Debris flow initiation in proglacial gullies on Mount Rainier, Washington

Legg, Nicholas T.; Meigs, Andrew; Grant, Gordon E.; Kennard, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.08.003

Cited by 53 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…5; see also Legg et al, 2014). Nearly all grid cells within mapped debris avalanches plot to the left of the 1 km 2 dashed line.…”

Section: Investigation Of Process Domainsmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…P (F ) derived from simulations exhibits low probabilities where slopes are moderate and cohesion is high (e.g., forest). Highly unstable areas largely correspond to steep barren landscape (13 % of the model domain) mostly located below retreating alpine glaciers, with steep glacial landforms, transitioning from glacier to colluvial processes (similar to Guthrie and Brown, 2008;Tarolli et al, 2008;Legg et al, 2014) (Fig. 9).…”

Section: Probability Of Failurementioning

confidence: 99%

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A hydroclimatological approach to predicting regional landslide probability using Landlab

et al. 2018

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Abstract. We develop a hydroclimatological approach to the modeling of regional shallow landslide initiation that integrates spatial and temporal dimensions of parameter uncertainty to estimate an annual probability of landslide initiation based on Monte Carlo simulations. The physically based model couples the infinite-slope stability model with a steady-state subsurface flow representation and operates in a digital elevation model. Spatially distributed gridded data for soil properties and vegetation classification are used for parameter estimation of probability distributions that characterize model input uncertainty. Hydrologic forcing to the model is through annual maximum daily recharge to subsurface flow obtained from a macroscale hydrologic model. We demonstrate the model in a steep mountainous region in northern Washington, USA, over 2700 km 2 . The influence of soil depth on the probability of landslide initiation is investigated through comparisons among model output produced using three different soil depth scenarios reflecting the uncertainty of soil depth and its potential long-term variability. We found elevation-dependent patterns in probability of landslide initiation that showed the stabilizing effects of forests at low elevations, an increased landslide probability with forest decline at midelevations (1400 to 2400 m), and soil limitation and steep topographic controls at high alpine elevations and in post-glacial landscapes. These dominant controls manifest themselves in a bimodal distribution of spatial annual landslide probability. Model testing with limited observations revealed similarly moderate model confidence for the three hazard maps, suggesting suitable use as relative hazard products. The model is available as a component in Landlab, an open-source, Python-based landscape earth systems modeling environment, and is designed to be easily reproduced utilizing HydroShare cyberinfrastructure.

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“…5; see also Legg et al, 2014). Nearly all grid cells within mapped debris avalanches plot to the left of the 1 km 2 dashed line.…”

Section: Investigation Of Process Domainsmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Probability Of Failurementioning

confidence: 99%

A hydroclimatological approach to predicting regional landslide probability using Landlab

et al. 2018

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“…Hürlimann et al, 2012;Oliva and Ruiz-Fernandez, 2015), debris flows on hillslopes (e.g. Curry et al, 2009;Haas et al, 2012) and in channels (Legg et al, 2014), and fluvial incision (e.g. Curry et al, 2006).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscript [Type Here] [Type Here]mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, outside proglacial systems TLS has quantified and explained changes on an alpine (not proglacial) talus cone over a four month period , identified elevation patterns and volume changes of a (not proglacial) debris-flow (Bremer and Sass, 2012;Blasone et al 2014), and quantified short-term dynamics of ice-cored moraines on Svalbard (Ewertowski and Tomczyk, 2015). The comprehensive study by Davies et al (2013) (Legg et al, 2014). For example, Legg et al (2014) were able to determine debris-flow dynamics in proglacial channels on Mt.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Short-term geomorphological evolution of proglacial systems

2017

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Proglacial systems are amongst the most rapidly changing landscapes on Earth, as glacier mass loss, permafrost degradation and more episodes of intense rainfall progress with climate change. This review addresses the urgent need to quantitatively define proglacial systems not only in terms of spatial extent but also in terms of functional processes. It firstly provides a critical appraisal of prevailing conceptual models of proglacial systems, and uses this to justify compiling data on rates of landform change in terms of planform, horizontal motion, elevation changes and sediment budgets. These data permit us to produce novel summary conceptual diagrams that consider proglacial landscape evolution in terms of a balance of longitudinal and lateral water and sediment fluxes. Throughout, we give examples of newly emerging datasets and data processing methods because these have the potential to assist with the issues of: (i) a lack of knowledge of proglacial systems within high-mountain, arctic and polar regions, (ii) considerable inter-and intracatchment variability in the geomorphology and functioning of proglacial systems, (iii) problems with the magnitude of short-term geomorphological changes being at the threshold of detection, (iv) separating short-term variability from longer-term trends, and (v) of the representativeness of plot-scale field measurements for regionalisation and for upscaling. We consider that understanding of future climate change effects on proglacial systems requires holistic process-based modelling to explicitly consider feedbacks and linkages, especially between hillslope and valley-floor components.Such modelling must be informed by a new generation of repeated distributed topographic surveys to detect and quantify short-term geomorphological changes.

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Proglacial erosion rates and processes in a glacierized catchment in the Swiss Alps

Delaney

Bauder

Huss

et al. 2017

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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In the Swiss Alps, climatic changes have not only caused glacier retreat, but also likely increased sedimentation downstream of glaciers. This material either originates from below the glacier or from periglacial environments, which are exposed as glaciers retreat, and often consist of easily erodible sediment. Griesgletscher's catchment in the Swiss Alps was examined to quantify erosion in the proglacial area, possible hydrological drivers and contributions of the sub-and periglacial sources. Digital elevation models, created from annual aerial photographs, were subtracted to determine annual volume changes in the proglacial area from 1986 to 2014. These data show a strong increase in proglacial erosion in the decade prior to 2012, coincident with increasing proglacial area size. However, examination of the gradient between discharge and sediment evacuation, and modeled sediment transport, could suggest that the proglacial area began to stabilize and sediment supply is limited. The large influx of sediment into the proglacial reservoir, which is roughly 2.5 times greater than the amount of sediment eroded from the proglacial area, demonstrates the importance of subglacial erosion to the catchment's sediment budget. Although far more sediment originates subglacially, erosion rates in the proglacial area are over 50 times greater than the rest of the catchment. In turn, both sub-and periglacial processes, in addition to constraining sediment supply, must be considered for assessing future sediment dynamics as glacier area shrinks and proglacial areas grow.

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Debris flow initiation in proglacial gullies on Mount Rainier, Washington

Cited by 53 publications

References 52 publications

A hydroclimatological approach to predicting regional landslide probability using Landlab

A hydroclimatological approach to predicting regional landslide probability using Landlab

Short-term geomorphological evolution of proglacial systems

Proglacial erosion rates and processes in a glacierized catchment in the Swiss Alps

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