Description: Numerical modelling of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods using physically based dam-breach models Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions, 2, 477-533, 2014 Author(s): M. J. Westoby, J. Brasington, N. F. Glasser, M. J. Hambrey, J. M. Reynolds, and M. A. A. M. Hassan The rapid development and instability of moraine-dammed proglacial lakes is increasing the potential for the occurrence of catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in high-mountain regions. Advanced, physically-based numerical dam-breach models represent an improvement over existing methods for the derivation of breach outflow hydrographs. However, significant uncertainty surrounds the initial parameterisation of such models, and remains largely unexplored. We use a unique combination of numerical dam-breach and two-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling, employed with a Generalised Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) framework to quantify the degree of equifinality in dam-breach model output for the reconstruction of the failure of Dig Tsho, Nepal. Monte Carlo analysis was used to sample the model parameter space, and morphological descriptors of the moraine breach were used to evaluate model performance. Equifinal breach morphologies were produced by parameter ensembles associated with differing breach initiation mechanisms, including overtopping waves and mechanical failure of the dam face. The material roughness coefficient was discovered to exert a dominant influence over model performance. Percentile breach hydrographs derived from cumulative distribution function hydrograph data under- or overestimated total hydrograph volume and were deemed to be inappropriate for input to hydrodynamic modelling. Our results support the use of a Total Variation Diminishing solver for outburst flood modelling, which was found to be largely free of numerical instability and flow oscillation. Routing of scenario-specific optimal breach hydrographs revealed prominent differences in the timing and extent of inundation. A GLUE-based method for constructing likelihood-weighted maps of GLOF inundation extent, flow depth, and hazard is presented, and represents an effective tool for communicating uncertainty and equifinality in GLOF hazard assessment. However, future research should focus on the utility of the approach for predictive, as opposed to reconstructive GLOF modelling.

Description: Dynamics and mechanics of tracer particles Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions, 2, 429-476, 2014 Author(s): C. B. Phillips and D. J. Jerolmack Understanding the mechanics of bed load at the flood scale is necessary to link hydrology to landscape evolution. Here we report on observations of the transport of coarse sediment tracer particles in a cobble-bedded alluvial river and a step-pool tributary, at the individual flood and multi-annual timescales. Tracer particle data for each survey are composed of measured displacement lengths for individual particles, and the number of tagged particles mobilized. For single floods we find that: measured tracer particle displacement lengths are exponentially distributed; the number of mobile particles increases linearly with peak flood Shields stress, indicating partial bed load transport for all observed floods; and modal displacement lengths scale linearly with excess shear velocity. These findings provide quantitative field support for a recently proposed modelling framework based on momentum conservation at the grain scale. Tracer displacement shows a weak correlation with particle size at the individual flood scale, however cumulative travel distance begins to show an inverse relation to grain size when measured over many transport events. The observed spatial sorting of tracers approaches that of the river bed, and is consistent with size-selective deposition models and laboratory experiments. Tracer displacement data for the step-pool and alluvial channels collapse onto a single curve – despite more than an order of magnitude difference in channel slope – when variations of critical Shields stress and flow resistance between the two are accounted for. Results show how bed load dynamics may be predicted from a record of river stage, providing a direct link between climate and sediment transport.

Description: Ice flow models and glacial erosion over multiple glacial–interglacial cycles Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions, 2, 389-428, 2014 Author(s): R. M. Headley and T. A. Ehlers Mountain topography is constructed through a variety of interacting processes. Over glaciological time scales, even simple representations of glacial-flow physics can reproduce many of the distinctive features formed through glacial erosion. However, detailed comparisons at orogen time and length scales hold potential for quantifying the influence of glacial physics in landscape evolution models. We present a comparison using two different numerical models for glacial flow over single and multiple glaciations, within a modified version of the ICE-Cascade landscape evolution model. This model calculates not only glaciological processes but also hillslope and fluvial erosion and sediment transport, isostasy, and temporally and spatially variable orographic precipitation. We compare the predicted erosion patterns using a modified SIA as well as a nested, 3-D Stokes-flow model calculated using COMSOL Multiphysics. Both glacial-flow models predict different patterns in time-averaged erosion rates. However, these results are sensitive to the climate and the ice temperature. For warmer climates with more sliding, the higher-order model has a larger impact on the erosion rate, with variations of almost an order of magnitude. As the erosion influences the basal topography and the ice deformation affects the ice thickness and extent, the higher-order glacial model can lead to variations in total ice-covered that are greater than 30%, again with larger differences for temperate ice. Over multiple glaciations and long-time scales, these results suggest that consideration of higher-order glacial physics may be necessary, particularly in temperate, mountainous settings.

Description: Tracing the boundaries of Cenozoic volcanic edifices from Sardinia (Italy): a geomorphometric contribution Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions, 2, 357-387, 2014 Author(s): M. T. Melis, F. Mundula, F. Dessì, R. Cioni, and A. Funedda Unequivocal delimitation of landforms is an important issue for different purposes, from science-driven morphometric analysis to legal issues related to land conservation. This study is aimed at giving a new contribution to the morphometric approach for the delineation of the boundaries of volcanic edifices, applied to 13 monogenetic volcanoes (scoria cones) related to the Pliocene–Pleistocene volcanic cycle in Sardinia (Italy). External boundary delimitation of the edifices is discussed based on an integrated methodology using automatic elaboration of digital elevation models together with geomorphological and geological observations. Different elaborations of surface slope and profile curvature have been proposed and discussed; among them, two algorithms based on simple mathematical functions combining slope and profile curvature well fit the requirements of this study. One of theses algorithms is a modification of a function already discussed by Grosse et al. (2011), which better perform for recognizing and tracing the boundary between the volcanic scoria cone and its basement. Although the geological constraints still drive the final decision, the proposed method improves the existing tools for a semi-automatic tracing of the boundaries.

Description: Macro-roughness model of bedrock-alluvial river morphodynamics Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions, 2, 297-355, 2014 Author(s): L. Zhang, G. Parker, C. P. Stark, T. Inoue, E. Viparelli, X. Fu, and N. Izumi The 1-D saltation-abrasion model of channel bedrock incision of Sklar and Dietrich, in which the erosion rate is buffered by the surface area fraction of bedrock covered by alluvium, was a major advance over models that treat river erosion as a function of bed slope and drainage area. Their model is, however, limited because it calculates bed cover in terms of bedload sediment supply rather than local bedload transport. It implicitly assumes that as sediment supply from upstream changes, the transport rate adjusts instantaneously everywhere downstream to match. This assumption is not valid in general, and thus can give rise unphysical consequences. Here we present a unified morphodynamic formulation of both channel incision and alluviation which specifically tracks the spatiotemporal variation of both bedload transport and alluvial thickness. It does so by relating the cover fraction not to a ratio of bedload supply rate to capacity bedload transport, but rather to the ratio of alluvium thickness to a macro-roughness characterizing the bedrock surface. The new formulation predicts waves of alluviation and rarification, in addition to bedrock erosion. Embedded in it are three physical processes: alluvial diffusion, fast downstream advection of alluvial disturbances and slow upstream migration of incisional disturbances. Solutions of this formulation over a fixed bed are used to demonstrate the stripping of an initial alluvial cover, the emplacement of alluvial cover over an initially bare bed and the advection–diffusion of a sediment pulse over an alluvial bed. A solution for alluvial-incisional interaction in a channel with a basement undergoing net rock uplift shows how an impulsive increase in sediment supply can quickly and completely bury the bedrock under thick alluvium, so blocking bedrock erosion. As the river responds to rock uplift or base level fall, the transition point separating an alluvial reach upstream from an alluvial-bedrock reach downstream migrates upstream in the form of a "hidden knickpoint". A solution for the case of a zone of rock subsidence (graben) bounded upstream and downstream by zones of rock uplift (horsts) yields a steady-state solution that is unattainable with the original saltation-abrasion model. A solution for the case of bedrock-alluvial coevolution upstream of an alluviated river mouth illustrates how the bedrock surface can be progressive buried not far below the alluvium. Because the model tracks the spatiotemporal variation of both bedload transport and alluvial thickness, it is applicable to the study of the incisional response of a river subject to temporally varying sediment supply. It thus has the potential to capture the response of an alluvial-bedrock river to massive impulsive sediment inputs associated with landslides or debris flows.

Description: A geomorphology based approach for digital elevation model fusion – case study in Danang City, Vietnam Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions, 2, 255-296, 2014 Author(s): T. A. Tran, V. Raghavan, S. Masumoto, P. Vinayaraj, and G. Yonezawa Global Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is considered as vital spatial information and finds wide use in several applications. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global DEM (GDEM) and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) DEM offer almost global coverage and provide elevation data for geospatial analysis. However, GDEM and SRTM still contain some height errors that affect the quality of elevation data significantly. This study aims to examine methods to improve the resolution as well as accuracy of available free DEMs by data fusion technique and evaluating the results with high quality reference DEM. The DEM fusion method is based on the accuracy assessment of each global DEM and geomorphological characteristics of the study area. Land cover units were also considered to correct the elevation of GDEM and SRTM with respect to the bare earth surface. Weighted averaging method was used to fuse the input DEMs based on landform classification map. According to the landform types, the different weights were used for GDEM and SRTM. Finally, a denoising algorithm (Sun et al., 2007) was applied to filter the output fused DEM. This fused DEM shows excellent correlation to the reference DEM having correlation coefficient R 2 = 0.9986 and the accuracy was also improved from Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) 14.9 m in GDEM and 14.8 m in SRTM into 11.6 m in fused DEM.

Description: The effect of ripple types on cross-shore suspended sediment flux Earth Surface Dynamics Discussions, 2, 215-254, 2014 Author(s): S. R. Kularatne, J. Doucette, and C. B. Pattiaratchi Field measurements, collected at several low energy, microtidal beaches in south-western Australia were used to study the cross-shore transport and sediment resuspension over different sand ripple types. The measurements included simultaneous records of the water surface elevation, cross-shore current velocity, and suspended sediment concentration, as well as free diver measurements of the ripple dimensions. The observed ripples were classified according to their geometry and sediment suspension patterns into six categories: flat bed, post-vortex ripples, two-dimensional (2-D) ripples, two/three-dimensional (2-D/3-D) ripples, three-dimensional (3-D) ripples, and cross ripples. Flat bed conditions were observed under the highest flow mobility numbers. Post-vortex ripples were observed under slightly lower mobility numbers. The other ripple types occurred under low mobility numbers, with no significant difference in the mobility number among them. Two-dimensional ripples were observed more than the other ripple types in the presence of coarse grains. The suspended sediment concentration at ∼0.05 m above the bed was greater over steep ripples. The net cross-shore suspended sediment flux close to the seabed (at ∼0.05 m) in the swell frequency band varied over the different ripples types: onshore over a flat bed, offshore over post-vortex ripples, onshore over 2-D and 2-D/3-D ripples, and offshore over 3-D ripples. The suspended sediment flux direction over the cross ripples varied between onshore and offshore.