South African geomorphology: current status and new challenges

Abstract

Geomorphology plays a pivotal role in linking the traditional subdisciplines of physical geography. This is because geomorphological processes are influenced by climate, and geomorphology in turn strongly controls land surface hydrology and ecosystems. This review assesses the current status of geomorphology in South Africa. Six subfields are identified, viz. fluvial geomorphology, glacial and periglacial geomorphology, rock weathering, arid and semi-arid geomorphology, coastal and estuarine geomorphology, and applied geomorphology. The status of each is critically assessed. Studies in the different subfields reveal progress not only at the site-scale, but that such studies are also commonly set within a wider regional to global context. Regional research is well connected to contemporary global debates. Two of these debates are of particular significance. Firstly, cosmogenic dating techniques can be used to evaluate the age of land surfaces. Geomorphological research in South Africa has begun to utilize this technique to this end. Secondly, geomorphological knowledge can be practically applied. This includes fluvial geomorphology (managing the dynamics of river and wetland systems), rock weathering (preservation of San art and monuments), and coastal and estuarine geomorphology (understanding coastal responses to global sea-level rise) as well as broader environmental management issues. Geomorphology and geomorphological processes are critically important to issues impacting on South Africa in the twenty-first century. These include climate and environmental change, food and water security, and sustainable abiotic resource conservation and management. South African geomorphologists and their international collaborators can, and should, be at the heart of many of these contemporary debates.