been extended by adding additional features. A wavelet analysis has been adapted from Bedforms-ATM while a zerocrossing procedure and a cross correlation analysis have been implemented based on RhenoBT. The combination of both tools enables a more accurate and sound procedure, as the results of the first step are required input parameters in the second step. By performing a Monte Carlo Simulation, comprehensive sensitivity analyses can be carried out and the possible range of results is revealed. At the same time, the high degree of automation allows the processing of large amounts of data. By applying the tool to a test dataset, it was found that bedform parameters react with different sensitivity to varying input parameter settings. Bedform lengths appeared to be more sensitive (uncertainties up to 50 % were identified) than bedform heights. The setting of a window size in the zerocrossing procedure (especially for the upper layer of bedforms in case secondary bedforms are present) was identified to be the most decisive input parameter. Here, however, the wavelet analysis offers orientation by providing a range of plausible input window sizes <span>and thus allows a reduction of uncertainties. By choosing values </span>outside this range, divergence behavior could be observed for several resulting bedform parameters. Concurrently, the time interval between two successive measurements has proven to have a significant influence on the determination of bedform dynamics. For the test dataset, the faster migrating secondary bedforms were no longer traceable for intervals longer than two hours. At the same time, they contributed to up to 90 % of the total bedload transport, highlighting the need for measurements in high temporal resolution in order to avoid a severe underestimation.","PeriodicalId":48749,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Dynamics","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140798087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}