Field evidence for the influence of weathering on rock erodibility and channel form in bedrock rivers

Erosion processes in bedrock‐floored rivers shape channel cross‐sectional geometry and the broader landscape. However, the influence of weathering on channel slope and geometry is not well understood. Weathering can produce variation in rock erodibility within channel cross‐sections. Recent numerical modeling results suggest that weathering may preferentially weaken rock on channel banks relative to the thalweg, strongly influencing channel form. Here, we present the first quantitative field study of differential weathering across channel cross‐sections. We hypothesize that average cross‐section erosion rate controls the magnitude of this contrast in weathering between the banks and the thalweg. Erosion rate, in turn, is moderated by the extent to which weathering processes increase bedrock erodibility. We test these hypotheses on tributaries to the Potomac River, Virginia, with inferred erosion rates from ~0.1 m/kyr to >0.8 m/kyr, with higher rates in knickpoints spawned by the migratory Great Falls knickzone. We selected nine channel cross‐sections on three tributaries spanning the full range of erosion rates, and at multiple flow heights we measured (1) rock compressive strength using a Schmidt hammer, (2) rock surface roughness using a contour gage combined with automated photograph analysis, and (3) crack density (crack length/area) at three cross‐sections on one channel. All cross‐sections showed significant (p < 0.01 for strength, p < 0.05 for roughness) increases in weathering by at least one metric with height above the thalweg. These results, assuming that the weathered state of rock is a proxy for erodibility, indicate that rock erodibility varies inversely with bedrock inundation frequency. Differences in weathering between the thalweg and the channel margins tend to decrease as inferred erosion rates increase, leading to variations in channel form related to the interplay of weathering and erosion rate. This observation is consistent with numerical modeling that predicts a strong influence of weathering‐related erodibility on channel morphology. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linking weathering and rock slope instability: non‐linear perspectives

Weathering is linked complexly to the erosion and evolution of rock slopes. Weathering influences both the strength of rock slopes and the stresses that act upon them. While weathering has often been portrayed in an over‐simplified way by those studying rock slope instability, in reality it consists of multiple processes, acting over different spatial and temporal scales, with many complex inter‐linkages. Through a demonstration of the sources of non‐linearities in rock slope weathering systems and their implications for rock slope instability, this paper proposes five key linkages worthy of further study. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical modelling of combined erosion and weathering of slopes in weak rock

Due to various decay processes associated with weathering, the stability of artificial slopes in weak rocks may be affected well within their envisaged engineering lifetime. Conceptually, the decay following the initial stress release after excavation can be described as a process seeking equilibrium between weathering and erosion. The extent to which such an equilibrium is actually reached influences the outcome of the weathering‐erosion decay process as well as the effects that the decay has on the geotechnical properties of the exposed rock mass, and thus ultimately the stability of slopes affected by erosion and weathering. This paper combines two conceptual models for erosion and weathering, and derives a numerical model which predicts the resulting slope development. This can help to predict the development of a slope profile excavated in a weak rock in time, and can be extended with the addition of strength parameters to the weathering profile to enable prediction of slope stability as a function of time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hillslope response to tectonic forcing in threshold landscapes

Hillslopes are thought to poorly record tectonic signals in threshold landscapes. Numerous previous studies of steep landscapes suggest that large changes in long‐term erosion rate lead to little change in mean hillslope angle, measured at coarse resolution. New LiDAR‐derived topography data enables a finer examination of threshold hillslopes. Here we quantify hillslope response to tectonic forcing in a threshold landscape. To do so, we use an extensive cosmogenic beryllium‐10 (¹⁰Be)‐based dataset of catchment‐averaged erosion rates combined with a 500 km² LiDAR‐derived 1 m digital elevation model to exploit a gradient of tectonic forcing and topographic relief in the San Gabriel Mountains, California. We also calibrate a new method of quantifying rock exposure from LiDAR‐derived slope measurements using high‐resolution panoramic photographs. Two distinct trends in hillslope behavior emerge: below catchment‐mean slopes of 30°, modal slopes increase with mean slopes, slope distribution skewness decreases with increasing mean slope, and bedrock exposure is limited; above mean slopes of 30°, our rock exposure index increases strongly with mean slope, and the prevalence of angle‐of‐repose debris wedges keeps modal slopes near 37°, resulting in a positive relationship between slope distribution skewness and mean slope. We find that both mean slopes and rock exposure increase with erosion rate up to 1 mm/a, in contrast to previous work based on coarser topographic data. We also find that as erosion rates increase, the extent of the fluvial network decreases, while colluvial channels extend downstream, keeping the total drainage density similar across the range. Our results reveal important textural details lost in 10 or 30 m resolution digital elevation models of steep landscapes, and highlight the need for process‐based studies of threshold hillslopes and colluvial channels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Erosional power in the Swiss Alps: characterization of slope failure in the Illgraben

Landslides and rockfalls are key geomorphic processes in mountain basins. Their quantification and characterization are critical for understanding the processes of slope failure and their contributions to erosion and landscape evolution. We used digital photogrammetry to produce a multi‐temporal record of erosion (1963–2005) of a rock slope at the head of the Illgraben, a very active catchment prone to debris flows in Switzerland. Slope failures affect 70% of the study slope and erode the slope at an average rate of 0.39 ± 0.03 m yr¯¹. The analysis of individual slope failures yielded an inventory of ~2500 failures ranging over 6 orders of magnitude in volume, despite the small slope area and short study period. The slope failures form a characteristic magnitude–frequency distribution with a rollover and a power‐law tail between ~200 m³ and 1.6 × 10⁶ m³ with an exponent of 1.65. Slope failure volume scales with area as a power law with an exponent of 1.1. Both values are low for studies of bedrock landslides and rockfall and result from the highly fractured and weathered state of the quartzitic bedrock. Our data suggest that the magnitude–frequency distribution is the result of two separate slope failure processes. Type (1) failures are frequent, small slides and slumps within the weathered layer of highly fractured rock and loose sediment, and make up the rollover. Type (2) failures are less frequent and larger rockslides and rockfalls within the internal bedded and fractured slope along pre‐determined potential failure surfaces, and make up the power‐law tail. Rockslides and rockfalls of high magnitude and relatively low frequency make up 99% of the total failure volume and are thus responsible for the high erosion rate. They are also significant in the context of landscape evolution as they occur on slopes above 45° and limit the relief of the slope. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Landscapes on the edge: examining the role of climatic interactions in shaping coastal watersheds using a coastal–terrestrial landscape evolution model

Incised coastal gullies (ICGs) are dynamic features found at the terrestrial‐coastal interface. Their geomorphic evolution is driven by the interactions between processes of fluvial knickpoint migration and coastal cliff erosion. Under scenarios of future climate change the frequency and magnitude of the climatological drivers of both terrestrial (fluvial and hillslope) and coastal (cliff erosion) processes are likely to change, with an adjunct impact on these types of coastal features. Here we explore the response of an incised coastal gully to changes in both terrestrial and coastal climate in order to elucidate the key process interactions which drive ICG evolution. We modify an extant landscape evolution model, CHILD, to incorporate processes of soft‐cliff erosion. This modified version, termed the Coastal‐Terrestrial‐CHILD (CT‐CHILD) model, is then employed to explore the interactions between changing terrestrial and coastal driving forces on the future evolution of an ICG found on the south‐west Isle of Wight, UK. It was found that the magnitude and frequency of storm events will play a key role in determining the future trajectory of ICGs, highlighting a need to understand the role of event sequencing in future projections of landscape evolution. Furthermore, synergistic (positive) and antagonistic (negative) interactions were identified between coastal and terrestrial parameters, such as wave height intensity and precipitation duration, which act to modulate the impact of changes in any one parameter. Of note was the role played by wave height intensity in driving coastal erosion, which was found to play a more important role than sea‐level rise in determining rates of coastal erosion. This highlights the need for a greater focus on wave height in studies of soft‐cliff erosion. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil–vegetation interaction on slopes with bush encroachment in the central Alps – adapting slope stability measurements to shifting process domains

In the European Alps many high mountain grasslands which were traditionally used for summer pasturing and haying have been abandoned during recent decades. Abandonment of mown or grazed grasslands causes a shift in vegetation composition and thus a change in landscape ecology and geomorphology. Alpine areas are very fragile ecosystems and are highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions, which can affect the geomorphic regime of these high energy environments. The effect of land use intensification on erosion rates is well documented, whereas the effect of land abandonment on erosion rates is still discussed controversially, particularly in relation to its short‐term and long‐term consequences. Generally, an established perennial vegetation cover improves the mechanical anchoring of the soil and the regulation of the soil water budget, including run‐off generation and erosion. However, changing vegetation composition affects many other above‐ and below‐ground properties like root density, diversity and geometry, soil structure, pore volume and acidity. Each combination of these properties can lead to a distinct scenario of dominating surface processes. The study of soil properties along a chronosequence of green alder (alnus viridis) encroachment on the Unteralptal in central Switzerland revealed that shrub encroachment changes soil and vegetation properties towards an increase of resistance to run‐off related erosion processes, but a decrease of slope stability against shallow landslides. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High resolution lake sediment record reveals self‐organized criticality in erosion processes regulated by internal feedbacks

Reconstruction of high‐frequency erosion variability beyond the instrumental record requires well‐dated, high‐resolution proxies from sediment archives. We used computed tomography (CT) scans of finely laminated silt layers from a lake‐sediment record in southwest Oregon to quantify the magnitude of natural landscape erosion events over the last 2000 years in order to compare with palaeorecords of climate, forest fire, and seismic triggers. Sedimentation rates were modeled from an age–depth relationship fit through five ¹⁴C dates and the 1964 AD ¹³⁷Cs peak in which deposition time (yr mm^‐1) varied inversely with the proportion of silt sediment measured by the CT profile. This model resulted in pseudo‐annual estimates of silt deposition for the last 2000 years. Silt accumulation during the past 80 years was strongly correlated with river‐discharge at annual and decadal scales, revealing that erosion was highly responsive to precipitation during the logging era (1930–present). Before logging the frequency–magnitude relationship displayed a power‐law distribution that is characteristic of complex feedbacks and self‐regulating mechanisms. The 100‐year and 10‐year erosion magnitude estimated in a 99‐year moving window varied by 1.7 and 1.0 orders of magnitude, respectively. Decadal erosion magnitude was only moderately positively correlated with a summer temperature reconstruction over the period 900–1900 AD. Magnitude of the seven largest events was similar to the cumulative silt accumulation anomaly, suggesting these events ‘returned the system’ to the long‐term mean rate. Instead, the occurrence of most erosion events was related to fire (silt layers preceded by high charcoal concentration) and earthquakes (the seven thickest layers often match paleo‐earthquake dates). Our data show how internal (i.e. sediment production) and external processes (natural fires or more stochastic events such as earthquakes) co‐determine erosion regimes at millennial time scales, and the extent to which such processes can be offset by recent large‐scale deforestation by logging. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Drainage basin sensitivity to tectonic and climatic forcing: implications of a stochastic model for the role of entrainment and erosion thresholds

Long‐term average rates of channel erosion and sediment transport depend on the frequency–magnitude characteristics of ?ood ?ows that exceed an erosion threshold. Using a Poisson model for rainfall and runoff, analytical solutions are developed for average rates of stream incision and sediment transport in the presence of such a threshold. Solutions are derived and numerically tested for three erosion/transport formulas: the Howard–Kerby shear‐stress incision model, the Bridge–Dominic sediment transport model, and a generic shear‐stress sediment transport model. Results imply that non‐linearity resulting from threshold effects can have a ?rst‐order impact on topography and patterns of dynamic response to tectonic and climate forcing. This non‐linearity becomes signi?cant when fewer than about half of ?ood events are capable of detaching rock or sediment. Predicted morphology and uplift‐gradient scaling is more closely consistent with observations and laboratory experiments than conventional slope‐linear or shear‐linear erosion laws. These results imply that particle detachment thresholds are not details that can be conveniently ignored in long‐term landscape evolution models. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate driven coevolution of weathering profiles and hillslope topography generates dramatic differences in critical zone architecture

Considerable debate revolves around the relative importance of rock type, tectonics, and climate in creating the architecture of the critical zone. We demonstrate the importance of climate and in particular the rate of water recharge to the subsurface, using numerical models that incorporate hydrologic flowpaths, chemical weathering, and geomorphic rules for soil production and transport. We track alterations in both solid phase (plagioclase to clay) and water chemistry along hydrologic flowpaths that include lateral flow beneath the water table. To isolate the role of recharge, we simulate dry and wet cases and prescribe identical landscape evolution rules. The weathering patterns that develop differ dramatically beneath the resulting parabolic interfluves. In the dry case, incomplete weathering is shallow and surface parallel, whereas in the wet case, intense weathering occurs to depths approximating the base of the bounding channels, well below the water table. Exploration of intermediate cases reveals that the weathering state of the subsurface is strongly governed by the ratio of the rate of advance of the weathering front itself controlled by the water input rate, and the rate of erosion of the landscape. The system transitions between these end‐member behaviours rather abruptly at a weathering front speed ‐ erosion rate ratio of approximately 1. Although there are undoubtedly direct roles for tectonics and rock type in critical zone architecture, and yet more likely feedbacks between these and climate, we show here that differences in hillslope‐scale weathering patterns can be strongly controlled by climate.     

Weathering,erosion and sediment composition in a high‐gradient river,Calabria, Italy

Source rock lithology and immediate modifying processes, such as chemical weathering and mechanical erosion, are primary controls on fluvial sediment supply. Sand composition and Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) of parent rocks, soil and fluvial sand of the Savuto River watershed, Calabria (Italy), were used to evaluate the modifications of source rocks through different sections of the basin, characterized by different geomorphic processes, in a sub‐humid Mediterranean climate. The headwaters, with gentle topography, produce a coarse‐grained sediment load derived from deeply weathered gneiss, having sand of quartzofeldspathic composition, compositionally very different from in situ degraded bedrock. Maximum estimated CIA values suggest that source rock has been affected significantly by weathering, and it testifies to a climatic threshold on the destruction of the bedrock. The mid‐course has steeper slopes and a deeply incised valley; bedrock consists of mica‐schist and phyllite with a very thin regolith, which provides large cobble to very coarse sand sediments to the main channel. Slope instability, with an areal incidence of over 40 per cent, largely supplies detritus to the main channel. Sand‐sized detritus of soil and fluvial sand is lithic. Estimated CIA value testifies to a significant weathering of the bedrock too, even if in this part of the drainage basin steeper slopes allow erosion to exceed chemical weathering. The lower course has a braided pattern and sediment load is coarse to medium–fine grained. The river cuts across Palaeozoic crystalline rocks and Miocene siliciclastic deposits. Sand‐sized detritus, contributed from these rocks and homogenized by transport processes, has been found in the quartzolithic distal samples. Field and laboratory evidence indicates that landscape development was the result of extensive weathering during the last postglacial temperature maximum in the headwaters, and of mass‐failure and fluvial erosional processes in the mid‐ and low course. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The critical role of climate and saprolite weathering in landscape evolution

Landscapes evolve in response to external forces, such as tectonics and climate, that influence surface processes of erosion and weathering. Internal feedbacks between erosion and weathering also play an integral role in regulating the landscapes response. Our understanding of these internal and external feedbacks is limited to a handful of field‐based studies, only a few of which have explicitly examined saprolite weathering. Here, we report rates of erosion and weathering in saprolite and soil to quantify how climate influences denudation, by focusing on an elevation transect in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. We use an adapted mass balance approach and couple soil‐production rates from the cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) ¹⁰Be with zirconium concentrations in rock, saprolite and soil. Our approach includes deep saprolite weathering and suggests that previous studies may have underestimated denudation rates across similar landscapes. Along the studied climate gradient, chemical weathering rates peak at middle elevations (1200–2000 m), averaging 112·3 ± 9·7 t km^–2 y^–1 compared to high and low elevation sites (46·8 ± 5·2 t km^?2 y^?1). Measured weathering rates follow similar patterns with climate as those of predicted silica fluxes, modeled using an Arrhenius temperature relationship and a linear relationship between flux and precipitation. Furthermore, chemical weathering and erosion are tightly correlated across our sites, and physical erosion rates increase with both saprolite weathering rates and intensity. Unexpectedly, saprolite and soil weathering intensities are inversely related, such that more weathered saprolites are overlain by weakly weathered soils. These data quantify exciting links between climate, weathering and erosion, and together suggest that climate controls chemical weathering via temperature and moisture control on chemical reaction rates. Our results also suggest that saprolite weathering reduces bedrock coherence, leading to faster rates of soil transport that, in turn, decrease material residence times in the soil column and limit soil weathering. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Slope failures and erosion rates on a glacierized high‐mountain face under climatic changes

In this study, rapid topographic changes and increased erosion rates caused by massive slope failures in a glacierized and permafrost‐affected high‐mountain face were investigated with respect to the current climatic change. The study was conducted at one of the highest periglacial rock faces in the European Alps, the east face of Monte Rosa, Italy. Pronounced changes in ice cover and repeated rock and ice avalanche events have been documented in this rock wall since around 1990. The performed multi‐temporal comparison of high‐resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) complemented by detailed analyses of repeat photography represents a unique assessment of topographic changes and slope failures over half a century and reveals a total volume loss in bedrock and steep glaciers in the central part of the face of around 25 × 10⁶ m³ between 1988 and 2007. The high rock and ice avalanche activity translates into an increase in erosion rates of about one order of magnitude during recent decades. The study indicates that changes in atmospheric temperatures and connected changes in ice cover can induce slope destabilization in high‐mountain faces. Analyses of temperature data show that the start of the intense mass movement activity coincided with increased mean annual temperatures in the region around 1990. However, once triggered, mass movement activity seems to be able to proceed in a self‐reinforcing cycle, whereby single mass movement events might be strongly influenced by short‐term extreme temperature events. The investigations suggest a strong stability coupling between steep glaciers and underlying bedrock, as most bedrock instabilities are located in areas where surface ice has disappeared recently and the failure zones are frequently spatially correlated and often develop from lower altitudes progressively upwards. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relations between rainfall–runoff‐induced erosion and aeolian deposition at archaeological sites in a semi‐arid dam‐controlled river corridor

Process dynamics in fluvial‐based dryland environments are highly complex with fluvial, aeolian, and alluvial processes all contributing to landscape change. When anthropogenic activities such as dam‐building affect fluvial processes, the complexity in local response can be further increased by flood‐ and sediment‐limiting flows. Understanding these complexities is key to predicting landscape behavior in drylands and has important scientific and management implications, including for studies related to paleoclimatology, landscape ecology evolution, and archaeological site context and preservation. Here we use multi‐temporal LiDAR surveys, local weather data, and geomorphological observations to identify trends in site change throughout the 446‐km‐long semi‐arid Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, where archaeological site degradation related to the effects of upstream dam operation is a concern. Using several site case studies, we show the range of landscape responses that might be expected from concomitant occurrence of dam‐controlled fluvial sand bar deposition, aeolian sand transport, and rainfall‐induced erosion. Empirical rainfall‐erosion threshold analyses coupled with a numerical rainfall–runoff–soil erosion model indicate that infiltration‐excess overland flow and gullying govern large‐scale (centimeter‐ to decimeter‐scale) landscape changes, but that aeolian deposition can in some cases mitigate gully erosion. Whereas threshold analyses identify the normalized rainfall intensity (defined as the ratio of rainfall intensity to hydraulic conductivity) as the primary factor governing hydrologic‐driven erosion, assessment of false positives and false negatives in the dataset highlight topographic slope as the next most important parameter governing site response. Analysis of 4+ years of high resolution (four‐minute) weather data and 75+ years of low resolution (daily) climate records indicates that dryland erosion is dependent on short‐term, storm‐driven rainfall intensity rather than cumulative rainfall, and that erosion can occur outside of wet seasons and even wet years. These results can apply to other similar semi‐arid landscapes where process complexity may not be fully understood. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA     

Modelling the relative dominance of wave erosion and weathering processes in shore platform development in micro‐ to mega‐tidal settings

In this paper we use a numerical model to explore the relative dominance of two main processes in shore platform development: wave erosion; weathering due to wetting and drying. The modelling approach differs from previous work in several aspects, including: the way that it accounts for weathering arising from gradual surficial intertidal rock degradation; subtidal profile shape development; and the consideration of a broad erosion parameter space in which, at either end of the erosion spectrum, shore platform profiles are produced by waves or weathering alone. Results show that in micro‐tidal settings, wave erosion dominates the evolution of (i) shore platforms that become largely subtidal and (ii) sub‐horizontal shore platforms that have a receding seaward edge. Weathering processes dominate the evolution of sub‐horizontal shore platforms with a stable seaward edge. In contrast, sloping shore platforms in mega‐tidal settings are produced across the full range of the process‐dominance spectrum depending on the how the erosional efficacy of wave erosion and weathering are parameterized. Morphological feedbacks control the process‐dominance. In small tidal environments wave processes are strongly controlled by the presence/absence of an abrupt seaward edge, but this influence is much smaller in large tidal environments due to larger water depths particularly at high tides. In large tidal environments, similar shore platform profile geometries can be produced by either wave‐dominant or weathering‐dominant process regimes. Equifinality in shore platform development has been noted in other studies, but mainly in the context of smaller‐scale (centimetre to metre) erosion features. Here we draw attention to geomorphic equifinality at the scale of the shore platform itself. Progress requires a greater understanding of the actual mechanics of the process regimes operating on shore platforms. However, this paper makes a substantial contribution to the debate by identifying the physical conditions that allow clear statements about process dominance. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Complexities of landscape evolution during incision through layered stratigraphy with contrasts in rock strength

Variation in the erodibility of rock units has long been recognized as an important determinant of landscape evolution but has been little studied in landscape evolution models. We use a modified version of the Channel‐Hillslope Integrated Landscape Development (CHILD) model, which explicitly allows for variations in rock strength, to reveal and explore the remarkably rich, complex behavior induced by rock erodibility variations in even very simple geologic settings with invariant climate and tectonics. We study the importance of relative contrasts in erodibility between just two units, the order of these units (whether hard rocks overlie soft or soft rocks overlie hard) and the orientation of the contact between the two units. We emphasize the spatial and temporal evolution of erosion rates, which have important implications for basin analysis, detrital mineral records, and the interpretation of cosmogenic isotope concentrations in detrital samples. Results of the landscape evolution modeling indicate that the stratigraphic order of units in terms of erodibility, the gross orientation of the contact (i.e. dipping away or toward the outlet of the landscape) and the contact dip angle all have measurable effects on landscape evolution, including significant spatial and temporal variations in erosion rates. Steady‐state denudation conditions are unlikely to develop in landscapes with significant contrasts in rock strength in horizontal to moderately tilted rock layers, at least at the scale of the entire landscape. Additionally, our results demonstrate that there is no general relation between rock erodibility and erosion rates in natural settings. Although rock erodibility directly controls the erosion rate constant in our models, it is not uncommon for higher erosion rates to occur in the harder, less erodible rock. Indeed erosion rates may be either greater or less than the rock uplift rate (invariant in time and space in our models) in both hard and soft rocks, depending on the local geology, topography, and the pattern of landscape evolution. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring effects of rainfall intensity and duration on soil erosion at the catchment scale using openLISEM: Prado catchment,SE Spain

In semi‐arid areas, high‐intensity rainfall events are often held responsible for the main part of soil erosion. Long‐term landscape evolution models usually use average annual rainfall as input, making the evaluation of single events impossible. Event‐based soil erosion models are better suited for this purpose but cannot be used to simulate longer timescales and are usually applied to plots or small catchments. In this study, the openLISEM event‐based erosion model was applied to the medium‐sized (～50 km²) Prado catchment in SE Spain. Our aim was to (i) test the model's performance for medium‐sized catchments, (ii) test the ability to simulate four selected typical Mediterranean rainfall events of different magnitude and (iii) explore the relative contribution of these different storms to soil erosion using scenarios of future climate variability. Results show that because of large differences in the hydrologic response between storms of different magnitudes, each event needed to be calibrated separately. The relation between rainfall event characteristics and the calibration factors might help in determining optimal calibration values if event characteristics are known. Calibration of the model features some drawbacks for large catchments due to spatial variability in K_sat values. Scenario calculations show that although ～50% of soil erosion occurs as a result of high frequency, low‐intensity rainfall events, large‐magnitude, low‐frequency events potentially contribute significantly to total soil erosion. The results illustrate the need to incorporate temporal variability in rainfall magnitude–frequency distributions in landscape evolution models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Asymmetric hillslope erosion following wildfire in Fourmile Canyon,Colorado

Infrequent, high‐magnitude events cause a disproportionate amount of sediment transport on steep hillslopes, but few quantitative data are available that capture these processes. Here we study the influence of wildfire and hillslope aspect on soil erosion in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado. This region experienced the Fourmile Fire of 2010, strong summer convective storms in 2011 and 2012, and extreme flooding in September 2013. We sampled soils shortly after these events and use fallout radionuclides to trace erosion on polar‐ and equatorial‐facing burned slopes and on a polar‐facing unburned slope. Because these radionuclides are concentrated in the upper decimeter of soil, soil inventories are sensitive to erosion by surface runoff. The polar‐facing burned slope had significantly lower cesium‐137 (¹³⁷Cs) and lead‐210 (²¹⁰Pb) inventories (p < 0.05) than either the polar‐facing unburned slope or equatorial‐facing burned slope. Local slope magnitude does not appear to control the erosional response to wildfire, as relatively gently sloping (~20%) polar‐facing positions were severely eroded in the most intensively burned area. Field evidence and soil profile analyses indicate up to 4 cm of local soil erosion on the polar‐facing burned slope, but radionuclide mass balance indicates that much of this was trapped nearby. Using a ¹³⁷Cs‐based erosion model, we find that the burned polar‐facing slope had a net mean sediment loss of 2 mm (~1 kg m^?2) over a one to three year period, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than longer‐term erosion rates reported for this region. In this part of the Colorado Front Range, strong hillslope asymmetry controls soil moisture and vegetation; polar‐facing slopes support significantly denser pine and fir stands, which fuels more intense wildfires. We conclude that polar‐facing slopes experience the most severe surface erosion following wildfires in this region, indicating that landscape‐scale aridity can control the geomorphic response of hillslopes to wildfires. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The topographic signature of a major typhoon

In August 2009, the typhoon Morakot, characterized by a cumulative rainfall up to 2884 mm in about three days, triggered thousands of landslides in Taiwan. The availability of LiDAR surveys before (2005) and after (2010) this event offers a unique opportunity to investigate the topographic signatures of a major typhoon. The analysis considers the comparison of slope–area relationships derived by LiDAR digital terrain models (DTMs). This approach has been successfully used to distinguish hillslope from channelized processes, as a basis to develop landscape evolution models and theories, and understand the linkages between landscape morphology and tectonics, climate, and geology. We considered six catchments affected by a different degree of erosion: three affected by shallow and deep‐seated landslides, and three not affected by erosion. For each of these catchments, 2 m DTMs were derived from LiDAR data. The scaling regimes of local slope versus drainage area suggested that for the catchments affected by landslides: (i) the hillslope‐to‐valley transitions morphology, for a given value of drainage area, is shifted towards higher value of slopes, thus indicating a likely migration of the channelized processes and erosion toward the catchment boundary (the catchment head becomes steeper because of erosion); (ii) the topographic gradient along valley profiles tends to decrease progressively (the valley profile becomes gentler because of sediment deposition after the typhoon). The catchments without any landslides present a statistically indistinguishable slope–area scaling regime. These results are interesting since for the first time, using multi‐temporal high‐resolution topography derived by LiDAR, we demonstrated that a single climate event is able to cause significant major geomorphic changes on the landscape, detectable using slope–area scaling analysis. This provides new insights about landscape evolution under major climate forcing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paraglacial gullying of sediment‐mantled slopes: a case study of Colletthøgda,Kongsfjorden area,West Spitsbergen (Svalbard)

This paper evaluates the paraglacial evolution of a sediment‐mantled slope in a polar maritime environment. The intensity of paraglacial processes is estimated through quantification of erosion and dating of field sectors with the help of photographic archives. Gully erosion has been estimated using morphometric parameters and by surveys of vegetation cover. The rapid melting of dead‐ice cores controls gully formation. This leads to slope form modification: gully profile gradients are reduced from a mean of 35° to a mean ranging between 10° and 15°. Profile evolution results from the collapse of glacier lateral moraine. All data (mean slope angle of individual gullies, frequency distribution of slope angles, fractional distance to the apex, gullying index, volume of debris mobilized, vertical erosion rate) tend to increase with increasing deglaciation age and the duration of paraglacial activity. Vegetation colonization is a response to stabilization of the ground surface and the drying up of the ground surface due to dead‐ice melting. The full sequence of paraglacial slope adjustment (gully incision‐stabilization) may occur rapidly at the study site, i.e. within two decades. Finally, a lateral morphogenic sequence is proposed showing the importance of paraglacial processes at the onset of the deglaciation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.