Article
Environmental Sciences
Sagy Cohen, Jaia Syvitski, Thomas Ashely, Roderick Lammers, Balazs Fekete, Hong-Yi Li
Summary: Bedload is difficult to measure and model, and its dynamics in most fluvial systems worldwide remain unknown. This study presents a global scale bedload flux model that predicts the distribution of water discharge, suspended sediment, and bedload, and analyzes the sensitivity of bedload predictions to various factors. The results show that river discharge and slope are the key drivers of bedload trends.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Horacio Garcia
Summary: The gradient characteristics of bedrock rivers in the Courel Mountains Geopark were examined, revealing the presence of numerous knickzones and their relationship with environmental factors. Bedrock rivers have high ecological, scenic, landscape, and recreational value.
ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Michael Church, Marwan A. Hassan
Summary: A laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the origin of the well-known 'grain size gap' in fluvial gravels within the size range of 1-10 mm, focusing on the effect of hydraulic sorting. A mixture of sand and gravel with varying feed rates was introduced into a flume with a bed composed of the same sediment mixture. The experiment revealed that the coarsest sediments were consistently deposited, fine sediments were partially trapped in interstices of the gravel bed, and intermediate-sized grains were preferentially transported, including uptake from the bed, which led to the formation of the grain size gap.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Dila Demiral, Ismail Albayrak, Jens M. Turowski, Robert M. Boes
Summary: This study experimentally investigated the single-particle dynamics in supercritical open channel flows and found that bed roughness is a key parameter affecting the saltation trajectories and horizontal energy transfer.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ping Wang, Huiying Wang, Gang Hu, Yukui Ge, Tao Liu, Bo Xu
Summary: The research on the Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge suggests that glacial dams have had a significant impact on the geomorphological evolution of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Mubashir Mehmood, Abbas Ali Naseem, Maryam Saleem, Junaid ur Rehman, George Kontakiotis, Hammad Tariq Janjuhah, Emad Ullah Khan, Assimina Antonarakou, Ihtisham Khan, Anees ur Rehman, Syed Mamoon Siyar
Summary: An integrated study was conducted to examine the facies architecture and depositional environment of the Cretaceous Pab Formation in Pakistan. The research focused on analyzing architectural elements and facies, which are not commonly studied in the region. By interpreting these elements, a better understanding of the depositional history and reservoir distribution was gained.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Theo St Pierre Ostrander, Johannes Holzner, Bruno Mazzorana, Maria Gorfer, Andrea Andreoli, Francesco Comiti, Bernhard Gems
Summary: Coarse sediment transported by steep mountain tributaries during channelized flash floods poses a threat to life, property, and infrastructure. This study analyzed the morphological and hydraulic dynamics of confluences in mountain rivers, focusing on the effects of sediment concentration, flow velocity, and unit stream power. Results showed that besides the confluence angle and discharge ratio, sediment concentration and flow characteristics significantly impacted the morphologic and hydraulic zones in the confluences.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Adrian M. Bender
Summary: This study quantifies the rates and processes of gorge incision by studying a human-caused bedrock meander cutoff in Alaska. The results provide important observational data for understanding the formation of gorges, showing that knickpoint propagation rates decrease over time and eventually transition to diffusion-controlled incision.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothy A. Goudge, Caleb I. Fassett, Marianne Coholich, Emily R. Bamber
Summary: More than 250 hydrologically open paleolakes on Mars have been discovered, which were filled with water before catastrophic breaching occurred. Observational results and numerical modeling experiments indicate that steeper slopes and taller crater rims are key factors in promoting more complete draining of these open-basin lakes on Mars.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-PLANETS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Elisa Armijos, Gustavo H. Merten, Joel T. Groten, Christopher A. Ellison, Luke U. Lisiecki
Summary: Although formulas are preferred over field data collection and analysis for bedload transport due to cost and time constraints, the performance of these formulas is dependent on the hydraulic and sedimentological conditions of the site. In this study, nine bedload transport formulas were evaluated using field measurements from the Lower Minnesota River and two tributaries, resulting in the derivation of provisional equations based on power functions for estimating bedload discharge. However, the formulas calculated higher bedload rates compared to the measured values due to site-specific physical characteristics and sampling uncertainties.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGIC ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Rajendra Bhandari, Joyanto Routh, Subodh Sharma, Rajendra Joshi
Summary: The research indicates significant differences in lipid distribution, sources, composition, and seasonality between small mountain rivers (SMRs) and large mountain rivers (LMRs) in Nepal.
GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Basil Gomez, Philip J. Soar
Summary: This passage discusses the variability of bedload transport and the correlation between the transport rate and stream power. The authors propose a simple mathematical expression to describe the efficiency of bedload transport and acknowledge the different transport patterns that can occur under similar hydraulic conditions. They suggest that efforts in the field should focus on characterizing the sizes available on the bed between floods.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
E. Papangelakis, B. J. MacVicar, A. F. Montakhab, P. Ashmore
Summary: The quantification of bedload sediment transport in rivers can be done through the statistics of individual particle displacements. Previous research suggests a linear relation between flood energy and the average travel distance of bedload particles, but a consistent model for different rivers has not been developed. In this study, a predictive relation is developed based on data collected from three watersheds with contrasting hydrologic regimes, and validated using additional data from two different rivers. The results show that the mean travel distances of surface particles can be reliably predicted using either cumulative discharge or stream power exceeding the mobilization threshold.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Frederic Liebault, Jonathan B. Laronne, Sebastien Klotz, Coraline Bel
Summary: This study investigates the effect of sediment pulses originating from hillslopes on bedload response to flow conditions using two bedload datasets recorded in a small Mediterranean badland catchment. The results reveal seasonal counterclockwise bedload hysteresis, which can be attributed to yearly sediment pulses reaching the catchment outlet during autumn and early winter. These findings suggest that seasonal bedload pulses may be typical in small alpine catchments with active gully erosion on bedrock sensitive to frost-cracking processes.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Stefan Hergarten
Summary: The study discusses the existence and properties of slope-break knickpoints in fluvial systems, finding that both stationary and mobile knickpoints remain sharp and unaffected by sediment transport. It also analyzes the two-phase response of the system to tectonic signals, revealing the gradual flattening of mobile knickpoints under sediment transport.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ron Nativ, Jens M. Turowski, Liran Goren, Jonathan B. Laronne, J. Bruce H. Shyu
Summary: Large boulders have significant effects on channel morphology, but the understanding of these effects is limited. The channel morphology adjusts according to the concentration of boulders, but the adjustment time scale varies with slope and width.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Dila Demiral, Ismail Albayrak, Jens M. Turowski, Robert M. Boes
Summary: This study experimentally investigated the single-particle dynamics in supercritical open channel flows and found that bed roughness is a key parameter affecting the saltation trajectories and horizontal energy transfer.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Junhan Du, Gordon G. D. Zhou, Hui Tang, Jens M. M. Turowski, Kahlil F. E. Cui
Summary: Extreme rainfall events in mountainous environments can pose significant threats due to sediment runoff, such as debris flows and stream flows. However, there is still incomplete understanding of the sediment transport mechanisms controlling these processes. This study uses field data to investigate the characteristics of sediment-laden flows in different channels, and proposes a universal criterion for classifying different flows based on measurable parameters, improving upon existing methods that rely solely on sediment concentration.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Shuai Li, Hui Tang, Chong Peng, Jens M. Turowski, Anne Schoepa, Huicong An, Xiaoqing Chen, Chaojun Ouyang, Jiangang Chen
Summary: Numerical prediction is crucial for estimating landslide risk and developing mitigation plans. In this study, two constitutive models were evaluated using a three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method to simulate a catastrophic landslide event. The results show that both soil mechanic and fluid models are able to capture the dynamic runout and deposition morphology by adjusting input parameters. Point-wise comparison of deposit elevation reduces calibration error. The 3D SPH method demonstrates great potential for modeling large-scale complex landslides.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Heidi E. J. Smith, Angel D. D. Monsalve, Jens M. M. Turowski, Dieter Rickenmann, Elowyn M. M. Yager
Summary: Steep, boulder bed streams often have sediment patches with distinct grain size distributions. The critical Shields stress for a given grain size is influenced by the underlying grain size distribution, which can be predicted using hiding functions. However, the effect of local grain size distribution on sediment mobility between sediment patches is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the effects of patch-scale grain size distribution on sediment mobility in a steep stream and found that patches can modulate relative sediment mobility through both the underlying grain size distribution and local shear stresses.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
F. McNab, T. F. Schildgen, J. M. Turowski, A. D. Wickert
Summary: Alluvial rivers adjust their sediment-transport rates and form landforms such as river terraces in response to changing sediment and water supply. Using a model, we found that the likelihood of terrace formation is greater upstream and in shorter and/or wetter catchments. The evolution of sediment-transport rates depends on whether water or sediment supply is varied, leading to diverse responses to environmental change in alluvial valleys.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Yan Yan, Hui Tang, Kaiheng Hu, Jens M. Turowski, Fangqiang Wei
Summary: The impact forces exerted by debris flows are quantified in this study using real-time measurements and field observations of debris flows recorded in Jiangjia Ravine, China. The variability of particle impact forces increases with the mean impact force. Solid-dominated surges and fluid-dominated intersurge flows have similar impact-force distributions, but surges usually have heavy tails. A simple particle impact model is developed to understand the relationship between flow dynamics and the impact force inside debris flows.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sophie Lagarde, Michael Dietze, Conny Hammer, Martin Zeckra, Anne Voigtlaender, Luc Illien, Anne Schoepa, Jacob Hirschberg, Arnaud Burtin, Niels Hovius, Jens M. Turowski
Summary: Prediction of gravitational mass wasting requires understanding the factors controlling failure, such as cracks in weakened rock. By using a hidden Markov machine learning model applied to seismic data, the temporal evolution of cracks before a major rockslide event in the Swiss Alps was revealed. A simple mechanistic model showed that total crack boundary length is the key factor controlling failure plane evolution before mass movement. These findings suggest that cracks should be treated as 2-D objects and offer a novel approach for early warning of slope failures.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Gilles Antoniazza, Michael Dietze, Davide Mancini, Jens M. Turowski, Dieter Rickenmann, Tobias Nicollier, Stefan Boss, Stuart N. Lane
Summary: Seismic sensors and appropriate physical models can provide time-varying estimates of bedload transport at watershed scale, contributing to a better understanding of the dynamics of coarse material in Alpine rivers during high-magnitude events. This study deployed a network of 24 seismic sensors to estimate coarse material fluxes in a 13.4 km(2) Alpine watershed, revealing inefficiencies in evacuating coarse material and the need for multiple competent flows to fully evacuate the mobilized material.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ci-Jian Yang, Pei-Hao Chen, Erica D. Erlanger, Jens M. Turowski, Sen Xu, Tse-Yang Teng, Jiun-Chuan Lin, Jr-Chuang Huang
Summary: Chemical weathering driven by physical erosion is a natural process that affects the Earth's surface in terms of chemical and solid matter budgets. The influence of extreme climatic erosion on chemical weathering dynamics is not well understood. Badland landscapes formed in highly erodible substrates have the ability to respond to individual events that can be directly observed. This study assesses the geochemical and grain-size composition of suspended sediment and riverine chemistry during typhoons in Taiwan, finding that evaporite weathering at peak rainfall is followed by silicate weathering at maximum discharge.
EARTH SURFACE DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jens M. Turowski, Gunnar Pruss, Markus Reich
Summary: The impacts of moving bedload particles on hydraulic structures or natural bedrock in rivers can cause substantial erosion. This technical note describes an experimental setup and protocol to measure the relative erodibility of natural rocks under fluvial impact erosion.
JOURNAL OF HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Fabian Walter, Elias Hodel, Erik S. Mannerfelt, Kristen Cook, Michael Dietze, Livia Estermann, Michaela Wenner, Daniel Farinotti, Martin Fengler, Lukas Hammerschmidt, Flavia Haensli, Jacob Hirschberg, Brian McArdell, Peter Molnar
Summary: The use of autonomous UAV flights combined with modern photogrammetric processing allows for the mapping and analysis of sediment dynamics in debris flow catchments. This provides crucial information for the occurrence of debris flows and plays a critical role in validating geomorphological process models.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Stefanie Tofelde, Aaron Bufe, Jens M. Turowski
Summary: River-valley morphology provides valuable information on the tectonic and climatic conditions that shape landscapes. However, current models fail to fully explain the range of cross-sectional valley shapes, suggesting unquantified controls on valley width. This study shows that the total cumulative terrace height explains a significant proportion of the variance in valley width, indicating that valley height is an additional control on valley width. This finding helps improve existing models and facilitates the reconstruction of past climatic and tectonic conditions from valley topography.
Article
Geography, Physical
Aaron Bufe, Kristen L. Cook, Albert Galy, Hella Wittmann, Niels Hovius
Summary: The denudation of rocks in mountain belts can affect the weathering processes, particularly in relation to CO2 sequestration or release. This study finds that the type of minerals weathering plays a crucial role in this relationship. Silicate weathering is relatively independent of denudation rate, while carbonate dissolution and sulfide oxidation increase with increasing denudation rate. The study also reveals that catchments with (meta)sedimentary rocks generally have higher concentrations of dissolved solids and weathering fluxes compared to catchments with granitoid rocks.
EARTH SURFACE DYNAMICS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michael Dietze, Rainer Bell, Ugur Ozturk, Kristen L. Cook, Christoff Andermann, Alexander R. Beer, Bodo Damm, Ana Lucia, Felix S. Fauer, Katrin M. Nissen, Tobias Sieg, Annegret H. Thieken
Summary: Rapidly evolving floods have severe impacts on landscape reorganisation and society. The July 2021 flood in western Germany and Belgium was a drastic event due to its coupling of landscape elements and the carried wood, sediment, and debris. Intense floods can reveal rare non-linear feedbacks and require improved anticipation, mitigation, and system understanding. This study analyzes the 14-15 July 2021 flood and identifies hillslope processes, debris mobilisation, human land use, and emerging process connections as critical dimensions.
NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES
(2022)