TY - JOUR A1 - Rasigraf, Olivia A1 - Wagner, Dirk T1 - Landslides BT - an emerging model for ecosystem and soil chronosequence research JF - Earth science reviews : the international geological journal bridging the gap between research articles and textbooks N2 - Erosion by landslides is a common phenomenon in mountain regions around the globe, affecting all climatic zones. Landslides facilitate bedrock weathering, pedogenesis and ecological succession, being key drivers of biodiversity. Landslide chronosequences have long been used for studies of vegetation succession in initial ecosystems, but they further offer ideal model systems for studies of soil development and microbial community succession. In this review we synthesize the state of knowledge on the role of landslides in ecosystems, their influence on element cycles and interactions with biota. Further, we discuss feedback mechanisms between global warming, landslide activity and greenhouse gas emissions. In the view of increasing anthropogenic influence and climate change, soils are becoming a critical resource. Due to their ubiquity, landslide chronosequences have the potential to provide critical insights into soil development under different climates and thereby contribute to future soil restoration efforts. KW - Landslides KW - Greenhouse gas emissions KW - Landslide chronosequences KW - Soil KW - microbial community KW - Erosion KW - Biodiversity KW - Microbial processes KW - Climate KW - change Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104064 SN - 0012-8252 SN - 1872-6828 VL - 231 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogel, Kristin A1 - Ozturk, Ugur A1 - Riemer, Adrian A1 - Laudan, Jonas A1 - Sieg, Tobias A1 - Wendi, Dadiyorto A1 - Agarwal, Ankit A1 - Roezer, Viktor A1 - Korup, Oliver A1 - Thieken, Annegret T1 - Die Sturzflut von Braunsbach am 29. Mai 2016 – Entstehung, Ablauf und Schäden eines „Jahrhundertereignisses“ T1 - The Braunsbach Flashflood of Mai 29th, 2016-Origin, Pathways and Impacts of an Extreme Hydro-Meteorological Event BT - Teil 2: Geomorphologische Prozesse und Schadensanalyse BT - Part 2: Geomorphological Processes and Damage Analysis JF - Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung N2 - Am Abend des 29. Mai 2016 wurde der Ort Braunsbach im Landkreis Schwäbisch-Hall (Baden-Württemberg) von einer Sturzflut getroffen, bei der mehrere Häuser stark beschädigt oder zerstört wurden. Die Sturzflut war eine der Unwetterfolgen, die im Frühsommer 2016 vom Tiefdruckgebiet Elvira ausgelöst wurden. Der vorliegende Bericht ist der zweite Teil einer Doppelveröffentlichung, welche die Ergebnisse zur Untersuchung des Sturzflutereignisses im Rahmen des DFG-Graduiertenkollegs “Naturgefahren und Risiken in einer sich verändernden Welt” (NatRiskChange, GRK 2043/1) der Universität Potsdam präsentiert. Während Teil 1 die meteorologischen und hydrologischen Ereignisse analysiert, fokussiert Teil 2 auf die geomorphologischen Prozesse und die verursachten Gebäudeschäden. Dazu wurden Ursprung und Ausmaß des während des Sturzflutereignisses mobilisierten und in den Ort getragenen Materials untersucht. Des Weiteren wurden zu 96 betroffenen Gebäuden Daten zum Schadensgrad sowie Prozess- und Gebäudecharakteristika aufgenommen und ausgewertet. Die Untersuchungen zeigen, dass bei der Betrachtung von Hochwassergefährdung die Berücksichtigung von Sturzfluten und ihrer speziellen Charakteristika, wie hoher Feststofftransport und sprunghaftes Verhalten insbesondere in bebautem Gelände, wesentlich ist, um effektive Schutzmaßnahmen ergreifen zu können. N2 - A severe flash flood event hit the town of Braunsbach (Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) on the evening of May 29, 2016, heavily damaging and destroying several dozens of buildings. It was only one of several disastrous events in Central Europe caused by the low-pressure system "Elvira". The DFG Graduate School "Natural hazards and risks in a changing world" (NatRiskChange, GRK 2043/1) at the University of Potsdam investigated the Braunsbach flash flood as a recent showcase for catastrophic events triggered by severe weather. This contribution is part two of a back-to-back publication on the results of this storm event. While part 1 analyses the meteorological and hydrological situation, part 2 concentrates on the geomorphological aspects and damage to buildings. The study outlines the origin and amount of material that was mobilized and transported into the town by the flood, and analyses damage data collected for 96 affected buildings, describing the degree of impact, underlying processes, and building characteristics. Due to the potentially high sediment load of flash floods and their non-steady and non-uniform flow especially in built-up areas, the damaging processes differ from those of clear water floods. The results underline the need to consider flash floods and their specific behaviour in flood hazard assessments. KW - flash flood KW - flood risk KW - damaging processes KW - debris flow KW - erosion KW - landslides KW - Braunsbach KW - Sturzflut KW - Hochwassergefährdung KW - Schadensprozesse KW - Erosion KW - Hangrutschungen Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5675/HyWa_2017,3_2 SN - 1439-1783 VL - 61 IS - 3 SP - 163 EP - 175 PB - Bundesanst. für Gewässerkunde CY - Koblenz ER - TY - JOUR A1 - van der Meij, Marijn W. A1 - Temme, Arnaud J. A. M. A1 - Wallinga, J. A1 - Hierold, W. A1 - Sommer, Michael T1 - Topography reconstruction of eroding landscapes - A case study from a hummocky ground moraine (CarboZALF-D) JF - Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology N2 - Erosion processes, aggravated by human activity, have a large impact on the spatial variation of soil and topographic properties. Knowledge of the topography prior to human-induced erosion (paleotopography) in naturally stable landscapes is valuable for identifying vulnerable landscape positions and is required as starting point for erosion modelling exercises. However, developing accurate reconstructions of paleotopography provide a major challenge for geomorphologists. Here, we present a set of paleotopographies for a closed kettle hole catchment in north-east Germany (4 ha), obtained through different reconstruction approaches. Current soil and colluvium thickness, estimated from a dataset of 264 soil descriptions using Ordinary Kriging, were used as input for a mass balance, or were compared with a set of undisturbed soil thicknesses to estimate the amount of erosion. The performance of the different approaches was assessed with cross-validation and the count of mispredicted eroded, depositional or stable landscape positions. The paleotopographic reconstruction approach based on the average thickness of undisturbed soils in the study area showed the best performance. This thickness (1.00 m) is comparable to the average undisturbed soil thickness in the region and in line with global correlations of soil thickness as a function of rainfall and initial CaCO3 content. The performance of the different approaches depended more on mispredictions of landscape position due to the assumption of a spatially constant initial soil depth than on small variations in this depth. To conclude, we mention several methodological and practical points of attention for future topography reconstruction studies, concerning data quality and availability, spatial configuration of data and other processes affecting topography. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Topography reconstruction KW - Erosion KW - Tillage KW - Landscape change Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.08.015 SN - 0169-555X SN - 1872-695X VL - 295 SP - 758 EP - 772 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - THES A1 - Weege, Stefanie T1 - Climatic drivers of retrogressive thaw slump activity and resulting sediment and carbon release to the nearshore zone of Herschel Island, Yukon Territory, Canada T1 - Einfluss des Klimas auf das Auftauen einer rückschreitenden Erosionsfront und die daraus resultierende Sediment- und Kohlenstofffreigabe in den Küstenbereich von Herschel Island, Kanada N2 - The Yukon Coast in Canada is an ice-rich permafrost coast and highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions. Retrogressive thaw slumps are a common thermoerosion feature along this coast, and develop through the thawing of exposed ice-rich permafrost on slopes and removal of accumulating debris. They contribute large amounts of sediment, including organic carbon and nitrogen, to the nearshore zone. The objective of this study was to 1) identify the climatic and geomorphological drivers of sediment-meltwater release, 2) quantify the amount of released meltwater, sediment, organic carbon and nitrogen, and 3) project the evolution of sediment-meltwater release of retrogressive thaw slumps in a changing future climate. The analysis is based on data collected over 18 days in July 2013 and 18 days in August 2012. A cut-throat flume was set up in the main sediment-meltwater channel of the largest retrogressive thaw slump on Herschel Island. In addition, two weather stations, one on top of the undisturbed tundra and one on the slump floor, measured incoming solar radiation, air temperature, wind speed and precipitation. The discharge volume eroding from the ice-rich permafrost and retreating snowbanks was measured and compared to the meteorological data collected in real time with a resolution of one minute. The results show that the release of sediment-meltwater from thawing of the ice-rich permafrost headwall is strongly related to snowmelt, incoming solar radiation and air temperature. Snowmelt led to seasonal differences, especially due to the additional contribution of water to the eroding sediment-meltwater from headwall ablation, lead to dilution of the sediment-meltwater composition. Incoming solar radiation and air temperature were the main drivers for diurnal and inter-diurnal fluctuations. In July (2013), the retrogressive thaw slump released about 25 000 m³ of sediment-meltwater, containing 225 kg dissolved organic carbon and 2050 t of sediment, which in turn included 33 t organic carbon, and 4 t total nitrogen. In August (2012), just 15 600 m³ of sediment-meltwater was released, since there was no additional contribution from snowmelt. However, even without the additional dilution, 281 kg dissolved organic carbon was released. The sediment concentration was twice as high as in July, with sediment contents of up to 457 g l-1 and 3058 t of sediment, including 53 t organic carbon and 5 t nitrogen, being released. In addition, the data from the 36 days of observations from Slump D were upscaled to cover the main summer season of 1 July to 31 August (62 days) and to include all 229 active retrogressive thaw slumps along the Yukon Coast. In total, all retrogressive thaw slumps along the Yukon Coast contribute a minimum of 1.4 Mio. m³ sediment-meltwater each thawing season, containing a minimum of 172 000 t sediment with 3119 t organic carbon, 327 t nitrogen and 17 t dissolved organic carbon. Therefore, in addition to the coastal erosion input to the Beaufort Sea, retrogressive thaw slumps additionally release 3 % of sediment and 8 % of organic carbon into the ocean. Finally, the future evolution of retrogressive thaw slumps under a warming scenario with summer air temperatures increasing by 2-3 °C by 2081-2100, would lead to an increase of 109-114% in release of sediment-meltwater. It can be concluded that retrogressive thaw slumps are sensitive to climatic conditions and under projected future Arctic warming will contribute larger amounts of thawed permafrost material (including organic carbon and nitrogen) into the environment. N2 - Die Yukon Küste in Kanada ist eine eisreiche Permafrost Küste und reagiert hoch sensibel auf verändernde Umweltbedingungen. Rückschreitende auftaubedingte Rutschungen sind vielzählig entlang der Küste und entstehen, wenn exponierter eisreicher Permafrost an Hängen auftaut und der daraus resultierende Schlamm abtransportiert wird. Diese Rutschungen tragen große Mengen von Sediment, inklusive organischen Kohlenstoff und Stickstoff, in den küstennahen Bereich. Das Ziel dieser Studie war 1) die klimatischen und geomorphologischen Antriebskräfte für die Freisetzung von Sediment-Schmelzwasser zu identifizieren 2) die Mengen an Schmelzwasser, Sediment, organischen Kohlenstoff und Stickstoff zu quantifizieren und 3) die Entwicklung der Sediment-Schmelzwasser-Freigabe von rückschreitenden Rutschungen unter zukünftigen klimatischen Veränderungen abzuschätzen. Die größte rückschreitende Rutschung auf Herschel Island wird als „Slump D“ bezeichnet und steht im Fokus dieser Arbeit. Die Analysen basierten auf den Daten, die über 18 Tage im Juli (2013) und 18 Tage im August (2012) erhoben wurden. Eine Abfluss-Messrinne wurde in den Haupt-Sediment-Schmelzwasser-Kanal eingebaut, um die Sediment-Schmelzwassermassen zu erfassen. Zusätzlich wurden zwei Wetterstationen aufgebaut (auf der unberührten Tundra und innerhalb der Erosionsfläche), die Sonneneinstrahlung, Lufttemperatur, Windgeschwindigkeit und Niederschlagsmenge aufzeichneten. Das Abflussvolumen, das vom auftauenden, eisreichen Permafrost und den schmelzenden Schneebänken ablief, wurde gemessen und mit den meteorologischen Daten in Echtzeit mit einer Auflösung von einer Minute verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass eine Freigabe von Sediment-Schmelzwasser beim Auftauen der eisreichen Permafrost-Steilklippe stark von Schneeschmelze, Sonneneinstrahlung und Lufttemperatur abhängen. Die Schneeschmelze führt zu saisonalen Unterschieden, besonders durch den zusätzlichen Betrag von Wasser zu dem erodierenden Sediment-Schmelzwasser der auftauenden Steilklippe. Dies führt zu einer Verdünnung des Sediment-Schmelzwassers. Sonneneinstrahlung und Lufttemperaturen waren die Hauptantriebskräfte für die Schwankungen im Tagesverlauf und die Unterschiede zwischen den Tagen. Die rückschreitende Rutschung gab im Juli (2013) ungefähr 25 000 m³ Sediment-Schmelzwasser frei, welches 225 kg gelösten organischen Kohlenstoff, 2050 t Sediment, inklusive 33 t organischen Kohlenstoff und 4 t Stickstoff enthielt. Im August (2012) fehlte der zusätzliche Eintrag der Schneeschmelze und das Sediment-Schmelzwasser-Volumen war geringer mit 15 600 m³. Dennoch, ohne die zusätzliche Verdünnung, wurden 281 kg gelöster organischer Kohlenstoff freigesetzt. Die Sedimentkonzentration war doppelt so hoch und führte zu einem Sedimentgehalt mit bis zu 457 g l-1 zu 3058 t Sediment, inklusive 53 t organischen Kohlenstoff und 5 t Stickstoff. Zusätzlich wurden die Daten der 36-tägigen Abflussmessung der rückschreitenden Rutschung auf 62 Tage, von 1. Juli bis 31. August auf alle 229 aktiven Rutschungen entlang der Yukon Küste hochgerechnet. Es wurde diskutiert, dass alle rückschreitenden Rutschungen entlang der Yukon Küste zusammen mindestens 1,4 Mio. m³ Sediment-Schmelzwasser während jeder Auftausaison freigeben. Diese enthalten ein Minimum von 172 000 t Sediment, 3119 t organischen Kohlenstoff, 327 t Stickstoff und 17 t gelösten organischen Kohlenstoff. Daher kann zusammengefasst werden, dass zusätzlich zur Küstenerosion von allen Rutschungen noch ein zusätzlicher Beitrag von 3 % Sediment und 8 % organischen Kohlenstoff in die Beaufort See eingetragen wird. Schließlich wurde die zukünftige Entwicklung dieser rückschreitenden Rutschungen bei einem Temperaturanstieg von 2-3 °C bis 2081-2100 diskutiert. Dies könnte zu einem Anstieg der Sediment-Schmelzwasser-Freigabe von 109-114 % führen. Es kann daraus geschlossen werden, dass rückschreitende Rutschungen sensibel auf Klimabedingungen reagieren und mit der Arktischen Erwärmung größere Mengen an auftauenden Permafrost (inklusive organischen Kohlenstoff und Stickstoff) in die Umwelt freigeben werden. KW - permafrost KW - arctic KW - Canada KW - coast KW - erosion KW - Permafrost KW - Arktik KW - Kanada KW - Küste KW - Erosion Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-397947 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bloethe, Jan H. A1 - Munack, Henry A1 - Korup, Oliver A1 - Fuelling, Alexander A1 - Garzanti, Eduardo A1 - Resentini, Alberto A1 - Kubik, Peter W. T1 - Late Quaternary valley infill and dissection in the Indus River, western Tibetan Plateau margin JF - Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal N2 - The Indus, one of Earth's major rivers, drains large parts of the NW Himalaya and the Transhimalayan ranges that form part of the western Tibetan Plateau margin. In the western Himalayan syntaxis, where local topographic relief exceeds 7 km, the Indus has incised a steep bedrock gorge at rates of several mm yr(-1). Upstream, however, the upper Indus and its tributaries alternate between bedrock gorges and broad alluvial flats flanked by the Ladakh and Zanskar ranges. We review the late Quaternary valley history in this region with a focus on the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar Rivers, where vast alluvial terrace staircases and lake sediments record major episodes of aggradation and incision. New absolute dating of high-level fluvial terrace remnants using cosmogenic Be-10, optically and infrared stimulated luminescence (OSL, IRSL) indicates at least two phases of late Quaternary valley infilling. These phases commenced before similar to 200 ka and similar to 50-20 ka, judging from terrace treads stranded >150 m and similar to 30-40 m above modern river levels, respectively. Numerous stacks of lacustrine sediments that straddle the Indus River >200 km between the city of Leh and the confluence with the Shyok River share a distinct horizontal alignment. Constraints from IRSL samples of lacustrine sequences from the Leh-Spituk area reveal a protracted lake phase from >177 ka to 72 ka, locally accumulating >50-m thick deposits. In the absence of tectonic faulting, major lithological differences, and stream capture, we attribute the formation of this and other large lakes in the region to natural damming by large landslides, glaciers, and alluvial fans. The overall patchy landform age constraints from earlier studies can be reconciled by postulating a major deglacial control on sediment flux, valley infilling, and subsequent incision that has been modulated locally by backwater effects of natural damming. While comparison with Pleistocene monsoon proxies reveals no obvious correlation, a lateor post-glacial sediment pulse seems a more likely source of this widespread sedimentation that has partly buried the dissected bedrock topography. Overall, the long residence times of fluvial, alluvial and lacustrine deposits in the region (>500 ka) support previous studies, but remain striking given the dominantly steep slopes and deeply carved valleys that characterise this high-altitude mountain desert. Recalculated late Quaternary rates of fluvial bedrock incision in the Indus and Zanskar of 1.5 +/- 0.2 mm yr(-1) are at odds with the longevity of juxtaposed valley-fill deposits, unless a lack of decisive lateral fluvial erosion helps to preserve these late Pleistocene sedimentary archives. We conclude that alternating, similar to 10(4)-yr long, phases of massive infilling and incision have dominated the late Quaternary history of the Indus valley below the western Tibetan Plateau margin. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KW - Himalaya KW - Indus KW - Valley fills KW - Glaciation KW - Erosion KW - Lake sediment Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.04.011 SN - 0277-3791 VL - 94 SP - 102 EP - 119 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Korup, Oliver A1 - Hayakawa, Yuichi A1 - Codilean, Alexandru T. A1 - Matsushi, Yuki A1 - Saito, Hitoshi A1 - Oguchi, Takashi A1 - Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki T1 - Japan's sediment flux to the Pacific Ocean revisited JF - Earth science reviews : the international geological journal bridging the gap between research articles and textbooks N2 - Quantifying volumes and rates of delivery of terrestrial sediment from island arcs to subduction zones is indispensable for refining estimates of the thickness of trench fills that may eventually control the location and timing of submarine landslides and tsunami-generating mega-earthquakes. Despite these motivating insights, knowledge about the rates of erosion and sediment export from the Japanese islands to their Pacific subduction zones remains patchy regardless of the increasing availability of highly resolved data on surface deformation, climate, geology, and topography. Traditionally, natural erosion rates across the island arc have been estimated from regression of topographic catchment metrics and reservoir sedimentation rates that were recorded over several years to decades. We review current research in this context, correct for a systematic bias in one of the most widely used predictions, and present new estimates of decadal to millennial-scale erosion rates of Japan's terrestrial inner forearc. We draw on several independent and unprecedented inventories of mass wasting, reservoir sedimentation, and concentrations of cosmogenic Be-10 in river sands. We find that natural Be-10-derived denudation rates of several mm yr(-1) in the Japanese Alps have been sustained over several centuries to millennia, and are, within error, roughly consistent with sediment yields inferred from artificial reservoir sedimentation. Local exceptions may likely result from release of sediment storage or regional landsliding episodes that trigger transient sediment pulses. Our synopsis further reveals that catchments draining Japan's eastern seaboard differ distinctly in their tectonic, lithological, topographic, and climatic characteristics between the Tohoku, Japanese Alps, and Nankai inner forearc segments, which is underscored by a marked asymmetric pattern of erosion rates along the island arc. Erosion rates are highest (up to at least 3 mm yr(-1)) in the Japanese Alps that mark the collision of two subduction zones, where high topographic relief, hillslope and bedrock-channel steepness foster rapid denudation by mass wasting. Comparable, if slightly lower, erosion rates characterise the Nankai inner forearc in southwest Japan, most likely due to higher typhoon-driven rainfall totals and variability rather than its high topographic relief. In contrast, our estimated erosion and flux rates are lowest in the Tohoku inner forearc catchments that feed sediment into the Japan Trench. We conclude that collisional mountain building of the Japanese Alps drives some of the highest erosion rates in the island arc despite similar uplift and precipitation controls in southwest Japan. We infer that, prior to extensive river damming, reservoir construction, and coastal works, the gross of Japan's total sediment export to the Pacific Ocean entered the accretionary margin of the Nankai Trough as opposed to the comparatively sediment-starved Japan Trench. Compared to documented contemporary rates of sediment flux from mountainous catchments elsewhere in the Pacific, the rivers draining Japan's inner forearc take an intermediate position despite high relief, steep slopes, very high seismicity, and frequent rainstorms. However, the average rates of millennial-scale denudation in the Japanese Alps particularly are amongst the highest reported worldwide. Local mismatches between these late Holocene and modern rates emphasise the anthropogenic fingerprint on sediment retention that may have significantly reduced the island arc's mass flux to its subduction zones, as is the case elsewhere in east and southeast Asia. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - Erosion KW - Japan KW - Subduction zone KW - Landslides KW - Cosmogenic nuclides KW - Sediment budget Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2014.03.004 SN - 0012-8252 SN - 1872-6828 VL - 135 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bronstert, Axel A1 - de Araujo, Josè Carlos A1 - Batalla Villanueva, Ramon J. A1 - Costa, Alexandre Cunha A1 - Delgado, José Miguel Martins A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Förster, Saskia A1 - Güntner, Andreas A1 - Lopez-Tarazon, José Andrés A1 - Mamede, George Leite A1 - Medeiros, Pedro Henrique Augusto A1 - Mueller, Eva A1 - Vericat, Damia T1 - Process-based modelling of erosion, sediment transport and reservoir siltation in mesoscale semi-arid catchments JF - Journal of soils and sediments : protection, risk assessment and remediation N2 - To support scientifically sound water management in dryland environments a modelling system has been developed for the quantitative assessment of water and sediment fluxes in catchments, transport in the river system, and retention in reservoirs. The spatial scale of interest is the mesoscale because this is the scale most relevant for management of water and land resources. This modelling system comprises process-oriented hydrological components tailored for dryland characteristics coupled with components comprising hillslope erosion, sediment transport and reservoir deposition processes. The spatial discretization is hierarchically designed according to a multi-scale concept to account for particular relevant process scales. The non-linear and partly intermittent run-off generation and sediment dynamics are dealt with by accounting for connectivity phenomena at the intersections of landscape compartments. The modelling system has been developed by means of data from nested research catchments in NE-Spain and in NE-Brazil. In the semi-arid NE of Brazil sediment retention along the topography is the main process for sediment retention at all scales, i.e. the sediment delivery is transport limited. This kind of deposition retains roughly 50 to 60 % of eroded sediment, maintaining a similar deposition proportion in all spatial scales investigated. On the other hand, the sediment retained in reservoirs is clearly related to the scale, increasing with catchment area. With increasing area, there are more reservoirs, increasing the possibility of deposition. Furthermore, the area increase also promotes an increase in flow volume, favouring the construction of larger reservoirs, which generally overflow less frequently and retain higher sediment fractions. The second example comprises a highly dynamic Mediterranean catchment in NE-Spain with nested sub-catchments and reveals the full dynamics of hydrological, erosion and deposition features. The run-off modelling performed well with only some overestimation during low-flow periods due to the neglect of water losses along the river. The simulated peaks in sediment flux are reproduced well, while low-flow sediment transport is less well captured, due to the disregard of sediment remobilization in the riverbed during low flow. This combined observation and modelling study deepened the understanding of hydro-sedimentological systems characterized by flashy run-off generation and by erosion and sediment transport pulses through the different landscape compartments. The connectivity between the different landscape compartments plays a very relevant role, regarding both the total mass of water and sediment transport and the transport time through the catchment. KW - Connectivity KW - Deposition KW - Erosion KW - Modelling KW - Sediment transfer KW - Semi-arid Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-014-0994-1 SN - 1439-0108 SN - 1614-7480 VL - 14 IS - 12 SP - 2001 EP - 2018 PB - Springer CY - Heidelberg ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zimmermann, Alexander A1 - Francke, Till A1 - Elsenbeer, Helmut T1 - Forests and erosion: Insights from a study of suspended-sediment dynamics in an overland flow-prone rainforest catchment JF - Journal of hydrology N2 - Forests seem to represent low-erosion systems, according to most, but not all, studies of suspended-sediment yield. We surmised that this impression reflects an accidental bias in the selection of monitoring sites towards those with prevailing vertical hydrological flowpaths, rather than a tight causal link between vegetation cover and erosion alone. To evaluate this conjecture, we monitored, over a 2-year period, a 3.3 ha old-growth rainforest catchment prone to frequent and widespread overland flow. We sampled stream flow at two and overland flow at three sites in a nested arrangement on a within-event basis, and monitored the spatial and temporal frequency of overland flow. Suspended-sediment concentrations were modeled with Random Forest and Quantile Regression Forest to be able to estimate the annual yields for the 2 years, which amounted to 1 t ha(-1) and 2 t ha(-1) in a year with below-average and with average precipitation, respectively. These estimates place our monitoring site near the high end of reported suspended-sediment yields and lend credence to the notion that low yields reflect primarily the dominance of vertical flowpaths and not necessarily and exclusively the kind of vegetative cover. Undisturbed forest and surface erosion are certainly no contradiction in terms even in the absence of mass movements. KW - Rainforest KW - Overland flow KW - Erosion KW - Suspended-sediment yield KW - Quantile Regression Forest model KW - Panama Canal watershed Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.01.039 SN - 0022-1694 VL - 428 IS - 7 SP - 170 EP - 181 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Korup, Oliver T1 - Earth's portfolio of extreme sediment transport events JF - Earth science reviews : the international geological journal bridging the gap between research articles and textbooks N2 - Quantitative estimates of sediment flux and the global cycling of sediments from hillslopes to rivers, estuaries, deltas, continental shelves, and deep-sea basins have a long research tradition. In this context, extremely large and commensurately rare sediment transport events have so far eluded a systematic analysis. To start filling this knowledge gap I review some of the highest reported sediment yields in mountain rivers impacted by volcanic eruptions, earthquake- and storm-triggered landslide episodes, and catastrophic dam breaks. Extreme specific yields, defined here as those exceeding the 95th percentile of compiled data, are similar to 10(4) t km(-2) yr(-1) if averaged over 1 yr. These extreme yields vary by eight orders of magnitude, but systematically decay with reference intervals from minutes to millennia such that yields vary by three orders of magnitude for a given reference interval. Sediment delivery from natural dam breaks and pyroclastic eruptions dominate these yields for a given reference interval. Even if averaged over 10(2)-10(3) yr, the contribution of individual disturbances may remain elevated above corresponding catchment denudation rates. I further estimate rates of sediment (re-)mobilisation by individual giant terrestrial and submarine mass movements. Less than 50 postglacial submarine mass movements have involved an equivalent of similar to 10% of the contemporary annual global flux of fluvial sediment to Earth's oceans, while mobilisation rates by individual events rival the decadal-scale sediment discharge from tectonically active orogens such as Taiwan or New Zealand. Sediment flushing associated with catastrophic natural dam breaks is non-stationary and shows a distinct kink at the last glacial-interglacial transition, owing to the drainage of very large late Pleistocene ice-marginal lakes. Besides emphasising the contribution of high-magnitude and low-frequency events to the global sediment cascade, these findings stress the importance of sediment storage for fuelling rather than buffering high sediment transport rates. KW - Sediment yield KW - Erosion KW - Extreme event Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.02.006 SN - 0012-8252 VL - 112 IS - 3-4 SP - 115 EP - 125 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - THES A1 - Hoffmann, Bernd T1 - Plant organic matter mobilization and export in fluvial systems T1 - Mobilisierung und Export pflanzlicher Biomasse in Flusssystemen BT - a case study from the eastern Nepalese Arun Valley BT - Fallstudie im ost-nepalesischen Arun-Tal N2 - The global carbon cycle is closely linked to Earth’s climate. In the context of continuously unchecked anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, the importance of natural CO₂ bond and carbon storage is increasing. An important biogenic mechanism of natural atmospheric CO₂ drawdown is the photosynthetic carbon fixation in plants and the subsequent longterm deposition of plant detritus in sediments. The main objective of this thesis is to identify factors that control mobilization and transport of plant organic matter (pOM) through rivers towards sedimentation basins. I investigated this aspect in the eastern Nepalese Arun Valley. The trans-Himalayan Arun River is characterized by a strong elevation gradient (205 − 8848 m asl) that is accompanied by strong changes in ecology and climate ranging from wet tropical conditions in the Himalayan forelad to high alpine tundra on the Tibetan Plateau. Therefore, the Arun is an excellent natural laboratory, allowing the investigation of the effect of vegetation cover, climate, and topography on plant organic matter mobilization and export in tributaries along the gradient. Based on hydrogen isotope measurements of plant waxes sampled along the Arun River and its tributaries, I first developed a model that allows for an indirect quantification of pOM contributed to the mainsetm by the Arun’s tributaries. In order to determine the role of climatic and topographic parameters of sampled tributary catchments, I looked for significant statistical relations between the amount of tributary pOM export and tributary characteristics (e.g. catchment size, plant cover, annual precipitation or runoff, topographic measures). On one hand, I demonstrated that pOMsourced from the Arun is not uniformly derived from its entire catchment area. On the other, I showed that dense vegetation is a necessary, but not sufficient, criterion for high tributary pOM export. Instead, I identified erosion and rainfall and runoff as key factors controlling pOM sourcing in the Arun Valley. This finding is supported by terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide concentrations measured on river sands along the Arun and its tributaries in order to quantify catchment wide denudation rates. Highest denudation rates corresponded well with maximum pOM mobilization and export also suggesting the link between erosion and pOM sourcing. The second part of this thesis focusses on the applicability of stable isotope records such as plant wax n-alkanes in sediment archives as qualitative and quantitative proxy for the variability of past Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) strength. First, I determined how ISM strength affects the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopic composition (reported as δD and δ18O values vs. Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water) of precipitation in the Arun Valley and if this amount effect (Dansgaard, 1964) is strong enough to be recorded in potential paleo-ISM isotope proxies. Second, I investigated if potential isotope records across the Arun catchment reflect ISM strength dependent precipitation δD values only, or if the ISM isotope signal is superimposed by winter precipitation or glacial melt. Furthermore, I tested if δD values of plant waxes in fluvial deposits reflect δD values of environmental waters in the respective catchments. I showed that surface water δD values in the Arun Valley and precipitation δD from south of the Himalaya both changed similarly during two consecutive years (2011 & 2012) with distinct ISM rainfall amounts (~20% less in 2012). In order to evaluate the effect of other water sources (Winter-Westerly precipitation, glacial melt) and evapotranspiration in the Arun Valley, I analysed satellite remote sensing data of rainfall distribution (TRMM 3B42V7), snow cover (MODIS MOD10C1), glacial coverage (GLIMSdatabase, Global Land Ice Measurements from Space), and evapotranspiration (MODIS MOD16A2). In addition to the predominant ISM in the entire catchment I found through stable isotope analysis of surface waters indications for a considerable amount of glacial melt derived from high altitude tributaries and the Tibetan Plateau. Remotely sensed snow cover data revealed that the upper portion of the Arun also receives considerable winter precipitation, but the effect of snow melt on the Arun Valley hydrology could not be evaluated as it takes place in early summer, several months prior to our sampling campaigns. However, I infer that plant wax records and other potential stable isotope proxy archives below the snowline are well-suited for qualitative, and potentially quantitative, reconstructions of past changes of ISM strength. N2 - Da der globale Kohlenstoffkreislauf stark mit dem Klima der Erde verknüpft ist, sind im Zusammenhang mit dem weiterhin ungebremsten anthropogenen CO₂-Ausstoß die natürliche Bindung von CO₂ und die langfristige Speicherung von Kohlenstoff um so wichtiger. Einer der wesentlichen Mechanismen des natürlichen CO₂-Abbaus ist die photosynthetische Kohlenstoffbindung in Pflanzen verknüpft mit der anschließenden langfristigen Ablagerung von Pflanzenmaterial in Sedimenten. Hauptziel der vorliegenden Dissertation ist daher, jene Faktoren zu identifizieren, die für den Abtransport toten Pflanzenmaterials in Flüssen hin zu Sedimentationsräumen verantwortlich sind. Das entsprechende Untersuchungsgebiet ist das ost-nepalesische Arun Tal. Der Arun durchschneidet den Himalaya von Nord nach Süd und sein Einzugsgebiet ist geprägt vom stärksten Höhengradienten der Erde (8848-205 m ü.N.N.). Entsprechend durchfließt er mehrere Klimazonen von alpiner Tundra auf dem Tibetischen Plateau hin zu subtropischen Bedingungen im Süden Nepals. Wegen dieses starken Gefälles bietet der Arun die Möglichkeit, die Mobilisierung und den Abtransport von Pflanzenmaterial unter sehr unterschiedlichen klimatischen, ökologischen und topographischen Gegenbenheiten zu untersuchen. Zunächst entwickelte ich ein auf Wasserstoff-Isotopen-Messungen an Pflanzenwachsen in Flusssedimenten basierendes Modell, das es ermöglicht, indirekt den Pflanzendetritus-Beitrag der Nebenflüsse in Relation zur Gesamtmasse des vom Arun abtransportierten Pflanzenmaterials zu quantifizieren. Um jene klimatischen und topografischen Eigenschaften der Seitenflüsse zu ermitteln, welche die jeweils exportierte Menge an Pflanzenmaterial kontrollieren, suchte ich im nächsten Schritt nach einem statistischen Zusammenhang zwischen exportierten Pflanzenrestmengen der Nebenflüsse sowie der Größe ihrer Einzugsgebiete, Pflanzenbedeckung, Niederschlagsmenge (bzw. Abfluss), und ihrer Topografie als Maß für Erosionsvermögen. Mit diesen Methoden kann ich einerseits klar belegen, dass das vom Arun transportierte Pflanzenmaterial nicht flächendeckend gleichmäßig aus seinem Einzugsgebiet stammt. Andererseits zeigt sich, dass dichter Pflanzenbewuchs zwar ein notwendiges, jedoch kein hinreichendes Kriterium für hohe Exportraten ist. Meine Untersuchung im Arun Tal führte letztlich zu dem Ergebnis, dass die für die Mobilisierung und den Export von Pflanzenmaterial wesentlichen Faktoren Niederschlagsmenge und Erosion sind, wobei Pflanzenbedeckung zwar vorausgesetzt ist, oft jedoch als Resultat hohen Niederschlags auftritt. Dass Erosion hierbei eine Schlüsselrolle zukommt, legt auch die Analyse von kosmogenen Nuklid-Konzentrationen in Flusssanden zur Bestimmung von Erosionsraten nahe. Ich fand eine sehr gute räumliche Übereinstimmung von hohen Erosionsraten und maximalem Pflanzendetritus-Abtransport, die den Zusammenhang beider Parameter zusätzlich belegt. Der zweite, im Rahmen der beschriebenen Untersuchung näher beleuchtete Aspekt, ist die potentielle Nutzung der Isotopenzusammensetzung von in Sedimenten enthaltenen Pflanzenwachsen als quantitativer Marker für Monsun-Variabilität in der Vergangenheit. Voraussetzung für eine entsprechende Nutzung ist einerseits, dass sich Schwankungen der Monsun-Intensität in der Isotopie des Regenwassers niederschlagen (der sogenannte amount effect, Dansgaard, 1964) und andererseits, dass die Blattwachsproduzierenden Pflanzen Monsun-Wasser aufnehmen und ausschließlich dessen Isotopie in ihre Blattwachse übernehmen. Die erste Voraussetzung konnte ich als gegeben bestätigen, da sich die Isotopenzusammensetzung der Oberflächenwasser im Arun-Tal während zwei aufeinanderfolgender, sehr unterschiedlich starker Monsun-Regenzeiten (2011 & 2012) gleichermaßen änderte, wie es an einer Wetterstation südlich des Himalaya in Bangladesh beobachtet wurde. Zur Überprüfung der zweiten Bedingung wurde zunächst mit Fernerkundungsmethoden die Regenverteilung (TRMM 3B42V7) und Schneebedeckung (MODIS MOD10C1) im Arun-Tal vor und während der Probenkampagnen 2011 und 2012 ausgewertet. Unter Hinzuziehung der stabilen Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff Isotopen-Messungen an Oberflächenwassern konnte der Einfluss verschiedenerWasserquellen (Indischer Sommer-Monsun, Schnee der Winter-Westwinde, Gletscherschmelze) sehr gut beurteilt werden: Ich konnte zeigen, dass der Arun-Fluss stark von Monsun und Eisschmelze beeinflusst wird und dass darum davon auszugehen ist, dass Blattwachse seines Einzugsgebietes nicht nur die Isotopenzusammensetzung des Monsun-Regens repräsentieren. Die Nebenflüsse jedoch, welche südlich des Himalaya-Hauptkammes unterhalb der Schneegrenze liegen, sind klar dominiert von Monsun-Regen. Das bedeutet, dass potentielle stabile Isotopen-Archive in den entsprechenden Einzugsgebieten quantitativ interpretiert werden können und die Variabilität des Sommer-Monsuns in der Vergangenheit dort absolut rekonstruiert werden könnte. KW - Pflanzenwachs KW - stabile Isotope KW - Satelliten-Fernerkundung KW - Erosion KW - plant waxes KW - stable isotopes KW - remote sensing KW - erosion Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-99336 ER -