Mountain erosion over 10 yr, 10 k.y., and 10 m.y. time scales

Kirchner, James W.; Finkel, Robert C.; Riebe, C. S.; Granger, Darryl E.; Clayton, James L.; King, John G.; Megahan, Walter F.

doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0591:meoyky>2.0.co;2

Cited by 481 publications

(416 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Wittmann et al (2007) observed such underestimates for the Central Alps by comparing river loads with cosmogenic nuclide-derived denudation rates (figs 2B and 2C). Underestimates possibly arose because of the lack of inclusion of solute and bedload transport, sediment trapping by retention dams, or because the time span during which suspended load concentrations have been measured is too short to sample the high-magnitude floods that are considered to be the most effective mechanisms for sediment discharge (Kirchner et al, 2001;Molnar, 2001;Dadson et al, 2003). Despite these drawbacks, the data show a consistent pattern that is characterized by an increase in denudation rates from <0.02 mm/yr in the foreland to >0.1 mm/yr in the Alpine core.…”

Section: Suspended Loadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A similar pattern of denudation rates, although with slightly different magnitudes, resulted from the 1993 survey. It is important to note here that the use of suspension load measurements over a short time period can often result in substantial underestimates of sediment transfer (e.g., Kirchner et al, 2001;Schaller et al, 2001). Wittmann et al (2007) observed such underestimates for the Central Alps by comparing river loads with cosmogenic nuclide-derived denudation rates (figs 2B and 2C).…”

Section: Suspended Loadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

et al. 2009

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We present a compilation of data of modern tectono-geomorphic processes in the Central European Alps which suggest that observed rock uplift is a response to climate-driven denudation. This interpretation is predominantly based on the recent quantification of basinaveraged Late Holocene denudation rates that are so similar to the pattern and rates of rock uplift rates as determined by geodetic leveling. Furthermore, a GPS data-based synthesis of Adriatic microplate kinematics suggests that the Central Alps are currently not in a state of active convergence. Finally, we illustrate that the Central Alps have acted as a closed system for Holocene redistribution of sediment in which the peri-Alpine lakes have operated as a sink for the erosional products of the inner Central Alps.While various hypotheses have been put forward to explain Central Alpine rock uplift (e.g. lithospheric forcing by convergence, mantle processes, or ice melting) we show with an elastic model of lithospheric deformation, that the correlation between erosion and rock uplift rates reflects a positive feedback between denudation and the associated isostatic response to unloading. Thus, erosion does not passively respond to advection of crustal material as might be the case in actively converging orogens. Rather, we suggest that the geomorphic response of the Alpine topography to glacial and fluvial erosion and the resulting disequilibrium for modern channelized and associated hillslope processes explains much of the pattern of modern denudation and hence rock uplift. Therefore, in a non-convergent orogen such as the Central European Alps, the observed vertical rock uplift is primarily a consequence of passive unloading due to erosion.

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Section: Suspended Loadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Suspended Loadsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

et al. 2009

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“…This, in turn, is a prerequisite for the development of appropriate catchment management strategies aimed at minimizing their negative effects on water quality, water treatment costs [Holmes, 1988] and ecological and human health. Fluvial sediment fluxes are also used to diagnose climatic and tectonic influences upon landscape denudation and evolution [e.g., Kirchner et al, 2001;Cornwell et al, 2003;Major, 2004;Ferrier et al, 2005].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying bootstrap resampling to quantify uncertainty in fluvial suspended sediment loads estimated using rating curves

Rustomji

Wilkinson

2008

Water Resources Research

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[1] Knowledge of suspended sediment loads in rivers is essential for catchment management purposes and study of landscape evolution. Obtaining such information is difficult because of the often sparse physical sampling of sediment concentrations and high temporal variability in discharge and sediment concentration, as well as strong hysteretic effects and temporal and spatial variations in catchment condition. Here bootstrap and Monte Carlo resampling techniques are used to calculate suspended sediment loads using sediment rating curves. The method proposed avoids the need to apply a bias correction factor to load estimates calculated using rating curves defined by least squares regression of log-transformed data. The algorithm also quantifies uncertainty in suspended sediment load estimates arising from uncertainty in the shape of the rating curve and the residual scatter in the data. Applied to 11 gauging stations in the catchment of Lake Burragorang in Australia, the method produced suspended sediment yields consistent with other Australian observations. The majority of the sediment delivered to the lake comes via the lower Wollondilly River (251 À49 +264 kt a À1 ), with lesser contributions from the Kowmung (114 À30 +62 kt a À1 ) and Cox's (63 À14 +81 kt a À1 ) rivers. Despite uncertainty in the shape of the rating curve at high flows, days with the largest flow clearly transport most of the suspended sediment delivered to the reservoir over the long term, with 40-85% of the total load being transported in <1% of the time. This bootstrap-based method could be applied to the calculation of other constituent fluxes in rivers where discrete sampling of constituent concentration serves as the principal data.Citation: Rustomji, P., and S. N. Wilkinson (2008), Applying bootstrap resampling to quantify uncertainty in fluvial suspended sediment loads estimated using rating curves, Water Resour. Res., 44, W09434,

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“…Interactions that drive sediment inputs may be impossible to discern using measured spatial and temporal sequences at smaller scales (Kirchner et al, 2001), yet knowledge of factors controlling their frequency and magnitude, the spatial extent of affected stream channels, and spatial synchrony between basins is crucial to anticipating affects of land management and climate change on aquatic ecosystems (Reeves et al, 1995, Dunham et al, this issue).…”

Section: Numerical Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The regime of sediment inflows can be difficult to characterize, in part because of the extended periods that may separate large-magnitude events (Kirchner et al, 2001). Yet, as discussed above, this regime forms an integral component of a river ecosystem (Reeves et al, 1995;Gresswell, 1999), and any changes to that regime pose consequences that are largely unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time, space, and episodicity of physical disturbance in streams

Miller

Luce

Benda³

2003

Forest Ecology and Management

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Storm-driven episodes of gully erosion and landsliding produce large influxes of sediment to stream channels that have both immediate, often detrimental, impacts on aquatic communities and long-term consequences that are essential in the creation and maintenance of certain channel and riparian landforms. Together, these effects form an important component of river ecosystems. In this paper, we describe issues involved in characterizing and predicting the frequency, magnitude, spatial extent, and synchrony of these sediment influxes. The processes that drive sediment fluxes exhibit spatial and temporal variability over a large range of scales. Disregard of this variability can have unanticipated consequences for efforts to quantify process rates, as we illustrate using landslide densities observed for a storm event in western Oregon. Multiple factors interact to create the temporal and spatial patterns of erosional and mass-wasting events that affect stream channels. Fires, in particular, enhance susceptibility to erosional and mass-wasting processes, and thus affect the timing and magnitude of sedimentmobilizing events. We use examples from west-central Idaho to show how fires, storms, and topography interact to create spatially distinct patches of intense erosional activity. We require quantitative descriptions of these controlling factors to make quantitative predictions of how differences or changes in topography, fire regime, and climate will affect the regime of sediment fluxes. The stochastic and heterogeneous nature of these factors leads us to quantify them in probabilistic terms. The effects of future fire and storm sequences are governed in part by the past sequence of events over time frames spanning centuries and spatial extents spanning entire river basins. Empirical characterization of past events poses a considerable challenge, given that our observational record typically spans several decades at most. Numerical models that simulate multiple event sequences provide an alternative means for estimating the influence of antecedent conditions and for quantifying the role of different controlling factors. #

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Mountain erosion over 10 yr, 10 k.y., and 10 m.y. time scales

Cited by 481 publications

References 33 publications

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

Erosion-driven uplift of the modern Central Alps

Applying bootstrap resampling to quantify uncertainty in fluvial suspended sediment loads estimated using rating curves

Time, space, and episodicity of physical disturbance in streams

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