Modelling centennial sediment waves in an eroding landscape – catchment complexity

Sediment flux dynamics in fluvial systems have often been related to changes in external drivers of topography, climate or land cover. It is well known that these dynamics are non‐linear. Recently, model simulations of fluvial activity and landscape evolution have suggested that self‐organization in landscapes can also cause internal complexity in the sedimentary record. In this contribution one particular case of self‐organization is explored in the Sabinal field study area, Spain, where several dynamic zones of sedimentation and incision are observed along the current river bed. Whether these zones can be caused by internal complexity was tested with landscape evolution model (LEM) LAPSUS (Landscape Process Modelling at Multi‐dimensions and Scales). During various 500 year simulations, zones of sedimentation appear to move upstream and downstream in eroding river channels (‘waves’). These waves are visualized and characterized for a range of model settings under constant external forcing, and the self‐organizing process behind their occurrence is analysed. Results indicate that this process is not necessarily related to simplifications in the model and is more generic than the process of bed‐armouring that has recently been recognized as a cause for complexity in LEM simulations. We conclude that autogenic sediment waves are the result of the spatial propagation in time of feedbacks in local transport limited (deposition) and detachment limited (erosion) conditions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of climate on landscape form,sediment transfer and the sedimentary record

The relationship between climate, landscape connectivity and sediment export from mountain ranges is key to understanding the propagation of erosion signals downstream into sedimentary basins. We explore the role of connectivity in modulating the composition of sediment exported from the Frontal Cordillera of the south-central Argentine Andes by comparing three adjacent and apparently similar semi-glaciated catchment-fan systems within the context of an along-strike precipitation gradient. We first identify that the bedrock exposed in the upper, previously glaciated reaches of the cordillera is under-represented in the lithological composition of gravels on each of three alluvial fans. There is little evidence for abrasion or preferential weathering of sediment sourced from the upper cordillera, suggesting that the observed bias can only be explained by sediment storage in these glacially widened and flattened valleys of the upper cordillera (as revealed by channel steepness mapping). A detailed analysis of the morphology of sedimentary deposits within the catchments reveals catchment-wide trends in either main valley incision or aggradation, linked to differences in hillslope–channel connectivity and precipitation. We observe that drier catchments have poor hillslope–channel connectivity and that gravels exported from dry catchments have a lithological composition depleted in clasts sourced from the upper cordillera. Conversely, the catchment with the highest maximum precipitation rate exhibits a high degree of connectivity between its sediment sources and the main river network, leading to the export of a greater proportion of upper cordillera gravel as well as a greater volume of sand. Finally, given a clear spatial correlation between the resistance of bedrock to erosion, mountain range elevation and its covariant, precipitation, we highlight how connectivity in these semi-glaciated landscapes can be preconditioned by the spatial distribution of bedrock lithology. These findings give insight into the extent to which sedimentary archives record source erosion patterns through time.     

Sediment connectivity: a framework for understanding sediment transfer at multiple scales

A major challenge for geomorphologists is to scale up small‐magnitude processes to produce landscape form, yet existing approaches have been found to be severely limited. New ways to scale erosion and transfer of sediment are thus needed. This paper evaluates the concept of sediment connectivity as a framework for understanding processes involved in sediment transfer across multiple scales. We propose that the concept of sediment connectivity can be used to explain the connected transfer of sediment from a source to a sink in a catchment, and movement of sediment between different zones within a catchment: over hillslopes, between hillslopes and channels, and within channels. Using fluvial systems as an example we explore four scenarios of sediment connectivity which represent end‐members of behaviour from fully linked to fully unlinked hydrological and sediment connectivity. Sediment‐travel distance – when combined with an entrainment parameter reflecting the frequency–magnitude response of the system – maps onto these end‐members, providing a coherent conceptual model for the upscaling of erosion predictions. This conceptual model could be readily expanded to other process domains to provide a more comprehensive underpinning of landscape‐evolution models. Thus, further research on the controls and dynamics of travel distances under different modes of transport is fundamental. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Introduction to special issue on connectivity in water and sediment dynamics

Connectivity has emerged in recent years as a significant conceptual framework within which to address the spatial and temporal variability in runoff and sediment transport. This special issue draws together several of the papers that were presented in the session “Connectivity in water and sediment dynamics: how do we move forwards?” at the 2012 General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union in Vienna, Austria. The papers submitted for this special issue fall into three groups: empirical studies, modelling studies, and conceptual development. Although it may be evident that the concept of connectivity helps us to express the complexity (in terms of water and sediment yields) of landscape responses to rainfall inputs, does it improve our ability to understand or predict those responses? There would still seem to be some way to go in connectivity research before this nagging concern can be assuaged. That it can be will undoubtedly be an important task for a number of ongoing research initiatives. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling sediment dynamics due to hillslope–river interactions: incorporating fluvial behaviour in landscape evolution model LAPSUS

Landscape evolution models (LEMs) simulate the three‐dimensional development of landscapes over time. Different LEMs have different foci, e.g. erosional behaviour, river dynamics, the fluvial domain, hillslopes or a combination. LEM LAPSUS is a relatively simple cellular model operating on timescales of centuries to millennia and using annual timesteps that has had a hillslope focus. Our objective was to incorporate fluvial behaviour in LAPSUS without changing the existing model equations. The model should be able to reproduce alternating aggradation and incision in the floodplains of catchments, depending on simulated conditions. Testing was done using an artificial digital elevation model (DEM) and a demonstration of the ability for fluvial simulation was performed for a real landscape (Torrealvilla catchment, southeast Spain). Model equations to calculate sediment dynamics and water routing were similar for both hillslope and fluvial conditions, but different parameter values were used for these domains, defined based on annual discharge. Parameters changing between the domains are convergence factor p, which is used in the multiple flow algorithm to route water, and discharge and gradient exponents m and n, used in transport capacity calculations. Erodibility and ‘sedimentability’ factors K and P were changed between cold (little vegetation, high erodibility) and warm conditions (more vegetation, lower erodibility). Results show that the adapted parameters reproduced alternating aggradation – due to divergent flow in the floodplain and sediment supply under cold conditions – and incision due to reduced sediment supply and resulting clean water erosion during simulated warm conditions. The simulated results are due to interactions between hillslopes and floodplains, as the former provide the sediments that are deposited in the latter. Similar behaviour was demonstrated when using the real DEM. Sensitivity and resolution analysis showed that the model is sensitive to changes in m, n and p and that model behaviour is influenced by DEM resolution. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linking landslides,hillslope erosion,and landscape evolution

This Virtual Issue highlights 10 recent innovative, unconventional, or otherwise significant contributions to Earth Surface Processes and Landforms that help advance the state‐of‐the‐art in research on linkages between landslides, hillslope erosion, and landscape evolution. The selected studies address this feedback within a temporal spectrum that ranges from the event to the millennial scale, thus underscoring the importance of detailed field observations, high‐resolution digital topographic data, and geochronological methods for increasing our capability of quantifying landslide processes and hillslope erosion. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of landscape connectivity and landslide dynamics upon channel adjustments and sediment flux in the Liwu Basin,Taiwan

Catchment‐scale analyzes of spatial and temporal variability in landscape connectivity are critical considerations in appraisals of landscape evolution and disaster mitigation in tectonically active mountain belts such as Taiwan. This study uses historical aerial photographs, flow discharge and seismic data to analyze landslide changes and channel adjustments over a 30 year period in the Liwu Basin. Recurrent earthquakes and typhoon events trigger frequent landslide activity, channel adjustment and sediment reworking in this system. Spatial variability in magnitude–frequency relations of hillslope‐valley floor (lateral) and upstream–downstream (longitudinal) connectivity during the study period are shown to reflect annual reworking in source and accumulation zones, while partly‐confined valleys in the mid‐catchment area trap sediment behind landslide‐induced dams that are formed and breached on an approximately decadal basis. This promotes partial longitudinal connectivity in these areas. Landscape responses to disturbance events were especially pronounced following combinations of seismic and typhoon events prior to the 1998 and 2005 images. Although single high magnitude events and series of moderate events affect patterns of landscape connectivity in the Liwu Basin, residence times for sediment storage are very short in this highly‐connected river system, where confined valley settings extend virtually to the coast. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphic connectivity and its application for understanding landscape complexities: a focus on the hydro-geomorphic systems of India

Geomorphic processes operate at multiple spatio-temporal scales and different levels of hierarchy. It is therefore necessary to understand the linkages of landscapes across various scales and levels to gain insights into their interactions and feedbacks. Connectivity is an emergent property of the hydro-geomorphic systems, and it is gradually evolving into a unifying concept in geomorphology. The connectivity approach has the potential to be applied extensively to diverse hydro-geomorphic systems of India to understand their complexity as well as for designing effective management practices for river systems and wetlands, optimizing water resources for agriculture, and monitoring and restoration of habitats. Studies on connectivity, particularly in geomorphic context, have been growing steadily in India, albeit at a much slower pace compared to the global trends. This article undertakes a brief overview of the global developments particularly in terms of providing some clarity among the different types of geomorphic connectivity and their inter-relationships and feedbacks. We then take stock of the connectivity research in India in recent years as applied in different hydrogeomorphic systems across the country. We utilize a number of Indian case studies to illustrate the important developments and applications of connectivity concepts, and also present future perspective of this important field with special relevance to India. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distributed empirical algorithms to estimate catchment scale sediment connectivity and yield in a subtropical region

The intensity of soil loss and sediment delivery, representing hydrologic and geomorphic processes within a catchment, accelerates with rapid changes in land cover and rainfall events. An underlying component of sustainable management of water resources is an understanding of spatial and temporal variability and the adverse influences of regional parameters involved in generating sediment following widespread changes in land cover. A calibrated algorithm of soil loss coupled with a sediment delivery ratio (SDR) was applied in raster data layers to improve the capability of a combined model to estimate annual variability in sediment yields related to changes in vegetation cover identified by analyses of SPOT imagery. Four catchments in Kangaroo River State forest were assessed for annual changes in sediment yields. Two catchments were selectively logged in 2007, while the two other sites remained undisturbed. Results of SDR estimates indicated that only a small proportion of total eroded sediment from hillslopes is transported to catchment outlets. Larger SDR values were estimated in regions close to catchment outlets, and the SDR reduced sharply on hillslopes further than 200–300 m from these areas. Estimated sediment yield increased by up to 30% two years after land cover change (logging) in 2009 when more storm events were recorded, despite the moderate density of vegetation cover in 2009 having almost recovered to its initial pre‐logging (2005) condition. Rainfall had the most significant influence on streamflow and sediment delivery in all catchments, with steeply sloping areas contributing large amounts of sediment during moderate and high rainfall years in 2007 and 2009. It is concluded that the current scenario of single‐tree selection logging utilized in the study area is an acceptable and environmentally sound land management strategy for preservation of soil and water resources. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pattern‐process relationships in surface hydrology: hydrological connectivity expressed in landscape metrics

The degree of hydrological connectivity is mainly determined by the spatial organisation of heterogeneity. A meaningful and aggregate abstraction of spatial patterns is one of the promising means to gain fundamental insights into this complex interaction and can, moreover, be used as a tool to acquire a profound understanding of the major controls of catchment hydrology. In order to disclose such controls, pattern‐process relationships and the explanatory power of landscape metrics were tested by simulating the runoff of differently patterned virtual basins, generated by neutral landscape models and fractal networks and solved by a surface hydrological model composed of kinematic wave routing and Green‐Ampt infiltration. A total of 23 landscape metrics quantified the spatial patterns and were subsequently related to the functional connectivity, assessed as the proportion of internal runoff generation constituting the hydrological response at the outlet. Landscape metrics allowed the identification of dominant features of heterogeneity that explained the observed connectivity, and to disclose changes in control with class abundance. Therefore, landscape metrics are a useful tool for basin comparison and classification in terms of the dominant processes and the corresponding model structure requirements. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling spatio-temporal patterns of sediment yield and connectivity in a semi-arid catchment with the WASA-SED model

Abstract

Rainfall–runoff induced soil erosion causes important environmental degradation by reducing soil fertility and impacting on water availability as a consequence of sediment deposition in surface reservoirs used for water supply, particularly in semi-arid areas. However, erosion models developed on experimental plots cannot be directly applied to estimate sediment yield at the catchment scale, since sediment redistribution is also controlled by the transport conditions along the landscape. In particular, representation of landscape connectivity relating to sediment transfer from upslope areas to the river network is required. In this study, the WASA-SED model is used to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of water and sediment connectivity for a semi-arid meso-scale catchment (933 km²) in Brazil. It is shown how spatial and temporal patterns of sediment connectivity within the catchment change as a function of landscape and event characteristics. This explains the nonlinear catchment response in terms of sediment yield at the outlet.

Citation Medeiros, P. H. A., Güntner, A., Francke, T., Mamede, G. L. & de Araújo, J. C. (2010) Modelling spatio-temporal patterns of sediment yield and connectivity in a semi-arid catchment with the WASA-SED model. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(4), 636–648.     

Modelling of sediment supply from torrent catchments in the Western Alps using the sediment contributing area (SCA) approach

The production of coarse sediment in mountain landscapes depends mainly on the type and activity of geomorphic processes and topographic and natural conditions (e.g. vegetation cover) of these catchments. The supply of sediment from these slopes to mountain streams and its subsequent transport lead to sediment connectivity, which describes the integrated coupled state of these systems. Studies from the Northern Calcareous Alps show that the size of the sediment contributing area (SCA), a subset of the drainage area that effectively delivers sediment to the channel network, can be used as a predictor of sediment delivery to mountain streams. The SCA concept is delineated on a digital elevation model (DEM) using a set of rules related to the steepness and length of slopes directly adjacent to the channel network, the gradient of the latter and the vegetation cover. The present study investigates the applicability of this concept to the Western Alps to identify geomorphologically active areas and to estimate mean annual sediment yield (SY) in mainly debris-flow-prone catchments. We use a statistical approach that shows a parameter optimisation and a linear regression of SY on SCA extent. We use a dataset of ~25 years of assessed coarse sediment accumulation in 35 sediment retention basins. In the investigated catchments, sediment transport is governed by several factors, mainly by the extent of vegetation-free areas with a minimum slope of 23° that is coupled to the channel network with a very low gradient of the latter. With our improved framework, we can show that the SCA approach can be applied to catchments that are widely distributed, in a large spatial scale (hectare area) and very heterogeneous in their properties. In general, the investigated catchments show high connectivity, resulting in significant correlations between long-term average yield and the size of the SCA.     

Modelling landscape evolution

Geomorphology is currently in a period of resurgence as we seek to explain the diversity, origins and dynamics of terrain on the Earth and other planets in an era of increased environmental awareness. Yet there is a great deal we still do not know about the physics and chemistry of the processes that weaken rock and transport mass across a planet's surface. Discovering and refining the relevant geomorphic transport functions requires a combination of careful field measurements, lab experiments, and use of longer‐term natural experiments to test current theory and develop new understandings. Landscape evolution models have an important role to play in sharpening our thinking, guiding us toward the right observables, and mapping out the logical consequences of transport laws, both alone and in combination with other salient processes. Improved quantitative characterization of terrain and process, and an ever‐improving theory that describes the continual modification of topography by the many and varied processes that shape it, together with improved observation and qualitative and quantitative modelling of geology, vegetation and erosion processes, will provide insights into the mechanisms that control catchment form and function. This paper reviews landscape theory – in the form of numerical models of drainage basin evolution and the current knowledge gaps and future computing challenges that exist. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Factors affecting connectivity and sediment yields following wildfire and post-fire salvage logging in California's Sierra Nevada

Sediment delivery following post-fire logging is a concern relative to water quality. While studies have assessed the effect of post-fire logging on sediment yields at different spatial scales, none have explicitly identified sediment sources. Our goal was to quantify post-fire and post-salvage logging sediment yields and use rill patterns to identify sediment sources. We measured the extent and type of logging disturbance, length of rills per unit area or “rill density”, ground cover, and sediment yields in nine logged and five control small catchments or “swales”, 0.09 to 0.81 ha, for 5 years after the 2013 Rim Fire in California's Sierra Nevada. The logged swales had a mean ground disturbance of 31%. After the first wet season following logging, there was no difference in either mean rill density (0.071 and 0.088 m m⁻², respectively) or mean transformed, normalized sediment yields between the control and logged swales. Untransformed mean sediment yields across three sites ranged from 0.11–11.8 and 1.1–3.2 Mg ha⁻¹ for the controls and salvage-logged swales, respectively. Rill density was strongly related to sediment yield and increased significantly with the amount of high-traffic skid trail disturbance in logged swales. Rill density was not significantly related to the amount of bare soil despite a significant relationship between sediment yields and bare soil. Rills usually initiated in bare soil and frequently connected high traffic skid trails to the drainage network after being diverted by waterbars. Rill connectivity and sediment yields decreased in control and logged swales where vegetation or other surface cover was high, suggesting this cover disconnected rills from the drainage network. Increasing ground cover on skid trails and between areas disturbed by post-fire logging and stream channels may reduce sediment yields as well as the hydrologic connectivity between hillslopes and the drainage network.     

Topographic signatures of progressive glacial landscape transformation

The Pleistocene glaciations left a distinct topographic footprint in mountain ranges worldwide. The geometric signature of glacial topography has been quantified in various ways, but the temporal development of landscape metrics has not been traced in a landscape evolution model so far. However, such information is needed to interpret the degree of glacial imprint in terms of the integrated signal of temporal and spatial variations in erosion as a function of glacial occupation time. We apply a surface process model for cold-climate conditions to an initially fluvial mountain range. By exploring evolving topographic patterns in model time series, we determine locations where topographic changes reach a maximum and where the initial landscape persists. The signal of glacial erosion, expressed by the overdeepening of valleys and the steepening of valley flanks, develops first at the glacier front and migrates upstream with ongoing glacial erosion. This leads to an increase of mean channel slope and its variance. Above steep flanks and head-walls, however, the observed mean channel slope remains similar to the mean channel slope of the initial fluvial topography. This leads to a characteristic turning point in the channel slope–elevation distribution above the equilibrium line altitude, where a transition from increasing to decreasing channel slope with elevation occurs. We identify this turning point and a high channel slope variance as diagnostic features to quantify glacial imprint. Such features are abundant in glacially imprinted mid-latitude mountain ranges such as the Eastern Alps. By analysing differently glaciated parts of the mountain range, we observe a decreasing clarity of this diagnostic morphometric property with decreasing glacial occupation. However, catchments of the unglaciated eastern fringe of the Alps also feature turning points in their channel slope–elevation distributions, but in contrast to the glaciated domain, the variance of channel slope is small at all elevation levels.     

(Dis)Connectivity in catchment sediment cascades: a fresh look at the sediment delivery problem

The concept of the sediment delivery problem was introduced into the literature in 1983 by Des Walling. This concept describes how only a fraction of sediment eroded within a catchment will reach the basin outlet and be represented as sediment yield, and that sediment storage mechanisms operating within a catchment explain this discrepancy. Since this paper was published, geomorphologists have been examining in great detail the fate of sediment eroded from the landsurface, and the pathways and timeframes of sediment transport and storage in catchments. However, to fully understand the internal dynamics of sediment flux requires a ‘fresh look at the sediment delivery problem’. A framework is required that can incorporate the various processes involved in sediment movement from source areas through a basin to its outlet, and can take account of the spatial distribution of, and timeframes over which, these processes operate. This paper presents a conceptual framework for analysis of catchment (dis)connectivity that incorporates both spatial and temporal variability in the operation of the sediment cascade. This approach examines where blockages occur to disrupt these longitudinal, lateral and vertical linkages in catchments. Depending on the position of blockages (termed buffers, barriers and blankets), and their sediment residence time, various parts of a catchment may be actively contributing sediment to the sediment cascade and be switched on, or inactive and switched off. This paper discusses how such a framework can be used to model response times to disturbance and explain the manifestation of geomorphic change in catchments. The paper then highlights challenges geomorphologists face in applying such a framework to understand the internal dynamics of the catchment sediment cascades, and forecast how environmental change might affect the operation of sediment fluxes into the future. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Incorporating landscape features to obtain an object‐oriented landscape drainage network representing the connectivity of surface flow pathways over rural catchments

A topological representation of a rural catchment is proposed here in addition to the generally used topographic drainage network. This is an object‐oriented representation based on the identification of the inlets and outlets for surface water flow on each farmer's field (or plot) and their respective contributing areas and relationships. It represents the catchment as a set of independent plot outlet trees reaching the stream, while a given plot outlet tree represents the pattern of surface flow relationships between individual plots. In the present study, we propose to implement functions related to linear and surface elements of the landscape, such as hedges or road networks, or land use, to obtain what we call a landscape drainage network which delineates the effective contributing area to the stream, thus characterizing its topological structure. Landscape elements modify flow pathways and/or favour water infiltration, thus reducing the area contributing to the surface yield and modifying the structure of the plot outlet trees. This method is applied to a 4·4‐km² catchment area comprising 43 955 pixels and 312 plots. While the full set of 164 plot outlet trees, with an average of 7 plots per tree, covers 100% of the total surface area of the catchment, the landscape drainage network comprises no more than 37 plot outlet trees with an average of 2 plots per tree, accounting for 52 and 7% of the catchment surface area, when taking account of linear elements and land use, respectively. This topological representation can be easily adapted to changes in land use and land infrastructure, and provides a simple and functional display for intercomparison of catchments and decision support regarding landscape and water management. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling of sediment dynamics in a laboratory‐scale experimental catchment

The variability of hillslope form and function is examined experimentally using a simple model catchment in which most landscape development parameters are either known or controlled. It is demonstrated that there is considerable variability in sediment output from similar catchments, subjected to the same hydrological processes, and for which the initial hillslope profiles are the same. The results demonstrate that, in the case of catchments with a linear initial hillslope profile, the sediment output is initially high but reduces through time, whereas for a concave initial profile the sediment output was smaller and relatively constant. Concave hillslope profiles also displayed reduced sediment output when compared with linear slopes with the same overall slope. Using this experimental model catchment data, the SIBERIA landscape evolution model was tested for its ability to predict temporal sediment transport. When calibrated for the rainfall and erodible material, SIBERIA is able to simulate mean temporal sediment output for the experimental catchment over a range of hillslope profiles and rainfall intensities. SIBERIA is also able to match the hillslope profile of the experimental catchments. The results of the study provide confidence in the ability of SIBERIA to predict temporal sediment output. The experimental and modelling data also demonstrate that, even with all geomorphic and hydrological variables being known and/or controlled, there is still a need for long‐term stream gauging to obtain reliable assessments of field catchment hydrology and sediment transport. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.