Hillslope Sediment Supply Research Articles

Analysing the impacts of extreme torrential events using multi‐temporal LiDAR datasets—The Schöttlbach catchment, Upper Styria, Austria

AbstractExtreme precipitation events in small alpine catchments trigger hazardous hydro‐geomorphic processes that cause considerable damage to settlements and infrastructure. In summer 2011 and 2017, two flood events mobilizing large amounts of sediments struck the town of Oberwölz (Styria, Austria) located at the outlet of the Schöttlbach catchment. We used data from local weather stations and precipitation radar to analyse the meteorological settings that caused the flooding. We compiled a consistent sediment budget for the 2017 event by combining geomorphic mapping, connectivity analysis, high‐resolution airborne LiDAR (ALS) and uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)‐borne LiDAR (ULS), data from other authors for the 2011 event and external information (e.g., event analysis and excavation data). The 2017 event mobilized higher sediment volumes than the 2011 event (131 000 m3 vs 90 000 m3) even though 24‐h precipitation and peak discharges were lower in 2017. First assumptions that the larger sediment output was caused by the reworking of the 2011 flood deposits proved to be incorrect. The impacts of the 2011 event affected the resilience of the geomorphic system resulting in a significantly higher hillslope sediment supply. We conclude that sediment transport in alpine catchments can increase disproportionately when recurrence intervals fall below a critical level.

Rethinking Variability in Bedrock Rivers: Sensitivity of Hillslope Sediment Supply to Precipitation Events Modulates Bedrock Incision During Floods

AbstractBedrock rivers are the pacesetters of landscape evolution in uplifting fluvial landscapes. Water discharge variability and sediment transport are important factors influencing bedrock river processes. However, little work has focused on the sensitivity of hillslope sediment supply to precipitation events and its implications on river evolution in tectonically active landscapes. We model the temporal variability of water discharge and the sensitivity of sediment supply to precipitation events as rivers evolve to equilibrium over 106 model years. We explore how coupling sediment supply sensitivity with discharge variability influences rates and timing of river incision across climate regimes. We find that sediment supply sensitivity strongly impacts which water discharge events are the most important in driving river incision and modulates channel morphology. High sediment supply sensitivity focuses sediment delivery into the largest river discharge events, decreasing rates of bedrock incision during floods by orders of magnitude as rivers are inundated with new sediment that buries bedrock. The results show that the use of river incision models in which incision rates increase monotonically with increasing river discharge may not accurately capture bedrock river dynamics in all landscapes, particularly in steep landslide prone landscapes. From our modeling results, we hypothesize the presence of an upper discharge threshold for river incision at which storms transition from being incisional to depositional. Our work illustrates that sediment supply sensitivity must be accounted for to predict river evolution in dynamic landscapes. Our results have important implications for interpreting and predicting climatic and tectonic controls on landscape morphology and evolution.

Hillslope Sediment Supply Limits Alluvial Valley Width

AbstractRiver‐valley morphology preserves information on tectonic and climatic conditions that shape landscapes. Observations suggest that river discharge and valley‐wall lithology are the main controls on valley width. Yet, current models based on these observations fail to explain the full range of cross‐sectional valley shapes in nature, suggesting hitherto unquantified controls on valley width. In particular, current models cannot explain the existence of paired terrace sequences that form under cyclic climate forcing. Paired river terraces are staircases of abandoned floodplains on both valley sides, and hence preserve past valley widths. Their formation requires alternating phases of predominantly river incision and predominantly lateral planation, plus progressive valley narrowing. While cyclic Quaternary climate changes can explain shifts between incision and lateral erosion, the driving mechanism of valley narrowing is unknown. Here, we extract valley geometries from climatically formed, alluvial river‐terrace sequences and show that across our dataset, the total cumulative terrace height (here: total valley height) explains 90%–99% of the variance in valley width at the terrace sites. This finding suggests that valley height, or a parameter that scales linearly with valley height, controls valley width in addition to river discharge and lithology. To explain this valley‐width‐height relationship, we reformulate existing valley‐width models and suggest that, when adjusting to new boundary conditions, alluvial valleys evolve to a width at which sediment removal from valley walls matches lateral sediment supply from hillslope erosion. Such a hillslope‐channel coupling is not captured in current valley‐evolution models. Our model can explain the existence of paired terrace sequences under cyclic climate forcing and relates valley width to measurable field parameters. Therefore, it facilitates the reconstruction of past climatic and tectonic conditions from valley topography.

A Channel Network Model for Sediment Dynamics Over Watershed Management Time Scales

AbstractA mountain watershed network model is presented for use in decadal to centurial estimation of source‐to‐sink sediment dynamics. The model requires limited input parameters and can be effectively applied over spatial scales relevant to management of reservoirs, lakes, streams, and watersheds (1–100 km2). The model operates over a connected stream network of Strahler‐ordered segments. The model is driven by streamflow from a physically based hydrology model and hillslope sediment supply from a stochastic mass wasting algorithm. For each daily time step, segment‐scale sediment mass balance is computed using bedload and suspended load transport equations. Sediment transport is partitioned between grain size fractions for bedload as gravel and sand, and for suspended load as sand and mud. Bedload and suspended load can deposit and re‐entrain at each segment. We demonstrated the model in the Elwha River Basin, upstream of the former Glines Canyon dam, over the dam's historic 84‐year lifespan. The model predicted the lifetime reservoir sedimentation volume within the uncertainty range of the measured volume (13.7–18.5 million m3) for 25 of 28 model instances. Gravel, sand, and mud fraction volumes were predicted within measurement uncertainty ranges for 18 model instances. The network model improved the prediction of sediment yields compared to at‐a‐station sediment transport capacity relations. The network model also provided spatially and temporally distributed information that allowed for inquiry and understanding of the physical system beyond the sediment yields at the outlet. This work advances cross‐disciplinary and application‐oriented watershed sediment yield modeling approaches.

A suburban sediment budget: Coarse‐grained sediment flux through hillslopes, stormwater systems and streams

AbstractSediment in urban stormwater systems creates a significant maintenance burden, while a lack of coarse‐grained bed sediment in streams limits their ecological value and geomorphic resilience. Gravel substrates, for example, provide benthic habitat yet are often scoured from the channel bed only to end up in a detention basin or treatment wetland. This dual problem of both ‘too much’ and ‘too little’ coarse‐grained sediment reflects a watershed sediment budget that is profoundly altered. We developed a conceptual urban coarse‐grained (>0.5 mm) sediment budget across three domains: hillslopes (urban land surfaces), the built stormwater network and stream channels. We then quantified key sources, sinks and storages for a suburban case study, using a combination of hillslope and in‐channel monitoring, and interrogation of local government records. Around 36% of the sediment supplied to the stormwater network reached the catchment outlet, a level of sediment delivery much higher than observed in similar‐sized natural catchments. The remainder was deposited in the sediment cascade and either stored, or extracted and removed from the catchment (e.g. material deposited in sediment ponds and gross pollutant traps). Conventional urban drainage networks are characterized by high hillslope sediment supply and low storage, resulting in efficient sediment delivery. Channel erosion, deposition in (and extraction from) pipes and channels, and floodplain deposition are small compared to sediment transport through the cascade. An understanding of the sediment budget of urban headwater catchments can provide stormwater and waterway managers with the information they need to address specific sediment problems such as sedimentation in stormwater assets and geomorphic recovery of urban streams. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spatial and temporal analysis of hillslope–channel coupling and implications for the longitudinal profile in a dryland basin

AbstractThe long‐term evolution of channel longitudinal profiles within drainage basins is partly determined by the relative balance of hillslope sediment supply to channels and the evacuation of channel sediment. However, the lack of theoretical understanding of the physical processes of hillslope–channel coupling makes it challenging to determine whether hillslope sediment supply or channel sediment evacuation dominates over different timescales and how this balance affects bed elevation locally along the longitudinal profile. In this paper, we develop a framework for inferring the relative dominance of hillslope sediment supply to the channel versus channel sediment evacuation, over a range of temporal and spatial scales. The framework combines distinct local flow distributions on hillslopes and in the channel with surface grain‐size distributions. We use these to compute local hydraulic stresses at various hillslope‐channel coupling locations within the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) in southeast Arizona, USA. These stresses are then assessed as a local net balance of geomorphic work between hillslopes and channel for a range of flow conditions generalizing decadal historical records. Our analysis reveals that, although the magnitude of hydraulic stress in the channel is consistently higher than that on hillslopes, the product of stress magnitude and frequency results in a close balance between hillslope supply and channel evacuation for the most frequent flows. Only at less frequent, high‐magnitude flows do channel hydraulic stresses exceed those on hillslopes, and channel evacuation dominates the net balance. This result suggests that WGEW exists mostly (~50% of the time) in an equilibrium condition of sediment balance between hillslopes and channels, which helps to explain the observed straight longitudinal profile. We illustrate how this balance can be upset by climate changes that differentially affect relative flow regimes on slopes and in channels. Such changes can push the long profile into a convex or concave condition. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lithological controls on hillslope sediment supply: insights from landslide activity and grain size distributions

AbstractThe volumes, rates and grain size distributions of sediment supplied from hillslopes represent the initial input of sediment delivered from upland areas and propagated through sediment routing systems. Moreover, hillslope sediment supply has a significant impact on landscape response time to tectonic and climatic perturbations. However, there are very few detailed field studies characterizing hillslope sediment supply as a function of lithology and delivery process. Here, we present new empirical data from tectonically‐active areas in southern Italy that quantifies how lithology and rock strength control the landslide fluxes and grain size distributions supplied from hillslopes. Landslides are the major source of hillslope sediment supply in this area, and our inventory of ~2800 landslides reveals that landslide sediment flux is dominated by small, shallow landslides. We find that lithology and rock strength modulate the abundance of steep slopes and landslides, and the distribution of landslide sizes. Outcrop‐scale rock strength also controls the grain sizes supplied by bedrock weathering, and influences the degree of coarsening of landslide supply with respect to weathering supply. Finally, we show that hillslope sediment supply largely determines the grain sizes of fluvial export, from catchments and that catchments with greater long‐term landslide rates deliver coarser material. Therefore, our results demonstrate a dual control of lithology on hillslope sediment supply, by modulating both the sediment fluxes from landslides and the grain sizes supplied by hillslopes to the fluvial system. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The problem of predicting the size distribution of sediment supplied by hillslopes to rivers

Sediments link hillslopes to river channels. The size of sediments entering channels is a key control on river morphodynamics across a range of scales, from channel response to human land use to landscape response to changes in tectonic and climatic forcing. However, very little is known about what controls the size distribution of particles eroded from bedrock on hillslopes, and how particle sizes evolve before sediments are delivered to channels. Here we take the first steps toward building a geomorphic transport law to predict the size distribution of particles produced on hillslopes and supplied to channels. We begin by identifying independent variables that can be used to quantify the influence of five key boundary conditions: lithology, climate, life, erosion rate, and topography, which together determine the suite of geomorphic processes that produce and transport sediments on hillslopes. We then consider the physical and chemical mechanisms that determine the initial size distribution of rock fragments supplied to the hillslope weathering system, and the duration and intensity of weathering experienced by particles on their journey from bedrock to the channel. We propose a simple modeling framework with two components. First, the initial rock fragment sizes are set by the distribution of spacing between fractures in unweathered rock, which is influenced by stresses encountered by rock during exhumation and by rock resistance to fracture propagation. That initial size distribution is then transformed by a weathering function that captures the influence of climate and mineralogy on chemical weathering potential, and the influence of erosion rate and soil depth on residence time and the extent of particle size reduction. Model applications illustrate how spatial variation in weathering regime can lead to bimodal size distributions and downstream fining of channel sediment by down-valley fining of hillslope sediment supply, two examples of hillslope control on river sediment size. Overall, this work highlights the rich opportunities for future research into the controls on the size of sediments produced on hillslopes and delivered to channels.

Climate-change versus landslide origin of fill terraces in a rapidly eroding bedrock landscape: San Gabriel River, California

Fill terraces along rivers represent the legacy of aggradation periods that are most commonly attributed to climate change. In the North Fork of the San Gabriel River, an arid bedrock landscape in the San Gabriel Mountains, California, a series of prominent fill terraces was previously related to climate-change−induced pulses of hillslope sediment supply that temporarily and repeatedly overwhelmed river transport capacity during the Quaternary. Based on field observations, digital topographic analysis, and dating of Quaternary deposits, we suggest instead that valley aggradation was spatially confined to the North Fork San Gabriel Canyon and was a consequence of the sudden supply of unconsolidated material to upstream reaches by one of the largest known landslides in the San Gabriel Mountains. New ^(10)Be-derived surface exposure ages from the landslide deposits, previously assumed to be early to middle Pleistocene in age, indicate at least three Holocene events at ca. 8−9 ka, ca. 4−5 ka, and ca. 0.5−1 ka. The oldest and presumably most extensive landslide predates the valley aggradation period, which is constrained by existing ^(14)C ages and new luminescence ages to ca. 7−8 ka. The spatial distribution, morphology, and sedimentology of the river terraces are consistent with deposition from far-traveling debris flows that originated within, and mined, the landslide deposits. Valley aggradation in the North Fork San Gabriel Canyon therefore resulted from locally enhanced sediment supply that temporarily overwhelmed river transport capacity, but the lack of similar deposits in other parts of the San Gabriel Mountains argues against a regional climatic signal. Our study highlights the potential for valley aggradation by debris flows in arid bedrock landscapes downstream of landslides that occupy headwater areas.

Short-term post-wildfire dry-ravel processes in a chaparral fluvial system

Dry ravel, the transport of sediment by gravity, transfers material from steep hillslopes to valley bottoms during dry conditions. Following wildfire, dry ravel greatly increases in the absence of vegetation on hillslopes, thereby contributing to sediment supply at the landscape scale. Dry ravel has been documented as a dominant hillslope erosion mechanism following wildfire in chaparral environments in southern California. However, alteration after initial deposition is not well understood, making prediction of post-fire flood hazards challenging. The majority of Big Sycamore Canyon burned during the May 2013 Springs Fire leaving ash and a charred layer that covered hillslopes and ephemeral channels. Dry-ravel processes following the fire produced numerous deposits in the hillslope-channel transition zone. Field data focus on: 1) deposition from an initial post-wildfire dry-ravel pulse; and 2) subsequent alteration of dry ravel deposits over a seven-month period between September 2013 and April 2014. We quantify geomorphic responses in dry ravel deposits including responses during the one small winter storm that generated runoff following the fire. Field measurements document volumetric changes after initial post-wildfire deposition of sediment derived from dry ravel. Erosion and deposition mechanisms that occurred within dry-ravel deposits situated in the hillslope-channel transition zone included: 1) mobilization and transport of a portion or the entire deposit by fluvial erosion; 2) rilling on the surface of the unconsolidated deposits; 3) deposition on deposits via continued hillslope sediment supply; and 4) mass wasting that transfers sediment within deposits where surface profiles are near the angle of repose. Terrestrial LiDAR scanning point clouds were analyzed to generate profiles quantifying depth of sediment erosion or deposition over remaining dry ravel deposits after the first storm season. This study contributes to the understanding of potential effects of wildfire on fine sediment delivery to fluvial systems in chaparral ecosystems.

Impact of coarse sediment supply from hillslopes to the channel in runoff-dominated, dryland fluvial systems

Sediment supply from hillslopes to channels is an important control on basin functioning and evolution. However, current theoretical frameworks do not adequately consider processes of runoff-driven hillslope sediment supply, which affect river channels spatially and temporally. Mountainous dryland basins exhibit an important manifestation of these processes because their debris-mantled hillslopes produce coarse sediment and because rainfall is delivered as infrequent, high-intensity, short-duration rainstorms. This paper combines field measurements and modeling to explore runoff-driven coarse sediment supply from hillslopes to the channel and assesses a range of plausible storms on the longitudinal patterns of sediment load and its caliber over a dryland basin reach. Our results show that modeled sediment load and its grain size distribution are determined by the nonlinear interaction between rainfall characteristics and hillslope attributes, resulting in longitudinal fluctuations in sediment supply, the relative magnitude and location of which varies between storms. Results suggest that long hillslopes are most sensitive to rainfall and they exhibit large variations in supplied sediment load and grain size for different runoff characteristics. Short and steep hillslopes are less sensitive to rainfall variations as gradient effects dominate over the role of length in modulating runoff accumulation. Furthermore, the signal of the median fraction (D50) of modeled sediment supplied by the hillslope is preserved in the coarse fraction of the measured in-channel grain sizes (D90). Finally, we propose a simple index, which provides new insights into the effectiveness of different rainstorms in terms of the impact of hillslope sediment supply on the channel.

Stream channel development in the southern parts of the High Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The aim of this study is to review current knowledge on channels development in mountain basins in arid zones. The research was intended to describe the main triggering factors responsible for the development of ephemeral river channels in such areas. A detailed study was made of the Upper Dades basin located on the southern slopes of the High Atlas Mountains (Morocco). In this paper we analyse the morphometry of channels of different orders in three small basins chosen for a thorough study in order to present the details of channel characteristics. The results show that the development of stream channels of the same order may vary greatly. This is mainly due to variation between the basins in lithology, vegetation cover, precipitation amounts and hillslope sediment supply. We prove however that the key agents of stream channel development are the energy of water and associated mass gravity movements in the period when water is absent. The morphological component provides strong evidence for this conclusion. The results show that runoff energy generally compensates for the low amount of water in 2nd and 3rd order channels where erosion is dominant. The 4th order channels are therefore better adapted to evacuate significant discharges (weak slope, large channel) which therefore decreases the erosive capacity of their stream flows. In this paper we also discuss whether the impact of the limited hillslope vegetation and the supply of coarse-grained sediment in the channels are important in the development of channels in mountain basins in arid regions. We conclude that intense rainfall-runoff events that lead to short-lived but high-energy flash floods have a more significant impact in contemporary channel development. Channels, especially those of 3rd and higher order, tend to be very unstable during large floods. We show that channels located in small basins in mountains in arid zones are in a state of almost permanent non-equilibrium.

Numerical simulation of the impact of sediment supply and streamflow variations on channel grain sizes and Chinook salmon habitat in mountain drainage networks

ABSTRACTClimatically driven changes in streamflow and hillslope sediment supply could potentially alter stream surface grain size distribution patterns and thereby impact habitat for a number of threatened and endangered in‐stream fish species. Relatively little is known about hydrograph (shape, peak flow) influence or the relative importance of chronic and episodic hillslope inputs on channel conditions. To better understand these external drivers, we calculated sediment routing through a gravel‐bedded river network using a one‐dimensional (1D) bedload transport model. We calculated changes in grain sizes and estimated Chinook salmon habitat suitability caused by a dry year and an extreme flood hydrograph, and chronic (diffusive, overland flow) or pulse (landslide, debris flow) hillslope sediment supplies. To obtain accurate channel conditions, a relatively high reference Shields stress, representative of steep mountain streams, was needed. An extreme event flood without any hillslope sediment inputs caused widespread bed coarsening and a decrease in aquatic habitat. Chronic sediment input combined with this hydrograph eliminated any changes in grain size and habitat, although when combined with a dry year flow, caused systematic bed fining. The influence of a given hydrograph therefore highly depends on the hillslope sediment supply. Regardless of the flow hydrograph or sediment pulse timing, grain size distribution or location, pulse sediment inputs did not cause widespread grain size changes despite being 100 times the total chronic input volume. Widespread and continuous hillslope sediment inputs may influence channel grain sizes and aquatic habitat more than a single discrete sediment pulse. Depending on the magnitudes of flow hydrograph and sediment supply alterations, climate change may induce no differences in grain sizes or very dramatic changes with significant consequences for long‐term sustainability. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Connecting source and transport: Suspended sediments in the Nepal Himalayas

Understanding the dynamics of sediment fluxes is a key issue to constrain modern erosion rates in mountain belts and determine the still debated level of control exerted by precipitation, topography and tectonics. The well defined monsoon seasonality in the Himalayas, together with active tectonics and strong relief provide an ideal environment to assess these possible interactions. For this purpose, we present a new compilation of daily suspended sediment data for 12 stations of the major rivers of the Nepal Himalayas. We analyze the relationships of sediment transport with daily river discharge and precipitation data as well as with morphometric parameters. We show that suspended sediment concentrations vary systematically through the seasons and asynchronously to river discharge displaying a hysteresis effect. This clockwise hysteresis effect disappears when suspended sediment fluxes are directly compared with direct storm discharge. Therefore we attribute the hysteresis effect to groundwater dilution rather than a sediment supply limitation. We infer a rating model to calculate erosion rates directly from long river discharge chronicles. We show that, when normalized by drainage area and mean sediment flux, all rivers exhibit the same trend. This similarity implies that all river basins have the same erosion behavior, independent of location, size and catchment characteristics. Erosion rates calculated from suspended sediment fluxes range between 0.1 and 2.8mm/yr. The erosion rates of the three main basins of Nepal are in the range 0.9–1.5mm/yr, Erosion rates in the Higher Himalayas are relatively low (<0.5mm/yr, except for Kali Gandaki), while in the Lesser Himalayas they range from 0.2 to 2mm/yr. We propose that material transport in the rivers depends on hillslope sediment supply, which is, in turn, controlled by those rainfalls producing direct runoff. In other words, the rivers in the Nepal Himalayas are supply-limited and the hillsopes as a contributing source are transport-limited. We also show that erosion processes are not as much controlled by infrequently occurring extreme precipitation events, than by moderate ones with a high recurrence interval.

Modelling the impact of land-use change and farm dam construction on hillslope sediment delivery to rivers at the regional scale

Landscapes in southeastern Australia have changed dramatically since the spread of European colonisation in the 19th century. Due to widespread forest clearance for cultivation and grazing, erosion and sediment yields have increased by a factor of more than 150. In the 20th century, erosion and sediment yield were reduced again due to an increasing vegetative cover. Furthermore, during the last decades, thousands of small farm dams were constructed to provide drinking water for cattle. These dams trap a lot of sediment, thereby further reducing sediment delivery from hillslopes to river channels. Changes in sediment delivery since European colonisation are documented in sediment archives. Within this study, these changing rates in hillslope erosion and sediment delivery were modelled using a spatially distributed erosion and sediment delivery model (WATEM/SEDEM) that was calibrated for Australian ecosystems using sediment yield data derived from sedimentation rates in 26 small farm dams. The model was applied to the Murrumbidgee river basin (30,000 km 2) under different land-use scenarios. First, the erosion and sediment yield under pre-European land-use was modelled. Secondly, recent land-use patterns were used in the model. Finally, recent land-use including the impact of farm dams and large reservoirs was simulated. The results show that the WATEM/SEDEM model is capable of predicting the intensity of the geomorphic response to changes in land-use through time. Changes in hillslope erosion and hillslope sediment delivery rates are not equal, illustrating the non-linear response of the catchment. Current hillslope sediment supply to the river channel network is predicted to be 370% higher compared to the pre-European settlement period, yet farm dams have reduced this back to 2.5 times the pre-19th century values. The role of larger reservoirs is even more important as they have reduced the current sediment supply downstream to their pre-European values, thus completely masking the increased hillslope erosion rates from land-use change. However, the model does so far not include valley widening and sediment storage in river systems. Therefore, modelled rates of sediment delivery are lower than observed values.

Hillslope deposits in gravel-bed rivers and their effects on the evolution of alluvial channel forms: A case study from the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains

This paper describes initiation and development of specific alluvial channel forms, connected with the supply of coarse-grained hillslope sediment. The study was carried out in gravel-bed rivers, located in mid-mountain areas (the Sudetes and the Carpathian Mountains) in Central Europe. In the river channels studied, where input of hillslope material is abundant, patterns of sedimentation and erosion are determined by hillslope processes. Two types of primary sediment source in mountain temperate rivers, with flat valley floors, were identified: mass movements, in particular landslides, and supply of angular coarse-grained slope material to streams from cut-bank sections. The introduced coarsest hillslope sediment is only entrained during floods which destabilize the river systems downstream of the supply points. At these river channel sections, development of new, and transformation of existing, alluvial channel forms is observed. Sediment accretion and progradation of bars downstream of the hillslope sediment delivery zones (HSD zones) is connected with: activity of these zones (frequency of hillslope sediment supply), size of coarse-grained, angular deposits introduced into the river channels and frequency of flood events. The largest depositional forms, such as gravel-rich debris longitudinal bars, lateral bars with a rock block core and lateral bars downstream of an HSD zone, comprise coarse, usually gravel-sized sediment. The main feature of their initiation and progradation is deposition of large rock blocks within or at a short distance downstream of the supply points. Lateral sediment accretion of the bars leads to river channel constriction during subsequent floods and development of other alluvial channel forms such as transverse gravel-rich debris ribs, diffuse gravel-rich debris sheets, side debris bars and small sandy-rich gravel separation bars. These forms create depositional complexes which are observed in the river channel within the zone of the hillslope sediment supply and for a few hundred meters downstream.

Do gravel bed river size distributions record channel network structure?

Bed load sediment particles supplied to channels by hillslopes are reduced in size by abrasion during downstream transport. The branching structure of the channel network creates a distribution of downstream travel distances to a given reach of river and thus may strongly influence the grain size distribution of the long‐term bed load flux through that reach. Here we investigate this hypothesis, using mass conservation and the Sternberg exponential decay equation for particle abrasion, to predict bed material variability at multiple scales for both natural and artificial drainage networks. We assume that over a sufficiently long timescale, no net deposition occurs and that grains less than 2 mm are swept away in suspension. We find that abrasion during fluvial transport has a surprisingly small effect on the bed load sediment grain size distribution, for the simple case of spatially uniform supply of poorly sorted hillslope sediments. This occurs because at any point in the channel network, local resupply offsets the size reduction of material transported from upstream. Thus river bed material may essentially mirror the coarse component of the size distribution of hillslope sediment supply. Furthermore, there is a predictable distance downstream at which the bed load grain size distribution reaches a steady state. In the absence of net deposition due to selective transport, large‐scale variability in bed material, such as downstream fining, must then be due primarily to spatial gradients in hillslope sediment production and transport characteristics. A second key finding is that average bed load flux will tend to stabilize at a constant value, independent of upstream drainage area, once the rate of silt production by bed load abrasion per unit travel distance is equal to the rate of coarse sediment supply per unit channel length (q). Bed load flux equilibrates over a distance that scales with the inverse of the fining coefficient in the abrasion rate law (α) and can be approximated simply as q/3α. Thus the efficiency of particle abrasion sets a fundamental length scale, shorter for weaker rocks and longer for harder rocks, which controls the expression in the river bed of variability in sediment supply. We explore the role of the abrasion length scale in modulating the influence of sediment supply variability in a number of channel network contexts, including individual tributary junctions, a sequence of tributary inputs along a main stem channel, and variable basin shapes and network architecture as expressed by the width function. These findings highlight the need for both data and theory that can be used to predict the grain size distributions supplied to channels by hillslopes.

Pleistocene geomorphology and geochronology of eastern Grand Canyon: linkages of landscape components during climate changes

We report new mapping, soils, survey, and geochronologic (luminescence, U-series, and cosmogenic-nuclide) data from Pleistocene deposits in the arid setting of eastern Grand Canyon. The result is a stratigraphic framework of inset fill gravels and associated terraces that provide a record of the responses of hillslopes, tributary streams, and the Colorado River to the last ∼400 kyr of glacial–interglacial climate change. The best-preserved last 80 kyr of this record indicates a stratigraphic–chronologic disconnect between both deposition and incision along the Colorado River versus along the trunks of local tributaries. For example, the Colorado River finished aggrading and had already begun incising before the main pulse of aggradation in the trunks of local catchments during Marine Isotope Stage 3, and then tributary incision followed during the millennial-scale fluctuations of the last glacial epoch, potentially concurrent with mainstem aggradation. The mainstem record appears to broadly correlate with regional paleoclimate and upstream geomorphic records and thus may be responding to climatic–hydrologic changes in its mountain headwaters, with aggradation beginning during full-glacial times and continuing into subsequent interglacials. The contrasting lag time in responses of the dryland catchments within Grand Canyon may be largely a function of the weathering-limited nature of hillslope sediment supply.

Sediment budget for an eroding peat‐moorland catchment in northern England

AbstractThis paper describes a detailed contemporary sediment budget from a small peat‐covered, upland catchment in Upper Teesdale, northern England. The sediment budget was constructed by measuring: (1) sediment transfers on slopes, (2) sediment flux on the floodplain and through the main stream channel and (3) sediment yield at the catchment outlet. Measurements were taken over a four‐year monitoring period between July 1997 and October 2001 when interannual variations in runoff were relatively small. Three sites were selected to represent the major erosion subsystems within the catchment: an area of bare peat flats, a pair of peat gullies, and a 300 m channel reach. Collectively the sites allow detailed characterization of the main patterns of sediment flux within the catchment and can be scaled up to provide an estimate of the sediment budget for the catchment as a whole. This constitutes the first attempt to provide a complete description of the functioning of the sediment system in eroding blanket peatlands. Results demonstrate that fluvial suspended sediment flux is controlled to a large degree by channel processes. Gully erosion rates are high but coupling between the slopes and channels is poor and therefore the role of hillslope sediment supply to catchment output is reduced. Consequently contemporary sediment export from the catchment is controlled primarily by in‐channel processes. Error analysis of the sediment budgets is used to discuss the limitations of this approach for assessing upland sediment dynamics. A 60 per cent reduction in fluvial suspended sediment yield from Rough Sike over the last 40 years correlates with photographic evidence of significant re‐vegetation of gullies over a similar period. This strongly suggests that the reduced sediment yields are a function of increased sediment storage at the slope–channel interface, associated with re‐vegetation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Factors affecting the magnitude of post-glacial hillslope incision in Japanese mountains

In Japanese mountains, increased post-glacial rainfall triggered gullying in bedrock and thousands of shallow failures in regolith, resulting in widespread hillslope incision. To identify factors influencing the areal extent of the post-glacial incision, fifteen rugged river basins in central and northeast Japan were surveyed. Topographical and geological properties of hillslopes were measured on geomorphological maps, digital elevation data, and geological maps. Analyses of ca. 3,000 0.5 × 0.5 km morphometric samples have shown that the magnitude of regolith failure depends mainly on slope inclination and geology, and subordinately on local storm intensity. The magnitude of bedrock gullying also depends on these three factors, but with greater dominance of storm intensity. These observations reflect the differential stability of hillslopes with varying inclination, erodibility of bedrock, and sensitivity of regolith and bedrock to change in storm intensity. The three factors also exert control on alluvial-fan development in the lower reaches, because they affect the amount of hillslope sediment supply and in turn the type of fluvial processes.