From hillslopes to floodplains: controls on fluvial networks in mountainous landscapes

Fiona Clubb, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Edinburgh

Link to Video

https://umn.webex.com/umn/ldr.php?RCID=b280be4cf29933efd19d0d66258da9bf

Mountainous regions are ubiquitously dissected by river networks.  These networks are the main drivers by which climate and tectonic signals are transmitted to the rest of the landscape, and control the response timescale of the landscape to these external forcings.  Furthermore, river systems set the downslope boundary conditions for hillslope sediment transport, which controls landscape denudation.  Therefore, understanding the controls on the organisation and structure of river networks in upland landscapes is an important goal in Earth surface processes research.  

The recent introduction of high-resolution topographic data, such as airborne lidar data, has revolutionised our ability to extract information from the topography, providing new opportunities for linking geomorphic process with landscape form.  In this talk, I will present novel methods of identifying and quantifying fluvial networks from high-resolution topographic data. I then use these methods to explore links between channel network density and erosion rate, which I use to explore different models of long-term landscape evolution.