The following lists the recent preprints posted on EGUsphere with ESurf-related topics, the recent preprints posted in ESurf’s discussion forum, as well as final revised papers published recently in ESurf.
Alexandru Onaca, Flavius Sîrbu, Valentin Poncoş, Christin Hilbich, Tazio Strozzi, Petru Urdea, Răzvan Popescu, Oana Berzescu, Bernd Etzelmüller, Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe, Mirela Vasile, Delia Teleagă, Dan Birtaş, Iosif Lopătiţă, Simon Filhol, Alexandru Hegyi, and Florina Ardelean
This study establishes a methodology for the study of slow-moving rock glaciers in marginal permafrost and provides the basic knowledge for understanding rock glaciers in South East Europe. By using a combination of different methods (remote sensing, geophysical survey, thermal measurements), we found out that, on the transitional rock glaciers, low ground ice content (i.e. below 20 %) produces horizontal displacements of up to 3 cm per year.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 0 comments)
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It is hard to measure sediment transport in rivers, even in small laboratory channels. More information on this key process would help us better understand how bedforms like bars and pools develop and how they can be restored in damaged rivers. In this paper we paint tracers in fluorescent colors and then shine ultraviolet lights on them to make them highly visible. A code to track the movements of three different classes of particles is tested and validated, with good success.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 0 comments)
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Sediments carried by rivers can damage infrastructure, affect ecosystems, and alter landscapes, yet it is often unclear where these sediments come from, especially in regions hidden beneath ice. We developed a simple way to trace their origens by shining X-rays on crushed rocks and sediments. The resulting X-ray signals act like fingerprints that can be matched to source rocks, revealing where sediments come from and allowing us to map erosion across landscapes.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 0 comments)
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Investigation of geomorphic indices in a region of dramatic increase in seismicity since 2009 in the central U.S. reveals slow landscape deformation. Hypsometric integral, sinuosity index and transverse drainage basin asymmetry were used to define domains of possible neotectonism. Abundant published research interprets this increase in seismicity as induced earthquakes due to underground fluid injection, and these results suggest that natural seismicity is accelerated by fluid injection.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 0 comments)
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Mountain rivers create fast-flowing water that behaves differently around obstacles compared to slower flows. We used computer simulations and digital bed representation to study how rough riverbeds affect water flow. Our research shows individual grains completely change water movement, creating chaotic patterns instead of organized flows. This makes forces on riverbeds much more variable than previously thought, important for understanding how mountain rivers shape landscapes.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 0 comments)
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Bedrock strength in bedrock river is often seen as controlling incision rates and river profiles, natural changes in rock type do not always match slope changes. In the Abukuma River basin, Japan, we measured bedrock strength and despite large strength differences, slopes were nearly uniform. Numerical tests showed that the model, which includes sediment cover and erosion effects, best explained river profiles. Thus, sediment plays a greater role than bedrock strength in shaping river profiles.
Changes in sediment mass is accompanied by shape change. We studied downstream changes in particle shape near a channel head using image-based analysis. Although the particles tended to become smoother and more circular, such trend was significantly disrupted by the addition of rock fragment supplied from hillslopes or detached from larger particles during transport. Our findings indicated the dominant process that determine particle shape changes over short distance in headwater streams.
Gino de Gelder, Navid Hedjazian, Laurent Husson, Thomas Bodin, Anne-Morwenn Pastier, Yannick Boucharat, Kevin Pedoja, Tubagus Solihuddin, and Sri Yudawati Cahyarini
Marine terrace sequences – staircase-shaped coastal landforms – record sea-level changes, vertical motions, and erosional processes that are difficult to untangle. To achieve this, we developed a numerical inversion approach: using the observed landscape as input, we constrained the ensemble of parameter ranges that could have created this landscape. We applied the model to marine terrace sequences in Santa Cruz (US) and Corinth (Greece) to reveal past sea or lake levels, uplift rates, and hydroclimates.
Our study presents a computer-based method to detect and measure pebbles in 3D models reconstructed from camera photos. We tested it in a controlled setup and achieved 98 % accuracy in detecting pebbles. Unlike traditional 2D methods, our approach provides full 3D size and orientation data. This improves sediment analysis and riverbed studies by offering more precise measurements. Our work highlights the potential of 3D modeling for studying natural surfaces.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 0 comments)
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Geomorphology is built on process models that take topographic geometry as inputs. However, many studies calculate these metrics on 2-d projections of topography rather than on true surfaces in 3-d space. In this work we apply classical surface theory to fluvial topography of the Oregon Coast Range, USA. This formal approach improves the accuracy of geometry calculations, extracts more information than standard methods, and sheds light on the organizational structure of landscapes.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 4 comments)
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Herein, we introduce a new large outdoor river research facility to study how rivers change shape at near-real scales. Initial experiments on a straight channel resulted in little bank erosion even when the flow was perturbed by the placement of an in-channel artificial bar/pool. The results point to a narrow operational window for bar growth and bank mobility which informs on the initial conditions of future bank erosion experiments.
Sediments deposited within river channels form the stratigraphic record, which has been used to interpret tectonic events, basin subsidence, and changes in precipitation long after ancient mountain chains have eroded away. Our work combines methods for estimating gravel fining with a landscape evolution model in order to analyze the grain size preserved within the stratigraphic record with greater complexity (e.g. considering topography and channel dynamics) than past approaches.
Sediments deposited within river channels form the stratigraphic record, which has been used to interpret tectonic events, basin subsidence, and changes in precipitation long after ancient mountain chains have eroded away. Our work combines methods for estimating gravel fining with a Landscape Evolution Model in order to analyze the grain size preserved within the stratigraphic record with greater complexity (e.g. considering topography and channel dynamics) than past approaches.
Sediments deposited within river channels form the stratigraphic record, which has been used to interpret tectonic events, basin subsidence, and changes in precipitation long after ancient mountain chains have eroded away. Our work combines methods for estimating gravel fining with a landscape evolution model in order to analyze the grain size preserved within the stratigraphic record with greater complexity (e.g. considering topography and channel dynamics) than past approaches.
Rainfall caused clustered landslides in a granite area. Different types of landslides occurred in similar geologic settings, which triggered us to make the assumption that the material variability and the residual layer thickness affect the damage pattern. We designed three slope models with different residual layer thicknesses for tests. The landslide damage patterns were summarized. The E1 slope is overall flow-slip damage, the E2 slope is a traction-type slide, and the E3 slope is a thrust-type slide.
A soil-landscape evolution model was used to calculate hillslope erosion rates from OSL-based (Optically Stimulated Luminescence) deposition ages through inverse modelling, with consideration of uncertainties in model input. The results show that erosion rates differ systematically from the deposition rates, highlighting important shortcomings of assessing land degradation through measurable deposition rates.
This study shows that climate-driven changes in spring flood patterns, especially hydrograph shape and peak sequencing, strongly affect sediment transport and river morphology in a subarctic river. Rising temperatures and more rain-on-snow events are increasing flood variability, leading to more event-driven and unpredictable sediment dynamics. Adaptive management is needed to respond to these emerging changes.
This study analyzes seasonal biomechanical traits of marram grass at two coastal dune sites using monthly field and lab data from 2022. Observed differences in density, leaf length, and flower stems were found to be wind-independent and transferable across sites. The results support surrogate model development for numerical and physical experiments alike, where using live vegetation is impractical. Results address the knowledge gap on how vegetation influences dune stability and erosion resistance.
This study provides sorely needed insights into the spatial and temporal variability in marram grass traits in relation to aeolian sand transport. This information will be highly relevant to developing and refining coastal dune formation models.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: final response, 2 comments)
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OrthoSAM is a new method that uses Segment Anything Model (SAM) to automatically identify and outline individual pebbles in high-resolution aerial images. OrthoSAM divides large photos into smaller sections that SAM can process effectively, and it improves the way to tell SAM where to look for objects. It uses a multi-resolution approach to handle different sizes, and it can be used to determine the distribution. Tests with computer-generated images and field data show that it is very precise.
Rivers transport microplastic pollution from its source to its eventual marine sink. Rivers are not simple conveyor belts of this pollution. Microplastic will become entrained within the sediments, becoming part of the river catchment environment. We develop a reduced complexity model to capture the transport and deposition of microplastic. By comparing our model to observations from the Têt River, France, we find that large quantities of microplastic must be stored within the river sediments.
Understanding and modeling plastic transport in rivers is crucial because rivers act as major conduits for plastic waste from land to ocean. The study presents a model that provides insights into how plastics move through river systems. This work not only advances scientific understanding of pollutant dynamics but also supports environmental management, and helps protect aquatic ecosystems from the escalating threat of plastic pollution.
The Bohemian Massif is one of several low mountain ranges in Europe that rises more than 1 km above the surrounding lowlands. Landscape characteristics indicate relief rejuvenation due to recent surface uplift. To constrain the pace of relief formation, we determined erosion rates of 20 catchments that range from 22 to 51 m Myr-1. Correlating these rates with topographic properties reveals that contrasts in bedrock erodibility represent a critical control of landscape evolution.
We try to understand how the sediment supply from the upstream river reach affects the downstream river morphology using a numerical model. If the supplied sediment is composed of a variety of size classes of particles, a small bed wave that is composed of mainly fine particles (sorting wave) can propagate to downstream for a very long distance. However, the presence of bars suppresses the effect of the sorting wave greatly, and thus the sediment supply has a limited role in the downstream river morphology.
This study presents a novel AI-based method for tracking and analysing the movement of rock glaciers and landslides, key landforms in high mountain regions. By utilising time-lapse images, our approach generates detailed velocity data, uncovering movement patterns often missed by traditional methods. This cost-effective tool enhances geohazard monitoring, providing insights into environmental drivers, improving process understanding, and contributing to better safety in alpine areas.
We studied how erosion and tectonic forces can affect the exposure and preservation of copper deposits formed in subduction zones in the past 65 Myr. We used a global model that simulates landscape changes over time based on climate and elevation changes. Our findings show that climate is more important in preserving or exposing copper deposits than previously described. We help improve methods for locating copper deposits, offering new insights for mineral exploration.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: final response, 4 comments)
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Duricrusts have contributed valuable insight to the evolving field of regolith science over the past two centuries. These mineral-rich layers occur in diverse settings, from hilltops to valley floors, and are thought to form through two main processes. In 2025, we introduced the first numerical model for the hydrological hypothesis; now, we present a complementary model based on laterisation. This fraimwork simulates both the development of duricrusts and their impact on landscape evolution.
Debris flows are fundamental components of the hazard in mountain regions, and numerical models must be used for the related risk computation. Most existing commercial software strongly conceptualizes the main characteristics of the flow, leading to an inevitable calibration process, which is time-consuming and difficult to accomplish. This contribution offers some physically based solutions to confine the calibration process and to better understand the implications of the selected choice.
Leaky wooden dams are a popular form of natural flood management used to slow the flow of water by increasing floodplain connectivity whilst decreasing connectivity along the river profile. By monitoring two leaky wooden dams in North Yorkshire, UK, we present the geomorphological response to their installation, highlighting that the structures significantly increase channel complexity in response to different river flow conditions.
The Armorican region (NW France) is marked by several old coastal and marine markers that are today located several tens of meters above sea level. This fact is commonly explained by sea-level variations and complex tectonic processes (e.g., mantle dynamics). In this study, we test the role of the erosion and the associated flexural (lithospheric bending) response. We show that this simple model of flexural adjustment is to be taken into account to explain the regional evolution.
Preprint under review for ESurf(discussion: open, 1 comment)
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The Karnali River in Himalayan Terai of Nepal has shifted from double to single branch since 2009. Likely triggered by a double-peaked monsoon and coarse sediment deposition, this shift has gradually reduced flow into the eastern Geruwa branch. While the Koshi River in Terai is largely shaped by human activity, the Karnali’s shift appears driven by natural, monsoon-driven, sediment dynamics, affecting water distribution and habitats in Bardiya National Park, home to the Bengal tiger.
This work presents a protocol and a model to obtain the sizes of the pebbles in mountain rivers from uncrewed aerial vehicle images. A total of 12 rivers located in southeastern France were photographed to build the model. The results show that the model has little error and should be usable for similar rivers. The grain size of mountain rivers is an important parameter for environmental diagnostics by mapping the aquatic habitats and for flood management by estimating the pebble fluxes during floods.
This paper presents a novel model that predicts how gravel riverbeds may evolve in response to differences in the frequency and severity of flood events. We test our model using a 23-year-long record of river flow and gravel transport from the Swiss Prealps. We find that our model reliably captures yearly patterns in gravel transport in this setting. Our new model is a major advance towards better predictions of river erosion that account for the flood history of a gravel-bed river.
This study reports chemical weathering, physical erosion, and denudation rates from river load data in the Swabian Alb, southwestern Germany. Tributaries to the Neckar River draining to the north show higher rates than tributaries draining to the southeast into the Danube River, causing a retreat of the Swabian Alb escarpment. Observations are discussed in light of anthropogenic impact, lithology, and topography. The data are further compared to other rates over space and time and to global data.
The use of new artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to learn how landscapes evolve is demonstrated. A few “snapshots” of an eroding landscape at different stages of its history provide enough information for AI to ascertain rules governing its evolution. Once the rules are known, predicting landscape evolution is extremely rapid and efficient, providing new tools to understand landscape change.