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1.
Soil erosion is one of the most severe land degradation processes in the Mediterranean region. Although badlands occupy a relatively small fraction of the Mediterranean area, their erosion rates are very high. Many studies have investigated to what extent vegetation controls soil erosion rates. This study, however, deals with the impact of erosion on vegetation establishment. In semi‐arid badlands of the Mediterranean, soil water availability constitutes the main limiting factor for vegetation development. As a consequence, south‐facing slopes are typically less vegetated due to a very large water stress. However, these findings do not necessarily apply to humid badlands. The main objective of this paper is to determine the topographic thresholds for plant colonization in relation to slope aspect and to assess the spatial patterns of vegetation cover and species richness. We surveyed 179 plots on highly eroded badland slopes in the Central Pyrenees. We defined four aspect classes subdivided into slope angle classes. Colonization success was expressed in terms of vegetation cover and species richness. Slope angle thresholds for plant colonization were identified for each slope aspect class by means of binary logistic regressions. The results show that a critical slope angle exists below which plants colonize the badland slopes. Below this critical slope angle, plant cover and species richness increase with a decreasing slope angle. The largest critical slope angles in humid badlands are observed on south‐facing slopes, which contrasts with the results obtained in semi‐arid badlands. North‐facing slopes however are characterized by a reduced overall vegetation cover and species richness, and lower topographic threshold values. The possible underlying processes responsible for this slope‐aspect discrepancy in vegetation characteristics are discussed in terms of environmental variables that control regolith development, weathering and erosion processes. Moreover, possible restoration strategies through the use of vegetation in highly degraded environments are highlighted. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

2.
Through the delivery of water in snowmelt, climate should govern the rate and extent of saprolite formation in snow‐dominated mountain watersheds, yet the mechanisms by which water flows deeply into regolith are largely unexplored. In this study we link rainfall, snow depth, and water content data from both soil and shallow saprolite to document vadose zone dynamics in two montane catchments over 2 years. Measurements of snow pack thickness and soil moisture reveal strong contrasts between north‐ and south‐facing slopes in both the timing of meltwater delivery and the duration of significant soil wetting in the shallow vadose zone. Despite similar magnitudes of snowmelt recharge, north‐facing slopes have higher sustained soil moisture compared to south‐facing slopes. To help interpret these observations, we use a 2D numerical model of vadose zone dynamics to calculate the expected space–time moisture patterns on an idealized hillslope under two wetting scenarios: a single sustained recharge pulse versus a set of short pulses. The model predicts that the duration of the recharge event exerts a stronger control on the depth and residence time of water in the upper unsaturated zone than the magnitude of the recharge event. Model calculations also imply that water should move more slowly through the subsurface and downward water flux should be substantially reduced when water is applied in several pulses rather than in one sustained event. The results suggest that thicker soil and more deeply weathered rock on north‐facing slopes may reflect greater water supply to the deep subsurface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

3.
The type and relative rate of geomorphic process activity on residual hillslopes in the White River Badlands of South Dakota were found to vary as a function of aspect-induced differences in topoclimate. Drainage densities on north-facing slopes several orders of magnitude greater than those on slopes facing south indicate that north-facing slopes experience greater fluvial erosion. Comparative analysis of mass movement features suggests that north-facing slopes are prone to relatively high-magnitude, low-frequency failures, whereas south-facing slopes experience far more frequent but much smaller movements. Variations in process activity can be explained in large part by aspect-induced differences in moisture regime. Field monitoring of moisture conditions indicates that north-facing slopes maintain higher and less variable moisture levels. South-facing slopes are not only drier in- general but are subject to more frequent and intense episodes of wetting and drying. Differences in moisture conditions promote differences in weathering activity as evidenced by thicknesses of slope regoliths. Higher moisture levels on north-facing slopes lead to more rapid dissolution of binding cements and consequently, thicker regolith covers. On south-facing slopes, however, regolith covers are virtually non-existent due to both drier conditions and episodic desiccation, which triggers small rockfalls. Greater fluvial erosion on north-facing slopes is a consequence of higher antecedent moisture levels, which retard infiltration. Further, the unconsolidated regolith cover is more erodible than the relatively unweathered materials exposed on the surfaces of south-facing slopes. Resistance to slumps and mudflows is lower on north-facing slopes because the weathered regolith is less cohesive than the unweathered parent material and also because the regoliths are periodically saturated.  相似文献   

4.
In the Colorado Front Range, forested catchments near the rain–snow transition are likely to experience changes in snowmelt delivery and subsurface water transport with climate warming and associated shifts in precipitation patterns. Snowpack dynamics are strongly affected by aspect: Lodgepole pine forested north‐facing slopes develop a seasonal snowpack, whereas Ponderosa pine‐dotted south‐facing slopes experience intermittent snow accumulation throughout winter and spring. We tested the degree to which these contrasting water input patterns cause different near‐surface hydrologic response on north‐facing and south‐facing hillslopes during the snowmelt period. During spring snowmelt, we applied lithium bromide (LiBr) tracer to instrumented plots along a north–south catchment transect. Bromide broke through immediately at 10‐ and 30‐cm depths on the north‐facing slope and was transported out of soil waters within 40 days. On the south‐facing slope, Br? was transported to significant depths only during spring storms and remained above the detection limit throughout the study. Modelling of unsaturated zone hydrologic response using Hydrus‐1D corroborated these aspect‐driven differences in subsurface transport. Our multiple lines of evidence suggest that north‐facing slopes are dominated by connected flow through the soil matrix, whereas south‐facing slope soils experience brief periods of rapid vertical transport following snowmelt events and are drier overall than north‐facing slopes. These differences in hydrologic response were largely a function of energy‐driven differences in water supply, emphasizing the importance of aspect and climate forcing when considering contributions of water and solutes to streamflow in catchments near the snow line. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

5.
The headwaters of mountainous, discontinuous permafrost regions in north‐eastern Mongolia are important water resources for the semi‐arid country, but little is known about hydrological processes there. Run‐off generation on south‐facing slopes, which are devoid of permafrost, has so far been neglected and is totally unknown for areas that have been affected by recent forest fires. To fill this knowledge gap, the present study applied artificial tracers on a steppe‐vegetated south‐facing and on two north‐facing slopes, burned and unburned. Combined sprinkling and dye tracer experiments were used to visualize processes of infiltration and water fluxes in the unsaturated zone. On the unburned north‐facing slope, rapid and widespread infiltration through a wet organic layer was observed down to the permafrost. On the burned profile, rapid infiltration occurred through a combusted organic and underlying mineral layer. Stained water seeped out at the bottom of both profiles suggesting a general tendency to subsurface stormflow (SSF). Ongoing SSF could directly be studied 24 h after a high‐intensity rainfall event on a 55‐m hillslope section in the burned forest. Measurements of water temperature proved the role of the permafrost layer as a base horizon for SSF. Repeated tracer injections allowed direct insights into SSF dynamics: A first injection suggested rather slow dispersive subsurface flow paths; whereas 18 h later, a second injection traced a more preferential flow system with 20 times quicker flow velocities. We speculate that these pronounced SSF dynamics are limited to burned slopes where a thermally insulating organic layer is absent. On three south‐facing soil profiles, the applied tracer remained in the uppermost 5 cm of a silt‐rich mineral soil horizon. No signs of preferential infiltration could be found, which suggested reduced biological activity under a harsh, dry and cold climate. Instead, direct observations, distributed tracers and charcoal samples provided evidence for the occurrence of overland flow. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

6.
The Araguás experimental catchment has been monitored to study badland dynamics in the Central Pyrenees. Previous studies of weathering processes within the catchment reported strong regolith dynamics associated with seasonal variations in the temperature and moisture regimes. A preliminary analysis of hydrological response and suspended sediment transport data recorded at a gauging station also demonstrated seasonal trends. The main objective of the present study is to understand the effect of regolith dynamics on sediment detachment and infiltration processes, based on field studies using simulated rainfall. The experiment design was based on seasonal differences in the physical conditions of surface regolith and the general trends of hydro‐sedimentological responses. Rainfall simulations were conducted on small plots using a pressure nozzle. Similar experimental rainfall conditions were set for all plots (rainfall intensity around 45 mm h–1). The results showed strong variations in the infiltration and detachment responses closely associated with the regolith conditions and crusting development. Infiltration showed seasonal differences in time lag and intensity: average infiltration rates ranged from very low (2·05 mm h–1) to moderated high values (44·04 mm h–1) associated to regolith development conditions. Maximum sediment concentration, as an indicator of particles produced by detachment, also ranged from moderate (3 g l–1) to extreme values (145 g l–1). Mean and minimum infiltration rates showed negative correlations with initial moisture content. Sediment concentration showed a positive correlation with time lag, ponding, and sealing time, and a negative correlation with initial moisture. In terms of seasonal trends, infiltration and erosion responses were relatively stable during spring and autumn, whereas wide variations were recorded in infiltration rates and sediment detachment during summer and winter. As a general conclusion, the obtained results indicate that seasonal differences in detachment and infiltration depend on the nature of regolith development. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

7.
Hillslope asymmetry, i.e. variation in hillslope form as a function of slope aspect and/or mean solar insolation, has been documented in many climates and geologic contexts. Such patterns have the potential to help us better understand the hydrologic, ecologic, and geomorphologic processes and feedbacks operating on hillslopes. Here we document asymmetry in the fraction of hillslope relief accommodated by cliffs in weathering‐limited hillslopes of drainage basins incised into the East Kaibab Monocline (northern Arizona) and Raplee Ridge Monocline (southern Utah) of the southern Colorado Plateau. We document that south‐ and west‐facing hillslopes have a larger proportion of hillslope relief accommodated by cliffs compared with north‐ and east‐facing hillslopes. Cliff abundance correlates positively with mean solar insolation and, by inference, negatively with soil/rock moisture. Solar insolation control of hillslope asymmetry is an incomplete explanation, however, because it cannot account for the fact that the greatest asymmetry occurs between southwest‐ and northeast‐facing hillslopes rather than between south‐ and north‐facing hillslopes in the study sites. Modeling results suggest that southwest‐facing hillslopes are more cliff‐dominated than southeast‐facing hillslopes of the same mean solar insolation in part because potential evapotranspiration rates, which control the soil/rock moisture that drives weathering, are controlled by the product of solar insolation and a nonlinear function of surface temperature, together with the fact that southwest‐facing hillslopes receive peak solar insolation during warmer times of day compared with southeast‐facing hillslopes. The dependence of water availability on both solar insolation and surface temperature highlights the importance of the diurnal cycle in controlling water availability, and it provides a general explanation for the fact that vegetation cover tends to exhibit the greatest difference between northeast‐ and southwest‐facing hillslopes in the Northern Hemisphere and between southeast‐ and northwest‐facing hillslopes in the Southern Hemisphere. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

8.
How rock is weathered physically and chemically into transportable material is a fundamental question in critical‐zone science. In addition, the distribution of weathered material (soil and intact regolith) across upland landscapes exerts a first‐order control on the hydrology of watersheds. In this paper we present the results of six shallow seismic‐refraction surveys in the Redondo Mountain region of the Valles Caldera, New Mexico. The P‐wave velocities corresponding to soil (≤ 0.6 km s?1) were inferred from a seventh seismic survey where soil‐thickness data were determined by pit excavation. Using multivariable regression, we quantified the relationships among slope gradient, aspect, and topographic wetness index (TWI) on soil and regolith (soil plus intact regolith) thicknesses. Our results show that both soil and regolith thicknesses vary inversely with TWI in all six survey areas while varying directly with slope aspect (i.e. thicker beneath north‐facing slopes) and inversely with slope gradient (i.e. thinner beneath steep slopes) in the majority of the survey areas. An empirical model based on power‐law relationships between regolith thickness and its correlative variables can fit our inferred thicknesses with R2 ‐values up to 0.880 for soil and 0.831 for regolith in areas with significant topographic variations. These results further demonstrate the efficacy of shallow seismic refraction for mapping and determining how soil and regolith variations correlate with topography across upland landscapes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

9.
Badland landscapes exhibit high erosion rates and represent the main source of fine sediments in some catchments. Advances in high-resolution topographic methods allow analysis of topographic changes at high temporal and spatial scales. We apply the Mapping Geomorphic Processes in the Environment (MaGPiE) algorithm to infer the main geomorphic process signatures operating in two sub-humid badlands with contrasting morphometric attributes located in the Southern Pyrenees. By interrogating a 5-year dataset of seasonal and annual topographic changes, we examine the variability of geomorphic processes at multiple temporal scales. The magnitude of geomorphic processes is linked to landform attributes and meteorological variables. Morphometric differences between both adjacent badlands allow us to analyse the role of landform attributes in the main geomorphic process reshaping landscapes subjected to the same external forcing (i.e. rainfall and temperature). The dominant geomorphic process signatures observed in both badlands are different, despite their close proximity and the same rainfall and temperature regimes. Process signatures determining surface lowering in the gently sloping south-facing badland, characterized by lower connectivity and more vegetation cover, are driven by surface runoff-based processes, both diffuse (causing sheet washing) and concentrated (determining cutting and filling, rilling and gullying). The steeper, more connected north-facing slopes of the other badland are reshaped by means of gravitational processes, with mass wasting dominating topographic changes. In terms of processes determining surface raising, both mass wasting and cutting and filling are most frequently observed in both badlands. There is a clear near-balanced feedback between both surface-raising and -lowering processes that becomes unbalanced at larger temporal scales due to the thresholds overcome, as the volume associated with surface lowering becomes higher than that associated with raising-based processes. Rainfall variables control surface flow processes, while those variables associated with low temperature have a significant relation with mass movement-based processes and other localized processes such as regolith cohesion loss. Finally, our results point out that morphometry (slope and connectivity) together with vegetation cover are key factors determining geomorphic processes and associated topographic changes. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

10.
Snowmelt water supplies streamflow and growing season soil moisture in mountain regions, yet pathways of snowmelt water and their effects on moisture patterns are still largely unknown. This study examined how flow processes during snowmelt runoff affected spatial patterns of soil moisture on two steep sub‐alpine hillslope transects in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, USA. The transects have northeast‐facing and east‐facing aspects, and both extend from high‐elevation bedrock outcrops down to streams in valley bottoms. Spatial patterns of both snow depth and near‐surface soil moisture were surveyed along these transects in the snowmelt and summer seasons of 2008–2010. To link these patterns to flow processes, soil moisture was measured continuously on both transects and compared with the timing of discharge in nearby streams. Results indicate that both slopes generated shallow lateral subsurface flow during snowmelt through near‐surface soil, colluvium and bedrock fractures. On the northeast‐facing transect, this shallow subsurface flow emerged through mid‐slope seepage zones, in some cases producing saturation overland flow, whereas the east‐facing slope had no seepage zones or overland flow. At the hillslope scale, earlier snowmelt timing on the east‐facing slope led to drier average soil moisture conditions than on the northeast‐facing slope, but within hillslopes, snow patterns had little relation to soil moisture patterns except in areas with persistent snow drifts. Results suggest that lateral flow and exfiltration processes are key controls on soil moisture spatial patterns in this steep sub‐alpine location. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

11.
The conversion of bedrock to regolith marks the inception of critical zone processes, but the factors that regulate it remain poorly understood. Although the thickness and degree of weathering of regolith are widely thought to be important regulators of the development of regolith and its water‐storage potential, the functional relationships between regolith properties and the processes that generate it remain poorly documented. This is due in part to the fact that regolith is difficult to characterize by direct observations over the broad scales needed for process‐based understanding of the critical zone. Here we use seismic refraction and resistivity imaging techniques to estimate variations in regolith thickness and porosity across a forested slope and swampy meadow in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (SSCZO). Inferred seismic velocities and electrical resistivities image a weathering zone ranging in thickness from 10 to 35 m (average = 23 m) along one intensively studied transect. The inferred weathering zone consists of roughly equal thicknesses of saprolite (P‐velocity < 2 km s?1) and moderately weathered bedrock (P‐velocity = 2–4 km s?1). A minimum‐porosity model assuming dry pore space shows porosities as high as 50% near the surface, decreasing to near zero at the base of weathered rock. Physical properties of saprolite samples from hand augering and push cores are consistent with our rock physics model when variations in pore saturation are taken into account. Our results indicate that saprolite is a crucial reservoir of water, potentially storing an average of 3 m3 m?2 of water along a forested slope in the headwaters of the SSCZO. When coupled with published erosion rates from cosmogenic nuclides, our geophysical estimates of weathering zone thickness imply regolith residence times on the order of 105 years. Thus, soils at the surface today may integrate weathering over glacial–interglacial fluctuations in climate. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

12.
Rock moisture during freeze–thaw events is a key factor for frost weathering. Data on moisture levels of natural rockwalls are scarce and difficult to obtain. To close this gap, we can benefit from the extensive knowledge of moisture‐related phenomena in building materials, which is incorporated into simulation software, for example the WUFI® package of the Fraunhofer Institute of Building Physics. In this paper we applied and adapted this type of simulation to natural rockwalls to gain new insights on which moisture‐related weathering mechanisms may be important under which conditions. We collected the required input data on physical rock properties and local climate for two study areas in the eastern European Alps with different elevation [Sonnblick, 3106 m above sea level (a.s.l.) and Johnsbach, 700 m a.s.l.] and different lithologies (gneiss and dolomite, respectively). From this data, moisture profiles with depth and fluctuations in the course of a typical year were calculated. The results were cross‐checked with different thermal conditions for frost weathering reported in the literature (volumetric expansion and ice segregation theories). The analyses show that in both study areas the thresholds for frost cracking by volumetric expansion of ice (90% pore saturation, temperature < ?1 °C) are hardly ever reached (in one year only 0.07% of the time in Johnsbach and 0.4% at Sonnblick, mostly in north‐exposed walls). The preconditions for weathering by ice segregation (?3 to ?8 °C, > 60% saturation) prevail over much longer periods; the time spent within this ‘frost cracking window‘ is also higher for north‐facing sites. The influence of current climate warming will reduce effective frost events towards 2100; however the increase of liquid precipitation and rock moisture will promote weathering processes like ice segregation at least at the Sonnblick site. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

13.
In this article we craft process‐specific algorithms that capture climate control of hillslope evolution in order to elucidate the legacy of past climate on present critical zone architecture and topography. Models of hillslope evolution traditionally comprise rock detachment into the mobile layer, mobile regolith transport, and a channel incision or aggradation boundary condition. We extend this system into the deep critical zone by considering a weathering damage zone below the mobile regolith in which rock strength is diminished; the degree of damage conditions the rate of mobile regolith production. We first discuss generic damage profiles in which appropriate length and damage scales govern profile shapes, and examine their dependence upon exhumation rate. We then introduce climate control through the example of rock damage by frost‐generated crack growth. We augment existing frost cracking models by incorporating damage rate limitations for long transport distances for water to the freezing front. Finally we link the frost cracking damage model, a mobile regolith production rule in which rock entrainment is conditioned by the damage state of the rock, and a frost creep transport model, to examine the evolution of an interfluve under oscillating climate. Aspect‐related differences in mean annual surface temperatures result in differences in bedrock damage rate and mobile regolith transport efficiency, which in turn lead to asymmetries in critical zone architecture and hillslope form (divide migration). In a quasi‐steady state hillslope, the lowering rate is uniform, and the damage profile is better developed on north‐facing slopes where the frost damage process is most intense. Because the residence times of mobile regolith and weathered bedrock in such landscapes are on the order of 10 to 100 ka, climate cycles over similar timescales result in modulation of transport and damage efficiencies. These lead to temporal variation in mobile regolith thickness, and to corresponding changes in sediment delivery to bounding streams. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

14.
Mineralogical, geochemical and grain‐size composition of soil and pore‐water chemistry parameters were characterized on both eroded (south‐facing) and non‐eroded (north‐facing) clayey‐silt slopes in the Basilicata region (southern Italy). Only a few grain‐size parameters and clay mineralogy discriminate eroded from non‐eroded substrates. Compared with the latter, the former have fractions of over 63 µm and 1–4 µm lower and fractions 4–63 µm higher. Grain‐size characters of crusts did not discriminate with respect to substrate. Bulk rock mineralogy was not distinctive, but the clay mineral assemblage shows that the eroded slope is enriched in kaolinite, mixed layers (illite–smectite) and chlorite, whereas illite decreases, although overlaps are common. Chemical data enable discrimination between eroded and non‐eroded slopes. pH, SAR (sodium adsorption ratio), TDS (total dissolved salts) and PS (percentage of sodium) are distinctive parameters for both eroded and non‐eroded slopes. TDS increases in depth in the non‐eroded slope, whereas the maximum TDS is just below the crust in the eroded one. On average, eroded substrates are higher in pH, SAR and PS than non‐eroded ones. The ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage) of the eroded slope has a higher value than the non‐eroded one. Crusts are less dispersive than eroded substrates, and non‐eroded substrates behave as crusts. This suggests that the portion of the slope most severely exposed to weathering tends to stabilize, due to strong decreases in SAR, PS and ESP. Several diagrams reported in the literature show similarly anomalous crust samples on eroded slopes, compared with other samples coming from greater depths on eroded slopes. In the present case study, the exchangeable form of Na characterizes crusts more than the soluble form. This study describes the erosional mechanism, which involves morphological and geographic exposure and climatic elements, as well as grain size, mineralogy, chemistry and exchangeable processes of soils. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

15.
Present erosion in mountainous areas of Western Europe causes land management problems, particularly for areas located downstream of erosion zones. Except for transalpine roads and ski resorts, economic activities no longer require as much space as they did in the past. Therefore, natural reforestation has provided signi?cant protection for alpine hillslopes during the 20th century. However, extreme ?oods continue to cause severe damage in intra‐alpine valleys, as well as in piedmont and surrounding plains, making the study of present water erosion phenomena very important. Many studies have investigated the processes and factors of water erosion on slopes at both the catchment and plot scales. They have focused on rock fragmentation and transportation in different ?elds, the spatial and temporal explanatory variables, the consequences downstream (?ooding, sedimentation, river bed evolution) and the impact of ?oods. In the French Alps, present erosion has been studied in a variety of outcrops, with several recent studies conducted in ?elds such as marls, clayey deposits, molasses and moraines. These kinds of outcrops are found throughout the alpine massif, including an area of special interest on the great Jurassic black marl outcrop where badlands are frequently observable. Geomorphologists and hydrologists have been particularly interested in the strong erosion processes in marls, seeking to determine the main patterns and the impact of spatial and temporal factors on soil loss quantities. The main climatic factors of rock disaggregation were found to be the freeze–thaw and wet–dry cycles, which destroy rock cohesion, and the splash effect of rain. The principal site variables are vegetation cover, exposure and dip–slope angle. Erosion rates are two or three orders of magnitude higher on bare soils than on pastures; northern aspect slopes suffer two to four times as much soil loss as southern aspect slopes. Finally, the angle formed by the slope and the dip also determines different behaviours: erosion rates are higher when slope and dip are perpendicular than when they are parallel. The transportation agents are mostly debris ?ows and runoff caused by intense precipitation. Annual erosion depth in the marls is generally assumed to be substantial, up to 10 mm. The high value can be explained by the severity of the climatic conditions and the brittleness of the lithology, which results in numerous fractures. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

16.
Weathering microforms associated with exfoliation were investigated on 40 granitic spheroidal boulders identified on Pricopan Ridge (M?cin Mountains) in order to establish a spatial distribution pattern. Continuous thermal monitoring allowed the frequency and intensity distribution assessment of short‐term temperature changes triggered by summer storms, of intense day–night amplitudes and frost cycles across a uniform rounded boulder. Rock strength estimated by Schmidt hammer tests differentiates a significantly weaker resistance on the southern face of the boulders (rebound values of 27 to 33) in comparison with the northern face (43–50). The lowest resistance of the north–south cross‐boulder profile corresponds to the southern gentle slopes (0°–45°) thus defining the most susceptible area to exfoliation and other weathering processes. It is argued that this low‐resistant sector fits well with the maximum frequency and intensity of thermal processes recorded on the low and mid slopes (0°–45°) of the boulders south side, with small differences from one process to another, whilst the sector of 20° to 30° south corresponds to the peak activity of all. In accordance, the overlay map of exfoliated surfaces places the high frequency area on a spherical cap developed similarly (between 5° north and 45° south). The smallest exfoliated surfaces normally appear around 30° south and are inferred to extend in time both to the boulder top and downslope. The correlations between the frequency/intensity maps of thermal processes and the frequency map of exfoliated surfaces point to a complementary action in the exfoliated surfaces development of the short‐term temperature changes and diurnal cooling and heating due to the directional insolation effect, as similarly inferred in the development of meridional cracks. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

17.
Due to various decay processes associated with weathering, the stability of artificial slopes in weak rocks may be affected well within their envisaged engineering lifetime. Conceptually, the decay following the initial stress release after excavation can be described as a process seeking equilibrium between weathering and erosion. The extent to which such an equilibrium is actually reached influences the outcome of the weathering‐erosion decay process as well as the effects that the decay has on the geotechnical properties of the exposed rock mass, and thus ultimately the stability of slopes affected by erosion and weathering. This paper combines two conceptual models for erosion and weathering, and derives a numerical model which predicts the resulting slope development. This can help to predict the development of a slope profile excavated in a weak rock in time, and can be extended with the addition of strength parameters to the weathering profile to enable prediction of slope stability as a function of time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

18.
Infrequent, high‐magnitude events cause a disproportionate amount of sediment transport on steep hillslopes, but few quantitative data are available that capture these processes. Here we study the influence of wildfire and hillslope aspect on soil erosion in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado. This region experienced the Fourmile Fire of 2010, strong summer convective storms in 2011 and 2012, and extreme flooding in September 2013. We sampled soils shortly after these events and use fallout radionuclides to trace erosion on polar‐ and equatorial‐facing burned slopes and on a polar‐facing unburned slope. Because these radionuclides are concentrated in the upper decimeter of soil, soil inventories are sensitive to erosion by surface runoff. The polar‐facing burned slope had significantly lower cesium‐137 (137Cs) and lead‐210 (210Pb) inventories (p < 0.05) than either the polar‐facing unburned slope or equatorial‐facing burned slope. Local slope magnitude does not appear to control the erosional response to wildfire, as relatively gently sloping (~20%) polar‐facing positions were severely eroded in the most intensively burned area. Field evidence and soil profile analyses indicate up to 4 cm of local soil erosion on the polar‐facing burned slope, but radionuclide mass balance indicates that much of this was trapped nearby. Using a 137Cs‐based erosion model, we find that the burned polar‐facing slope had a net mean sediment loss of 2 mm (~1 kg m?2) over a one to three year period, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than longer‐term erosion rates reported for this region. In this part of the Colorado Front Range, strong hillslope asymmetry controls soil moisture and vegetation; polar‐facing slopes support significantly denser pine and fir stands, which fuels more intense wildfires. We conclude that polar‐facing slopes experience the most severe surface erosion following wildfires in this region, indicating that landscape‐scale aridity can control the geomorphic response of hillslopes to wildfires. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

19.
Weathering is linked complexly to the erosion and evolution of rock slopes. Weathering influences both the strength of rock slopes and the stresses that act upon them. While weathering has often been portrayed in an over‐simplified way by those studying rock slope instability, in reality it consists of multiple processes, acting over different spatial and temporal scales, with many complex inter‐linkages. Through a demonstration of the sources of non‐linearities in rock slope weathering systems and their implications for rock slope instability, this paper proposes five key linkages worthy of further study. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

20.
Soil‐mantled pole‐facing hillslopes on Earth tend to be steeper, wetter, and have more vegetation cover compared with adjacent equator‐facing hillslopes. These and other slope aspect controls are often the consequence of feedbacks among hydrologic, ecologic, pedogenic, and geomorphic processes triggered by spatial variations in mean annual insolation. In this paper we review the state of knowledge on slope aspect controls of Critical Zone (CZ) processes using the latitudinal and elevational dependence of topographic asymmetry as a motivating observation. At relatively low latitudes and elevations, pole‐facing hillslopes tend to be steeper. At higher latitudes and elevations this pattern reverses. We reproduce this pattern using an empirical model based on parsimonious functions of latitude, an aridity index, mean‐annual temperature, and slope gradient. Using this empirical model and the literature as guides, we present a conceptual model for the slope‐aspect‐driven CZ feedbacks that generate asymmetry in water‐limited and temperature‐limited end‐member cases. In this conceptual model the dominant factor driving slope aspect differences at relatively low latitudes and elevations is the difference in mean‐annual soil moisture. The dominant factor at higher latitudes and elevations is temperature limitation on vegetation growth. In water‐limited cases, we propose that higher mean‐annual soil moisture on pole‐facing hillslopes drives higher soil production rates, higher water storage potential, more vegetation cover, faster dust deposition, and lower erosional efficiency in a positive feedback. At higher latitudes and elevations, pole‐facing hillslopes tend to have less vegetation cover, greater erosional efficiency, and gentler slopes, thus reversing the pattern of asymmetry found at lower latitudes and elevations. Our conceptual model emphasizes the linkages among short‐ and long‐timescale processes and across CZ sub‐disciplines; it also points to opportunities to further understand how CZ processes interact. We also demonstrate the importance of paleoclimatic conditions and non‐climatic factors in influencing slope aspect variations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

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