Sediment movement rates and processes on cinder cones in the maritime Subantarctic (Marion Island)

Sediment transport in the scoria areas of Marion Island is primarily the result of needle‐ice‐induced frost creep associated with diurnal soil frost cycles. Clasts move most rapidly in ?ne textured areas (532 mm a^?1; SD 382), more slowly in stony areas (161 mm a^?1; SD 179), and most slowly in blocky areas (26 mm a^?1; SD 23). Movement rates increase with increasing frost susceptibility of sediments, slope angle and altitude. The heave of dowels indicates that frost heave is active in all the scoria areas examined. The depth of effective frost heave increases with increasing altitude, with frost heave being restricted to the upper 100 mm of the soil in low altitude areas (<200 m). The heave of 150 mm dowels at the higher altitude sites provides evidence for segregation ice formation at depths greater than those associated with needle ice and diurnal soil frost cycles. Vertical movement pro?les show a concave downslope pro?le, with sediment movement rates being most rapid at the soil surface and decreasing rapidly with depth. This pro?le shape is typical of areas dominated by diurnal freeze–thaw cycles and needle ice. The capture of sediments moving downslope in troughs and the sampling of material lifted by needle ice, suggest that sediment transport by needle ice under present conditions is extremely effective. Observations suggest that although both ?ne material and clasts are transported downslope, some preferential transport of clasts occurs. Experiment results and observations of soil frost processes suggest that frost creep associated with needle ice activity is the dominant slope process in the scoria areas of Marion Island. Other slope processes such as slopewash and debris ?ows appear to play a relatively minor and localized role in sediment transport. It is suggested that needle ice activity is likely to be the dominant geomorphic agent in other areas of the Subantarctic with similar climatic characteristics to Marion Island. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Field measurements of soil creep

An instrument has been designed to measure soil creep optically with a minimum of site disturbance. The instrument is sufficiently sensitive to detect movement in the soil over periods as short as one month. The results of measurements over a nine month period indicate that movement in the soil occurs in seemingly random directions and that large total movement does not necessarily imply a similarly large downslope movement. It is suggested that measurements of the type reported here are necessary for a satisfactory examination of the process involved in soil creep but that measurements over very long time periods are required for estimates of the rate of downslope transport.     

Pleistocene and recent deglaciation in Svalbard: implications for tide-gauge,GPS and VLBI measurements

Apart from sea-level change caused by ocean-water volume change, tide-gauge measurements are also affected by vertical movement of the earth's surface and by geoid change. To study these phenomena more closely, we consider the tide-gauge station at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, where vertical movements are controlled by GPS and VLBI measurements. Whereas the tide-gauge record indicates a relative sea-level fall of about 2.6 mm a⁻¹, the GPS and VLBI measurements suggest a land uplift of about 5.6 mm a⁻¹. We predict the deglaciation-induced vertical movement and geoid change by combining the Pleistocene ice model ICE-3G with the newly developed Recent ice model SVAL. We find that, for particular deglaciation histories and earth models with an asthenosphere, the predicted land uplift matches the measured land uplift rather closely. However, for these combinations of ice and earth models, the predicted sea-level fall is consistently too large by at least 3 mm a⁻¹. Considering the uncertainties and simplifications involved in the study, the discrepancy weakly suggests a sea-level rise due to increased ocean-water volume.     

Slopewash,surface runoff and fine-litter transport in forest and landslide scars in humid-tropical steeplands,luquillo experimental forest,Puerto Rico

Rainfall, slopewash (the erosion of soil particles), surface runoff and fine-litter transport steepland sites in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico (18° 20’ N, 65° 45’ W) were measured from 1991 to 1995. Hillslopes underlain by (1) Cretaceous tuffaceous sandstone and silstone in subtropical rain (tanonuco) forest with vegetation recovering from Hurricane Hugo (1989), and (2) Tertiary quartz diorite in subtropical lower mantone wet (colorado and dwarf) forest with undisturbed forest canopy were compared to recent landslide scars. Monthly surface runoff on these very steep hillslopes (24° to 43°) was only 0·2 to 0·5 per cent of monthly rainfall. Slopewash was higher in sandy loam soils whose parent material is quartz diorite (averaging 46 g m⁻² a⁻¹) than in silty clay loam soils derived from tuffaceous sandstone and siltstone where the average was 9 g m⁻² a⁻¹. Annual slopewash of 100 to 349 g m⁻² on the surfaces of two recent, small landslide scars was measured initially but slopewash decreased to only 3 to 4 g m⁻² a⁻¹ by the end of the study. The mean annual mass of fine litter (mainly leaves and twigs) transported downslope at the forested sites ranged from 5 to 8 g m⁻² and was lower at the tabonuco forest site, where post-Hurricane Hugo recovery is still in progress. Mean annual fine-litter transport was 2·5 g m⁻² on the two landslide scars. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dead level contours and infiltration pits for risk mitigation in smallholder cropping systems of southern Zimbabwe

The persistent droughts, dry spells, and chronic food insecurity in semi-arid areas necessitate the introduction of more robust rainwater harvesting and soil water management technologies. The study reported here was conducted to assess the influence of dead level contours and infiltration pits on in-field soil water dynamics over two growing seasons. A transect consisting of six access tubes, spaced at 5 m interval, was established across each dead level contour with or without an infiltration pit before the onset of the rains. Two access tubes were installed upslope of the contour while four tubes were installed on the downslope side. Dead level contours with infiltration pits captured more rainwater than dead level contours only resulting in more lateral soil water movement. Significant lateral soil water movement was detected at 3 m downslope following rainfall events of 60–70 mm/day. The 0.2–0.6 m soil layer benefited more from the lateral soil water movement at all the farms. Our results suggest that dead level contours have to be constructed at 3–8 m spacing for crops to benefit from the captured rainwater. It is probably worth exploring strip cropping of food and fodder crops on the downslope of the dead level contours and infiltration pits using the current design of these between-field structures. With the advent of in situ rainwater harvesting techniques included in some conservation agriculture practices it will benefit smallholder cropping systems in semi-arid areas if these between-field structures are promoted concurrently with other sustainable land management systems such as conservation agriculture.     

Temporal and spatial variations in periglacial soil movements on alpine crest slopes

This paper describes up to ten years of continuous monitoring of frost heave, creep and associated parameters on high mountain crest slopes in the Japanese and Swiss Alps, aiming to evaluate spatial and interannual variations in the rates and controls of soil movement. Shallow frost creep re?ecting diurnal frost heave activity dominates the crest slopes that lack a vegetation mat and have a thin debris mantle with good drainage. Seasonal frost heave activity can induce slightly deeper movement where ?ne soil exists below the depth reached by diurnal freeze–thaw penetration, although the shallow bedrock impedes movements below 20 cm depth. As a result, downslope velocity pro?les display strong concavity with surface velocities of 2–50 cm a^?1. The frost creep rates vary spatially, depending on the soil texture, slope gradient, frequency of temperature cycling across 0 °C and moisture availability during freeze–thaw periods. Soil movements recur in every freeze–thaw period, although with some interannual variations affected by the length of seasonal snow cover and the occurrence of precipitation during freeze–thaw periods. The Swiss Alps encounter more signi?cant interannual variations than the Japanese Alps, re?ecting the large variability of the annual snow regime. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating water fluxes in the critical zone using water stable isotope approaches in the Groundnut and Ferlo basins of Senegal

Sustainable water management in semi-arid agriculture practices requires quantitative knowledge of water fluxes within the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system. Therefore, we used stable-isotope approaches to evaluate evaporation (E_a), transpiration (T_a), and groundwater recharge (R) at sites in Senegal's Groundnut basin and Ferlo Valley pasture region during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons of 2021. The approaches were based upon (i) the isothermal evaporation model (for quantifying E_a); (ii) water and isotope mass balances (to partition E_a and T_a for groundnut and pasture); and (iii) the piston displacement method (for estimating R). E_a losses derived from the isothermal evaporation model corresponded primarily to Stage II evaporation, and ranged from 0.02 to 0.09 mm d⁻¹ in the Groundnut basin, versus 0.02–0.11 mm d⁻¹ in Ferlo. At the groundnut site, E_a rates ranged from 0.01 to 0.69 mm d⁻¹; T_a was in the range 0.55–2.29 mm d⁻¹; and the T_a/ET_a ratio was 74%–90%. At the pasture site, the ranges were 0.02–0.39 mm d⁻¹ for E_a; 0.9–1.69 mm d⁻¹ for T_a; and 62–90% for T_a/ET_a. The ET_a value derived for the groundnut site via the isotope approach was similar to those from eddy covariance measurements, and also to the results from the previous validated HYDRUS-1D model. However, the HYDRUS-1D model gave a lower T_a/ET_a ratio (23.2%). The computed groundwater recharge for the groundnut site amounted to less than 2% of the local annual precipitation. Recommendations are made regarding protocols for preventing changes to isotopic compositions of water in samples that are collected in remote arid regions, but must be analysed days later. The article ends with suggestions for studies to follow up on evidence that local aquifers are being recharged via preferential pathways.     

Rates and patterns of erosion on inter-tidal shore platforms,Kaikoura Peninsula,South Island,New Zealand

This paper presents measured rates of erosion on shore platforms at Kaikoura Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand. Surface lowering rates were measured with a micro-erosion meter and traversing micro-erosion meter. The mean lowering rate for all shore platforms was 1·130 mm a⁻¹. Differences in lowering rates were found between different platform types and lithologies. The rate of surface lowering on Type A (sloping) mudstone platforms was 1·983 mm a⁻¹, and 0·733 mm a⁻¹ on Type B mudstone platforms (subhorizontal). On limestone platforms the lowering rate was 0·875 mm a⁻¹. A previously reported cross-shore pattern of surface lowering rates from Kaikoura was not found. Rates were generally higher on the landward margins and decreased in a seaward direction. Season is shown statistically to influence erosion rates, with higher rates during summer than winter. The interpretation given to this is that the erosive process is subaerial weathering in the form of wetting and drying and salt weathering. This is contrary to views of shore platform development that have favoured marine processes over subaerial weathering. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How wide is a road? The association of roads and mass-wasting in a forested montane environment

A spatial data base of 1609 landslides was analysed using a geographic information system to determine landslide frequency in relation to highways. A 126 km long transportation network in a 201 km² area of humid-tropical, mountainous, forested terrain in Puerto Rico was used in conjunction with a series of 20 buffer (disturbance) zones varying from 5 to 400 m in length, measured perpendicular to the highways. Average landslide frequency in the study area at distances greater than 85 m from roads was about six landslides per square kilometre. At distances of 85 m or less on either side of a highway, landslide frequency was about 30 landslides per square kilometre. On average, this elevated disturbance rate affected 330 m² km⁻² a⁻¹ within the 170 m swath. The mass-wasting rate outside of the disturbance zone affected 40 m² km⁻² a⁻¹. These results indicate that the rate of mass-wasting disturbance is increased from five to eight times in a 170 m wide swath along road corridors. The lateral extent of the environmental impact of roads in the study area is greater than is commonly perceived. The approach described herein demonstrates a simple method to assess the spatial association of mass-wasting with highways. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF SOIL TILLAGE AND OVERLAND FLOW EROSION TO SOIL REDISTRIBUTION ON AGRICULTURAL LAND

This study uses evidence for the long-term (35 years) pattern of soil redistribution within two agricultural fields in the UK to identify the relative importance of tillage and overland flow erosion. Spatially distributed long-term total soil redistribution data for the fields (Dalicott Farm and Rufford Forest Farm) were obtained using the caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) technique. These data were compared with predicted patterns of soil redistribution. Recent studies have demonstrated that the redistribution of soil by tillage may be described as a diffusive process. A two-component model was, therefore, developed which accounts for soil redistribution by both overland flow and diffusive processes. Comparison of the predicted patterns of overland flow erosion alone with the observed (¹³⁷Cs-derived) data indicated a poor agreement (r² = 0.17 and 0.11). In contrast, a good agreement exists between the predicted pattern of diffusive redistribution and the observed data (r² = 0.43 and 0.41). These results give a clear indication that diffusive processes are dominant in soil redistribution within these fields. Possible diffusive processes include splash erosion, soil creep and tillage. However, the magnitude of the diffusion coefficients for the optimum predicted pattern (c. 350–400 kg m⁻¹ a⁻¹) demonstrates that tillage is the only process capable of explaining the very significant soil redistribution which is indicated by the ¹³⁷Cs data. Consideration is given to the implications of these results for both soil erosion prediction and landscape interpretation.     

Physical modelling of gelifluction and frost creep: Some results of a large-scale laboratory experiment

An experimental slope was constructed in a 5 m × 5 m square refrigerated tank. The slope was formed of four sections, each consisting of regolith (soil) collected from a distinct bedrock lithology. The four lithologies utilized were granite, limestone, mudstone and slate. The slope was subjected to freezing and thawing from the surface downwards. Water was supplied at the base of the soil during freezing. Frost heaving and surface downslope soil movement were determined after each of 15 freezing cycles, and the profiles of soil movement with depth for each soil type were measured at the end of the 15th cycle. The experimental soils were non-cohesive; those derived from granite and limestone were respectively sandy and gravelly in texture, while those derived from mudstone and slate were silt-rich. Mass movement in the granite and limestone soils was due mainly to frost creep and was associated with the growth of needle ice. In the mudstone and slate soils, gelifluction was dominant as a result of high moisture contents caused by the melting of segregation ice. Mean per cycle rates of downslope soil transport for the granite, limestone, mudstone and slate soils were 5·8 cm³ cm^?1, 6·9 cm³ cm^?1, 21·2 cm³ cm^?1 and 31·2 cm³ cm^?1 respectively, units referring to the volume of soil passing a unit width of slope per cycle. Mass movement rates were shown to be strongly related to the silt content of the soils.     

Seasonal dynamics of CO2 fluxes from subtropical plantation coniferous ecosystem

As one component of ChinaFLUX, the measurement of CO₂ flux using eddy covariance over subtropical planted coniferous ecosystem in Qianyanzhou was conducted for a long term. This paper discusses the seasonal dynamics of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), ecosystem respiration (RE) and gross ecosystem exchange (GEE) between the coniferous ecosystem and atmosphere along 2003 and 2004. The variations of NEE, RE and GEE show obvious seasonal variabilities and correlate to each other, i.e. lower in winter and drought season, but higher in summer; light, temperature and soil water content are the main factors determining NEE; air temperature and water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) influence NEE with stronger influence from VPD. Under the proper light condition, drought stress could decrease the temperature range for carbon capture in planted coniferous, air temperature and precipitation controlled RE; The NEE, RE, and GEE for planted coniferous in Qianyanzhou are −387.2 g C·m⁻² a⁻¹, 1223.3 g C·m⁻² a⁻¹, −1610.4 g C·m⁻² a⁻¹ in 2003 and −423.8 g C·m⁻² a⁻¹, 1442.0 g C·m⁻² a⁻¹, −1865.8 g C·m⁻² a⁻¹ in 2004, respectively, which suggest the intensive ability of plantation coniferous forest on carbon absorbing in Qianyanzhou.

     

Deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) and slow-moving landslides in the southern Tien Shan Mountains: new insights from InSAR,tectonic and geomorphic analysis

We investigated deep-seated gravitational slope deformation (DSGSD) and slow mass movements in the southern Tien Shan Mountains front using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) time-series data obtained by the ALOS/PALSAR satellite. DSGSD evolves with a variety of geomorphological changes (e.g. valley erosion, incision of slope drainage networks) over time that affect earth surfaces and, therefore, often remain unexplored. We analysed 118 interferograms generated from 20 SAR images that covered about 900 km². To understand the spatial pattern of the slope movements and to identify triggering parameters, we correlated surface dynamics with the tectono-geomorphic processes and lithologic conditions of the active front of the Alai Range. We observed spatially continuous, constant hillslope movements with a downslope speed of approximately 71 mm year⁻¹ velocity. Our findings suggest that the lithological and structural framework defined by protracted deformation was the main controlling factor for sustained relief and, consequently, downslope mass movements. The analysed structures revealed integration of a geological/structural setting with the superposition of Cretaceous–Paleogene alternating carbonatic and clastic sedimentary structures as the substratum for younger, less consolidated sediments. This type of structural setting causes the development of large-scale, gravity-driven DSGSD and slow mass movement. Surface deformations with clear scarps and multiple crest lines triggered planes for large-scale deep mass creeps, and these were related directly to active faults and folds in the geologic structures. Our study offers a new combination of InSAR techniques and structural field observations, along with morphometric and seismologic correlations, to identify and quantify slope instability phenomena along a tectonically active mountain front. These results contribute to an improved natural risk assessment in these structures. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Evaluation of actual evapotranspiration measured by large-scale weighing lysimeters in a humid alpine meadow,northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The accurate estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is essential for assessing water availability and requirements of regional-scale terrestrial ecosystems, and for understanding the hydrological cycle in alpine ecosystems. In this study, two large-scale weighing lysimeters were employed to estimate the magnitude and dynamics of actual evapotranspiration in a humid alpine Kobresia meadow from January 2018 to December 2019 on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). The results showed that daily ET_a averaged 2.24 ± 0.10 mm day ⁻¹ throughout the study period, with values of 3.89 ± 0.14 and 0.81 ± 0.06 mm day⁻¹ during the growing season and non-growing season, respectively. The cumulative ET_a during the study period was 937.39 mm, exceeding precipitation (684.20 mm) received at the site during the same period by 37%, suggesting that almost all precipitation in the lysimeters was returned to the atmosphere by evapotranspiration. Furthermore, the cumulative ET_a (805.04 mm) was almost equal to the maximum potential evapotranspiration estimated by the FAO-56 reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) (801.94 mm) during the growing season, but the cumulative ET_a (132.25 mm) was 113.72% less than the minimum equilibrium ET_eq) (282.86 mm) during the non-growing season due to the limited surface moisture in frozen soil. The crop coefficient (K_c) also showed a distinct seasonal pattern, with a monthly average of 1.01 during the growing season. Structural equation model (SEM) and boosted regression tree (BRT) show that net radiation and air temperature were the most important factors affecting daily ET_a during the whole study period and growing season, but that non-growing season ET_a was dominated by soil water content and net radiation. The daily K_c was dominated by net radiation. Furthermore, both ET_a and K_c were also affected by aboveground biomass.     

Badass gully morphodynamics and sediment generation in Waipaoa Catchment,New Zealand

Large (>0.1 km²) gully–mass movement complexes (badass gullies) are significant contributors to the sediment cascade in New Zealand's steepland East Coast Region catchments. The scale of change taking place in these gully systems allows significant evolution in morphology and sediment dynamics to be tracked at annual to decadal timescales. Here we document changes in two adjacent badass gullies in Waipaoa catchment (Tarndale and Mangatu) to infer sediment generation processes and connectivity using a morphological budgeting approach. A baseline dataset for this study is provided by a LiDAR-derived digital elevation model (DEM) in 2005. We produced new DEMs and orthophoto mosaics using photogrammetry in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to quantify gully morphodynamics and associated volumes of sediment erosion and deposition in both systems as they co-evolved. Results indicate ongoing rapid development of both gully complexes. Severe erosion took place at the gully heads with lowering and migration (up to 25 m vertically and laterally) of the topographic divide separating the two gullies between 2005 and 2019. Over the same period, net lowering of each gully system was ~250 mm year⁻¹. Key sediment-generating processes included surface erosion, deep-seated landslides, and debris flows. Longer term, the overall contribution of sediment from both badass gullies to the Waipaoa catchment has been declining. In the mid-20th century, both gullies yielded in excess of 300 kt year⁻¹. From 2005 to 2019, 80 kt year⁻¹ was yielded from Tarndale and 110 kt year⁻¹ from Mangatu. Our most recent surveys demonstrated considerable variability in sediment yield, ranging from 76 kt year⁻¹ (2017–2018) to 291 kt year⁻¹ (2018–2019). The annual variability observed reflects the complex morphodynamics of discrete hillslopes and tributary fans in these badass gully systems and underlines the importance of integrating decadal and annual surveys when assessing system trajectory. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Origin of a bouldery diamicton,Kunlun Pass,Qinghai-Xizang Plateau,People's Republic of China: gelifluction deposit or rock glacier?

On the west side of the military road to Tibet in the Kunlun Shan, a major body of diamicton is moving slowly downslope from the ridge crest at 4800 m in a northerly and easterly direction. The material is derived from Middle Pleistocene till deposits and the underlying Pliocene alluvial gravels. More than 10 per cent of the material is composed of boulders longer than 2 m, 45 per cent has long axes between 0·5 and 2 m, while the matrix is a poorly sorted sandy loam. The mean annual air temperature is −7°C to −5°C and the mean annual precipitation is under 300 mm a⁻¹. The diamicton lacks a vegetation cover, in contrast to meadow tundra on the surrounding slopes. The diamicton mantles the north slope of the ridge, but splits into at least 16 separate tongues which are moving down fluvially graded valleys. The average slope of the landform is about 19°, while the mean slope of the fronts of the tongues is 21°. With one exception, the slope of the fronts does not exceed 25°, unlike true rock glaciers. The diamicton is up to 40 m thick in valley 4. The active layer was 12 to 30 cm deep in July at 4780 m, increasing to 1·5 to 2 m at about 4650 m. Ice contents in the permafrost may reach 57 per cent but 30 per cent is more usual The larger boulders act as braking blocks on the upper slopes of the landform and are frozen into the permafrost. The lower parts of the landform move at under 3 cm a⁻¹, whereas the fine-grained material in the active layer moves past the braking blocks on the upper slopes at up to 30 cm a ⁻¹. There is no direct evidence for flowage of the icy diamicton forming the deposit. It is therefore best referred to as a gelifluction slope deposit, and is the longest and most spectacular of such deposits described so far in the world. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bioturbation on a south‐east Australian hillslope: estimating contributions to soil flux

The contribution of bioturbation to downslope soil transport is significant in many situations, particularly in the context of soil formation, erosion and creep. This study explored the direct flux of soil caused by Aphaenogaster ant mounding, vertebrate scraping and tree‐throw on a wildfire‐affected hillslope in south‐east Australia. This included the development of methods previously applied to Californian gopher bioturbation, and an evaluation of methods for estimating the volume of soil displaced by tree‐throw events. All three bioturbation types resulted in a net downslope flux, but any influence of hillslope angle on flux rates appeared to be overshadowed by environmental controls over the spatial extent of bioturbation. As a result, the highest flux rates occurred on the footslope and lower slope. The overall contribution of vertebrate scraping (57.0 ± 89.4 g m^?1 yr^?1) exceeded that of ant mounding (36.4 ± 66.0 g m^?1 yr^?1), although mean rates were subject to considerable uncertainty. Tree‐throw events, which individually cause major disturbance, were limited in their importance by their scarcity relative to faunalturbation. However, tree‐throw might be the dominant mechanism of biotic soil flux on the mid‐slope provided that it occurs at a frequency of at least 2–3 events ha^?1 yr^?1. Although direct biotic soil flux appears to be geomorphologically significant on this hillslope, such transport processes are probably subordinate to other impacts of bioturbation at this site such as the enhancement of infiltration following wildfire. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil creep and convex‐upward velocity profiles: theoretical and experimental investigation of disturbance‐driven sediment transport on hillslopes

The movement of unconsolidated materials near the Earth's surface is often driven by disturbances that occur at a range of spatial and temporal scales. The nature of these disturbances ranges from highly variable, such as tree turnover, to periodic and predictable, such as frost heave or creep. To explore the effect of probabilistic disturbances on surface processes, we formulated a granular creep model with analogy to rate process theory (RPT) used for chemical reactions. According to the theory, individual particles must be energized to a height greater than adjacent particles in order for grain dilation and transport to occur. The height of neighbouring particles (which is akin to activation energy in chemical reactions) varies with slope angle such that energy barriers get smaller in the downslope direction as slopes steepen. When slopes approach the friction‐limited angle of repose, the height of energy barriers approaches zero and grains ?ow in the absence of disturbance. An exponential function is used to describe the probability distribution of particle excitation height although alternative distributions are possible. We tested model predictions of granular dynamics in an experimental sandpile. In the sandpile, acoustic energy serves as the disturbance agent such that grains dilate and shear in response. Particle velocities are controlled by the frequency of energy pulses that result in grain displacement. Using tracer particles, we observed a convex‐upward velocity pro?le near the surface of the sandpile, consistent with predictions of our RPT‐based velocity model. In addition, we depth‐integrated the velocity model to predict how ?ux rates vary with inclination of the sandpile and observed non‐linear ?ux–gradient curves consistent with model predictions. By varying the acoustic energy level in the experimental sandpile, we documented changes in the rate of grain movement; similar changes in modelled velocities were achieved by varying the exponent of the particle excitation probability distribution. The general agreement between observed and modelled granular behaviour in our simple laboratory sandpile supports the utility of RPT‐based methods for modelling transport processes (e.g. soil creep, frost heave, and till deformation), thus enabling us to account for the probabilistic nature of disturbances that liberate sediment in natural landscapes. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contemporary rates of chemical denudation and atmospheric CO2 sequestration in glacier basins: an Arctic perspective

This paper presents new estimates of solute fluxes from five high Arctic glacier basins in Svalbard. These estimates are combined with data from two other glacier basins to assess the effectiveness of chemical denudation on Svalbard and to estimate rates of temporary (or transient) CO₂ drawdown. We use a solute provenance model to partition solutes into marine, aerosol, atmospheric and crustal components and to estimate their annual fluxes. Crustally derived solute fluxes are equivalent to a mean chemical denudation rate of 350 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹ for Svalbard (range: 160–560 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹), which lies within the global range of 94–4200 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹ for 21 glacier basins in the northern hemisphere, and is close to the continental average of 390 Σmeq⁺ m⁻² a⁻¹. Specific annual discharge is the most significant control upon chemical denudation in the glacierized basins, and basin lithology is an important secondary control, with carbonate‐rich and basaltic lithologies currently showing the greatest chemical denudation rates. Estimates of transient CO₂ drawdown are also directly associated with specific annual discharge and rock type. On Svalbard transient CO₂ drawdown lies in the range 110–3000 kg C km⁻² a⁻¹, whilst the range is 110–13000 kg C km⁻² a⁻¹ for the northern hemisphere glacial data set. Transient CO₂ drawdown is therefore usually low in the Svalbard basins unless carbonate or basalt rocks are abundant. The analysis shows that a large area of uncertainty in the transient CO₂ drawdown estimates exists due to the non‐stoichiometric release of solute during silicate hydrolysis. Silicate hydrolysis is particularly non‐stoichiometric in basins where the extent of glacierization is high, which is most probably an artefact of high flushing rates through ice‐marginal and subglacial environments where K‐feldspars are undergoing mechanical comminution. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of fluvial and slope processes in the changing geomorphic environment of singapore

The nature and rates of fluvial and slope processes change over time and space as urbanized areas replace forested land in Singapore. Storm-based and time-based data, from undisturbed rainforests, heavily disturbed construction sites, urban grass-covered slopes and an experimental plot, are collected to observe the impact of rainwater on the soil moisture conditions, surface microtopography, runoff generation, sediment movement, and ground lowering in the three different categories of land use. The undisturbed forested environment is characterized by high throughfall (58% of total rainfall) and frequent negative soil moisture suctions. The slow and unconcentrated overland flow during heavy storms is restricted by the forest floor microtopography. No rills develop. Ground lowering is recorded as 3·2–3·4 mm a^?1. But sediment movement is episodic and suspended sediment concentrations in overland flow are 172–222 mg l^?1. During urban construction, gully development is rapid on the bare slopes, runoff generation, voluminous, and sediment-laden discharges (5200–75498 mg l^?1) lead to sediment plumes at channel mouths. Ground lowering rates are measured at 132·4 mm a^?1. Once grass-covered, runoff carries less suspended sediment (800 mg l^?1) and ground lowering rates are reduced, but depend on the condition of the cover, ranging from 0·2 to 8·2 mm a^?1. As urban development continues, environments are altered both in time as well as spatially.