Precipitation, landsliding, and erosion across the Olympic Mountains, Washington State, USA

Smith, Stephen G.; Wegmann, Karl W.

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.10.008

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…However, contradictory results emerge from these studies: although clear correlations are sometimes observed (e.g. Bookhagen & Strecker, 2012; Moon et al, 2011; Reiners et al, 2003; Smith & Wegmann, 2018; Thiede et al, 2004; Wobus, Heimsath, Whipple, & Hodges, 2005; Wobus, Hodges, & Whipple, 2003). In other cases, these correlations are weak or not observed at all (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of orographic precipitation on the topographic and erosional evolution of mountain ranges

2020

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The influence of climate on mountain denudation has been the topic of an intense debate for two decades. This debate partly arises from the covariation of rainfall and topography during the growth of mountain ranges, both of which influence denudation. However, the denudational response of this co-evolution is poorly understood. Here, we use a landscape evolution model where the rainfall evolves according to a prescribed rainfall-elevation relationship. This relationship is a bell curve defined by a rainfall base level, a rainfall maximum and a width around the rainfall peak elevation. This is a firstorder model that fits a large range of orographic rainfall data at the ca. 1-km spatial scale. We carried out simulations of an uplifting block with an alluvial apron, starting from an initially horizontal surface, and testing different rainfall-elevation relationships. We find Highlights 1576 | EAGE ZAVALA et AL.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of orographic precipitation on the topographic and erosional evolution of mountain ranges

2020

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“…Eight of these 11 studies attributed observed slope‐stability changes to effects of modern climate change. Numbers refer to study locations as follows: 1, several hundred landslides studied by Bennett et al (2016); 2, Handwerger, Fielding, et al (2019); 3, additional landslides studied by Handwerger, Huang, et al (2019); 4, Mud Creek slide, studied by Handwerger, Huang, et al (2019) and Warrick et al (2019); 5, Oak Ridge slide (Nereson et al, 2018; Nereson & Finnegan, 2019); 6, Olympic Mountains landslides (Smith & Wegmann, 2018); 7, Glacier Bay rockslides studied by Coe et al (2018); 8, set of 38 landslides studied by Geertsema et al (2006); 9, Denali National Park (Robert et al, 2019); 10, debris flows from 2006 storm at Mount Rainier (S. T. Lancaster et al, 2012; Legg et al, 2014); and 11, debris flows from 2013 Front Range storm (Patton et al, 2018).…”

Section: Observed Changes To Sedimentary and Geomorphic Processes: Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the severe 2012-2015 drought, earthflow velocities decreased by an order of magnitude to the slowest in eight decades for which measurements exist (slowing from~1 to <0.1 m/year). Using unmanned aerial vehicle synthetic aperture radar (UAV-SAR) to measure deformation in a 4,700-km 2 study area within the (Nereson et al, 2018;Nereson & Finnegan, 2019); 6, Olympic Mountains landslides (Smith & Wegmann, 2018); 7, Glacier Bay rockslides studied by Coe et al (2018); 8, set of 38 landslides studied by Geertsema et al (2006); 9, Denali National Park (Robert et al, 2019); 10, debris flows from 2006 storm at Mount Rainier (S. T. Lancaster et al, 2012;Legg et al, 2014); and 11, debris flows from 2013 Front Range storm (Patton et al, 2018).…”

Section: Effects Of Increased Drying In Arid and Semiarid Landsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphic and Sedimentary Effects of Modern Climate Change: Current and Anticipated Future Conditions in the Western United States

East

Sankey

2020

Reviews of Geophysics

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Hydroclimatic changes associated with global warming over the past 50 years have been documented widely, but physical landscape responses are poorly understood thus far. Detecting sedimentary and geomorphic signals of modern climate change presents challenges owing to short record lengths, difficulty resolving signals in stochastic natural systems, influences of land use and tectonic activity, long-lasting effects of individual extreme events, and variable connectivity in sediment-routing systems. We review existing literature to investigate the nature and extent of sedimentary and geomorphic responses to modern climate change, focusing on the western United States, a region with generally high relief and high sediment yield likely to be sensitive to climatic forcing. Based on fundamental geomorphic theory and empirical evidence from other regions, we anticipate climate-driven changes to slope stability, watershed sediment yields, fluvial morphology, and aeolian sediment mobilization in the western United States. We find evidence for recent climate-driven changes to slope stability and increased aeolian dune and dust activity, whereas changes in sediment yields and fluvial morphology have been linked more commonly to nonclimatic drivers thus far. Detecting effects of climate change will require better understanding how landscape response scales with disturbance, how lag times and hysteresis operate within sedimentary systems, and how to distinguish the relative influence and feedbacks of superimposed disturbances. The ability to constrain geomorphic and sedimentary response to rapidly progressing climate change has widespread implications for human health and safety, infrastructure, water security, economics, and ecosystem resilience. Plain Language Summary Climatic changes associated with global warming over the past 50 years have been documented widely, but physical landscape responses are poorly understood. Detecting landscape signals of modern climate change is difficult for many reasons but is important because these problems relate closely to human health and safety, infrastructure, water security, and ecosystems. We reviewed the scientific literature to investigate landscape responses to modern climate change in the western United States, focusing on slope failures, watershed sediment output, river shape, and wind-blown sediment. Some changes to slope stability and wind-blown sediment are evident, whereas factors other than climate have been more important thus far in controlling sediment output and river shape. We identify ways in which more information is needed from many more places, in the western United States and globally, to understand landscape response to ongoing climate change.

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“…For an earthquake event, landslides occur preferentially on the hillslope of specific orientation with respect to the earthquake's epicenter or fault (Tibaldi et al, 1995). Auer and Shakoor, 1989;Jakob, 2000;Liu and Shih, 2013;Ahmed et al, 2014;Smith and Wegmann, 2018) due to orographic rainfall. For a rainfall event, landslides are prone to occur on the windward hillslopes (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For a rainfall event, landslides are prone to occur on the windward hillslopes (e.g. Auer and Shakoor, 1989;Jakob, 2000;Liu and Shih, 2013;Ahmed et al, 2014;Smith and Wegmann, 2018) due to orographic rainfall.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controls of preferential orientation of earthquake‐ and rainfall‐triggered landslides in Taiwan's orogenic mountain belt

Chen

Chang

Wang

et al. 2019

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Landsliding usually occurs on specific hillslope aspect, which may reflect the control of specific geo‐environmental factors, triggering factors, or their interaction. To explore this notion, this study used island‐wide landslide inventories of the Chi‐Chi earthquake in 1999 (MW = 7.6) and Typhoon Morakot in 2009 in Taiwan to investigate the preferential orientation of landslides and the controls of landslide triggers and geological settings. The results showed two patterns. The orientations of earthquake‐triggered landslides were toward the aspect facing away from the epicenter in areas with peak ground acceleration (PGA) ≥ 0.6 g and landslide ratio ≥ 1%, suggesting that the orientations were controlled by seismic wave propagation. Rainfall‐triggered landslides tended to occur on dip slopes, instead of the windward slopes, suggesting that geological settings were a more effective control of the mass wasting processes on hillslope scale than the rainfall condition. This study highlights the importance of the endogenic processes, namely seismic wave and geological settings, on the predesigned orientation of landslides triggered by either earthquake or rainfall, which can in turn improve our knowledge of landscape evolution and landslide prediction. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Precipitation, landsliding, and erosion across the Olympic Mountains, Washington State, USA

Cited by 14 publications

References 70 publications

Influence of orographic precipitation on the topographic and erosional evolution of mountain ranges

Influence of orographic precipitation on the topographic and erosional evolution of mountain ranges

Geomorphic and Sedimentary Effects of Modern Climate Change: Current and Anticipated Future Conditions in the Western United States

Controls of preferential orientation of earthquake‐ and rainfall‐triggered landslides in Taiwan's orogenic mountain belt

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