Sliding, flowing, rocking and rolling: Sediment and hazard cascades through mountain landscapes

Mountain landscapes are beautiful, yet hazardous, and vulnerable to climate change and population growth. Not only is the study of these landscapes geomorphically captivating, but it is increasingly relevant to society. Three Grand Challenges in the study of processes, landscapes and hazards in mountain regions are (1) Understanding and predicting the response of earth surface processes to climate (2) Monitoring and early warning of extreme events such as landslides and floods and (3) Accounting for connectivity and feedbacks between hillslopes and channels in landscape evolution and hazards. We need a suite of tools and approaches to address these challenges. Harnessing the growing archive of satellite and aerial photography helps us to study landscape dynamics and response to drivers such as climate over large regions. Innovative sensor technology is needed to understand landscape dynamics at a finer scale and to develop real time warning of extreme events. Finally, we need conceptual models that capture the essence of landscape dynamics and help to forecast hazards as they slide, flow, rock and roll through the landscape.