Erosion rates as a potential bottom‐up control of forest structural characteristics in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Milodowski, David T.; Mudd, Simon M.; Mitchard, Edward T. A.

doi:10.1890/14-0649.1

Cited by 46 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This measurement has been used in geomorphology (e.g., Burbank et al, 1996), ecology (e.g., Milodowski et al, 2015a), soil science (e.g., Nearing, 1997), and hydrology (e.g., Zhang and Montgomery, 1994). Wolock and McCabe (2000) endeavored to constrain the accuracy with which this parameter can be calculated as grid resolution is increased from 100 to 1000 m and showed that as the grid resolution is decreased, there is a clear reduction in the slope values produced for a landscape.…”

Section: Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…628 S. W. D. Grieve et al: How does grid-resolution modulate geomorphic processes? available, predominantly from light detection and ranging (lidar), which not only refined existing techniques (Passalacqua et al, 2010;Pelletier, 2013;Clubb et al, 2014) but also allowed the study of hitherto unresolvable features on landscapes (Tarolli and Dalla Fontana, 2009;Vianello et al, 2009;Roering et al, 2010;DiBiase et al, 2012;Tarolli, 2014;Milodowski et al, 2015b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

How does grid-resolution modulate the topographic expression of geomorphic processes?

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. In many locations, our ability to study the processes which shape the Earth are greatly enhanced through the use of high-resolution digital topographic data. However, although the availability of such datasets has markedly increased in recent years, many locations of significant geomorphic interest still do not have highresolution topographic data available. Here, we aim to constrain how well we can understand surface processes through topographic analysis performed on lower-resolution data. We generate digital elevation models from point clouds at a range of grid resolutions from 1 to 30 m, which covers the range of widely used data resolutions available globally, at three locations in the United States. Using these data, the relationship between curvature and grid resolution is explored, alongside the estimation of the hillslope sediment transport coefficient (D, in m 2 yr −1 ) for each landscape. Curvature, and consequently D, values are shown to be generally insensitive to grid resolution, particularly in landscapes with broad hilltops and valleys. Curvature distributions, however, become increasingly condensed around the mean, and theoretical considerations suggest caution should be used when extracting curvature from landscapes with sharp ridges. The sensitivity of curvature and topographic gradient to grid resolution are also explored through analysis of one-dimensional approximations of curvature and gradient, providing a theoretical basis for the results generated using two-dimensional topographic data. Two methods of extracting channels from topographic data are tested. A geometric method of channel extraction that finds channels by detecting threshold values of planform curvature is shown to perform well at resolutions up to 30 m in all three landscapes. The landscape parameters of hillslope length and relief are both successfully extracted at the same range of resolutions. These parameters can be used to detect landscape transience and our results suggest that such work need not be confined to high-resolution topographic data. A synthesis of the results presented in this work indicates that although high-resolution (e.g., 1 m) topographic data do yield exciting possibilities for geomorphic research, many key parameters can be understood in lower-resolution data, given careful consideration of how analyses are performed.

show abstract

Section: Previous Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How does grid-resolution modulate the topographic expression of geomorphic processes?

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The plateau surface is vegetated with oak forest including California black oak (Quercus kelloggii) and canyon live oak (Quercus chrysolepis) and pine forest containing ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), whereas the canyon is dominated by chaparal vegetation such as manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.) (Gabet et al, 2015;Milodowski et al, 2015a). These contrasting landscape morphologies have been shown to be eroding at different rates, with the plateau surfaces eroding an order of magnitude more slowly than the canyons (Riebe et al, 2000;Hurst et al, 2012).…”

Section: Cascade Ridgementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Highresolution topographic data generated from terrestrial and airborne laser scanning, in combination with increased computational power, has facilitated a revolution in geomorphology, allowing the quantitative interrogation of landscape form to provide insight into the forces shaping a landscape. Relationships have been found between topography and the tectonic (e.g., Wobus et al, 2006;Hilley and Arrowsmith, 2008;DiBiase et al, 2012;Hurst et al, 2013a), climatic (e.g., Gabet et al, 2004;Anders et al, 2008;Champagnac et al, 2012), and biotic (e.g., Roering et al, 2010;Milodowski et al, 2015a) forcing of a landscape in addition to links be-310 S. W. D. Grieve et al: A nondimensional relief framework Our approach is rooted in a nondimensional framework that describes relationships between erosion rates and hillslope topography in soil-mantled landscapes (Roering et al, 2007). This framework facilitates the direct comparison of landscapes of widely varying morphology and process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A nondimensional framework for exploring the relief structure of landscapes

et al. 2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Considering the relationship between erosion rate and the relief structure of a landscape within a nondimensional framework facilitates the comparison of landscapes undergoing forcing at a range of scales, and allows broad-scale patterns of landscape evolution to be observed. We present software which automates the extraction and processing of relevant topographic parameters to rapidly generate nondimensional erosion rate and relief data for any landscape where high-resolution topographic data are available. Individual hillslopes are identified using a connected-components technique which allows spatial averaging to be performed over geomorphologically meaningful spatial units, without the need for manual identification of hillslopes.The software is evaluated on four landscapes across the continental United States, three of which have been studied previously using this technique. We show that it is possible to identify whether landscapes are in topographic steady state. In locations such as Cascade Ridge, CA, a clear signal of an erosional gradient can be observed. In the southern Appalachians, nondimensional erosion rate and relief data are interpreted as evidence for a landscape decaying following uplift during the Miocene. An analysis of the sensitivity of this method to free parameters used in the data smoothing routines is presented which allows users to make an informed choice of parameters when interrogating new topographic data using this method. A method to constrain the critical gradient of the nonlinear sediment flux law is also presented which provides an independent constraint on this parameter for three of the four study landscapes.

show abstract

“…Vegetation cover has also been shown to be strongly influenced by soil properties. Although such properties are also partly determined by climate, they can vary with bedrock geological composition and with erosion rate [4,5]. Bedrock geology and erosion rates can vary along elevation gradients in a way that can reinforce or obscure the patterns produced by the climatic gradient.…”

Section: Aim: the Use Of Airborne Lidar Data To Address An Ecologicalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abrupt Change in Forest Height along a Tropical Elevation Gradient Detected Using Airborne Lidar

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Most research on vegetation in mountain ranges focuses on elevation gradients as climate gradients, but elevation gradients are also the result of geological processes that build and deconstruct mountains. Recent findings from the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico, have raised questions about whether erosion rates that vary due to past tectonic events and are spatially patterned in relation to elevation may drive vegetation patterns along elevation gradients. Here we use airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology to observe forest height over the Luquillo Mountain Range. We show that models with different functional forms for the two prominent bedrock types best describe the forest height-elevation patterns. On one bedrock type there are abrupt decreases in forest height with elevation approximated by a sigmoidal function, with the inflection point near the elevation of where other studies have shown there to be a sharp change in erosion rates triggered by a tectonic uplift event that began approximately 4.2 My ago. Our findings are consistent with broad geologically mediated vegetation patterns along the elevation gradient, consistent with a role for mountain building and deconstructing processes.

show abstract

Erosion rates as a potential bottom‐up control of forest structural characteristics in the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Cited by 46 publications

References 53 publications

How does grid-resolution modulate the topographic expression of geomorphic processes?

How does grid-resolution modulate the topographic expression of geomorphic processes?

A nondimensional framework for exploring the relief structure of landscapes

Abrupt Change in Forest Height along a Tropical Elevation Gradient Detected Using Airborne Lidar

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About