Estimating suspended sediment load in rivers is complex due to the variability in the observed concentrations. We present a model for soil erosion and sediment transport in river basins that accounts for the main sources of this variability and can capture the scatter of the rating curve in a pre-alpine basin. We found that sediment load depends on the variability in space of erosion drivers, as this affects erosion rates and the location and connectivity to the channel of the erosion areas.

Changes in topographic structure affect the geographic ranges of organisms by fragmenting habitats, which can lead to new species, and shrinking habitats, which increase extinction rates. We developed an approach and applied a new modelling tool to assess how changes in the course of a river impact riverine species. This first application of the tool demonstrates that following climatic and tectonic change, species can proliferate or diminish, depending on the details of topographic structure.

Spring-fed streams throughout volcanic regions of the western United States are wider than runoff-fed streams with similar flow levels. We used high-resolution satellite imagery in combination with flow and climate data to examine the relationship between wood loading and stream width in 38 spring-fed and 20 runoff-fed streams. This study identifies distinct wood dynamics in spring-fed and runoff-fed streams and a strong correlation between stream width and wood length in spring-fed streams.

In areas covered by sediments, the unknown bedrock surface can be expressed as a mathematical function in space. We used sparse point information of the vertical depth to the bedrock surface together with general digital information (viz digital elevation maps; geological maps) to minimize the estimation uncertainties. Based on local geology, we used the relation between horizontal distance to the nearest bedrock outcrop as a secondary information to minimize the estimation uncertainties.

This short communication presents an efficient method for analyzing large fault scarp data sets. The programs and workflow required are open-source and the methodology is easy to use, thus the barrier to entry is low. This tool can be applied to a broad range of active tectonic studies. A case study in the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand exemplifies the novelty of this tool by generating results that are consistent with extensive field campaigns in only a few hours at a workstation.

Drainage divides are are believed to provide clues about divide migration and the instability of landscapes. Here, we present a novel approach to extract drainage divides from digital elevation models and to order them in a drainage divide network. We present our approach by studying natural as well as artificial landscapes, generated with a landscape evolution model, and disturbed to induce divide migration.

During the Miocene (18 Ma), the massive Hazeva River drained the western flank Arabian Peninsula into the Mediterranean, before it was dismantled in the early Pliocene. During this time, rates of erosion were dramatically higher (at least twice as fast) compared to modern rates. We attribute the change in rates of surface processes to either topographic changes brought on by tectonic activity, wetter conditions in the region during the Miocene compared to the current hyper-arid climate, or both.

In this contribution, we explore the spatial determinants of bedrock river incision in the tropical Andes. The model results illustrate the problem of confounding between climatic and lithological variables, such as rock strength. Incorporating rock strength explicitly into river incision models enables us to clarify the role of rainfall variability in controlling river incision rates.

Bedrock channels are the conveyor belts of mountain regions, evacuating sediment produced by erosion. Bedrock channel morphology and dynamics affects sediment transport rates, local erosion and set the baselevel for hillslope response. Here, using mechanistic considerations of the processes of fluvial erosion and transport, and considerations of the mass balance of sediment and bedrock, I discuss the principles governing steady state channel morphology and the dynamic paths to achieve it.