Along the Chilean continental margin, where the active Nazca plate subducts under the South American plate, large deposits of gas hydrates trapped in marine sediments can be observed in seismic profiles (from Valparaíso to Patagonia), which may be affected by the increase in deep-water temperature due to climate change. This could trigger a massive release of methane gas into the marine environment and the atmosphere with negative effects on the environment, mainly through dissociation of the hydrates and/or direct migration to the seafloor through faults.

In this study, new multichannel seismic data located off Chiloé Island (∼42°S) are presented, and for the first time a BSR parallel to the continental margin (north-south) is analysed. Here, an efficient sediment subduction occurs where the young oceanic Nazca plate (5-25 Ma) subducts beneath the continental plate along Chiloé Island. In addition, an integrated analysis to better understand the hydrological and hydrothermal system in this area included previous geophysical and geological datasets, such as a) bathymetry, b) geothermal gradient calculated from gas hydrate distribution boundaries, and c) thermal conductivities. 

The results show a continuous and strong BSR along the entire seismic profile MGL1701-27 (approximately 27 km long), where large deformations, fractures and faults occur, favouring the flow of carbon-rich fluids from the depths, which subsequently form the gas hydrate layer. The large amount of gas hydrate present in the marine sediments off the coast of Chiloé Island is impressive. Velocity analysis of seismic profile MGL1701-27 indicates gas hydrate concentration values of up to 25% of the total rock volume, the highest estimates obtained at the Chilean margin. In addition, a peak in the geothermal gradient is related to deep faults that allow the passage of hot fluids from deeper strata to the seafloor.  Finally, a large amount of free gas is estimated beneath the BSR, which enhances its intensity and continuity in the seismic profile.

Our results provide valuable information for current and future studies related to climate change (methane storage), hydrothermal circulation, seismicity, gas hydrate stability and fluid venting in this natural laboratory, since Chiloé Island is located at the southern boundary of the rupture zone of the largest earthquake in recorded history (the Mw 9.5 Valdivia earthquake), the implications of which have yet to be fully elucidated.

How to cite: Villar-Munoz, L., Vargas-Cordero, I., Tinivella, U., Giustiniani, M., P. Bento, J., Bangs, N., and Contreras-Reyes, E.: The highest gas hydrate volume estimate found in the sediments of the Chilean margin, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-4165, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-4165, 2024.

Wave action and seafloor scouring, likely from Hurricane Ivan, exposed an area of baldcypress (Taxoidum distichum) stumps, still in growth position and rooted in terrestrial soil, on the northern continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico.  This site, known as the Underwater Forest, is located roughly 10 km off the coast of Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA, in approximately 18m of water.  Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dates from the mud/peat sections of the cores suggest a baldcypress swamp existed between approximately 70-40 ka BP (MIS 3-4) during the Würm glaciation.  Multiproxy analysis of sediments suggests significant geomorphological changes occurred to this backswamp environment overtime, which significantly impacted vegetation assemblage of the area.  Pollen evidence shows a clear transition from a baldcypress/tupelo gum (Nyssa aquatica) community to an alder (Alnus) dominated bar community.  This change suggests a transition to a braided river system, though it remains unclear whether these geomorphological changes resulted from terrestrial sources, marine transgression, or a combination of both.  The final vegetation change is to a more open, marsh environment resulting from sea-level rise.  Tree-ring analysis of the stumps suggest a synchronous death event, likely by burial, which may have also preserved the site.

How to cite: Reese, A., DeLong, K., Harley, G., Garretson, K., Garcia, A., Xu, K., Moran, K., Broome, K., and Bergan, E.: Paleoenvironmental and geomorphological changes in an ancient baldcypress swamp preserved on the Northern continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-4166, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-4166, 2024.

In this study, we investigate the relationship between subglacial conditions and the presence of ribbed moraines in Norway. Ribbed moraines are low-lying subglacially formed ridges, transverse to glacial flow and numerous processes have been proposed to explain their formation. So far there is no agreement about the formation process but most of them are linked to the presence of subglacial water. We therefore hypothesise that there is a relationship between hydrological conditions at the bed of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, and the presence of ribbed moraines. To test this, we extract subglacial conditions from a numerical model of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet and derive further modelled hydrological conditions using a MATLAB-based hydrological toolbox. Our conditions include: (i) subglacial hydrological sinks, (ii) subglacial hydraulic head, (iii) flow accumulation, (iv) ice thickness, (v) ice-flow velocity, and (vi) basal temperature. We use these data in a presence-absence generalised linear modelling approach, to evaluate the coexistence of ribbed moraines and specific conditions. From this we can infer whether they have a consistent series of conditions which determine their presence. We focus on two areas, a training dataset in Vinstre, South-Central Norway, and a validation dataset in Femunden, Central-Eastern Norway. These sites cover known and well mapped areas of ribbed moraines, which are used as ground truth data. Comparison is possible through superimposing presence-absence predictions on the ground truth data in GIS as a pair of gridded, spatially referenced datasets. In comparing the model output to ground truth data, we aim to provide new assessments of the validity of the many ribbed moraine formation theories. For example, if hydrological conditions prove a poor predictor, then we can consider the presence of water as less likely a prerequisite for the formation of ribbed moraines. 

How to cite: Barnes, T. J., Lilleøren, K. S., Schuler, T. V., and Schmidt, L. S.: Ribbed Moraines and Generalised Linear Modelling: Can modelled ice conditions be used to predict the presence of specific landforms?  , EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-6076, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-6076, 2024.

Costa Rica is a small humid tropical country with an extension of 51,179 km², it has an extensive network of diverse streams and rivers controlled by diverse environmental and geological conditions. Rugged terrain, active volcanism, and tectonic activity, along with intense and frequent precipitation, result in a dynamic drainage system characterized by a wide array of erosive and depositional fluvial landforms. Over 33% of Costa Rica’s territory is composed of Quaternary-Pleistocene volcanic landforms. These dynamic and high sediment source environments play a crucial role in the economy and society of the country. From the energy supply point of view, over 70% of the country’s electricity generation comes from hydropower plants located within volcanic formations. Mountain and highland volcanic areas are also the main source of drinking water for most of the population that live in the central part of Costa Rica.

Using remote sensing techniques (UAV photogrammetry and satellite imagery), bidimensional hydraulic modelling and raster analysis we analyzed with high-resolution (<1m/pixel) five fluvial-volcanic environments with different environmental conditions: (i) the effects of explosive phreatic eruptions on the channel morphology of the Pénjamo River located on the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano; (ii) severe bank erosion caused by an extreme precipitation event that damaged multiple structures along the Turrialba River, Turrialba Volcano; (iii) alluvial fan geomorphology of the Reventado River and it’s hazard implications to Cartago City, Irazú Volcano; (iv) confined urban streams and vegetation connectivity analysis of San José City, Irazú Volcano; (v) river dynamics and channel morphology  in extinct Pleistocene volcanic formations, San Lorencito River.

The use of the high-resolution assets allowed us to get novel insights on how channel morphology is composed in these extremely dynamic environments. Also, analyze how channels adjust to high sediment yield due to climatic or eruptive events. Some main outcomes of our research show that: (i) rivers in these steep environments flow confined mostly with single-thread morphologies and coarse sediments (boulders); (ii) volcanic phreatic eruptions generated hyperconcentrated flows (lahars) that caused severe bank erosion; (iii) vegetation in confined urban rivers play a key role in ecosystem management and environmental development; (iv) rivers that flow from active volcanoes transport extreme amounts of sediments and represent a major hazard for populated areas of Costa Rica.

Our results contribute to a better understanding of how river dynamics function under diverse volcanic environments of the country. Since over 40% of the country’s population lives within volcanic formations the data we provide contributes for a better environmental and risk assessment.

How to cite: Cui, J., Granados, S., and Surian, N.: High-resolution fluvial geomorphology of dynamic volcanic environments of Costa Rica, Central America, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-12134, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12134, 2024.

Mountainous regions are important headwater regions to sustain environmental and human water demands. The morphologies of these headwater catchments control their hydrological response and affect the water supply to downstream. In this study, more than 3.3×10⁷ headwater catchments are extracted. These cover most of the mountainous regions between 60°S and 60°N and their areas range from 0.5 km² to 2 km². Several morphological features closely related to hydrological response and sediment dynamics, such as width function and Melton number, are estimated for the catchments. Particularly, in order to ensure the accuracy of the estimated parameters, two new algorithms are developed, including an improved triangular form-based multiple flow direction algorithm as well as a width function algorithm based on a two-segmented-distance strategy and the multiple equidistant belt technique. Subsequently, a dataset of mountainous headwater catchment morphology is generated by adding the climatic and tectonic features corresponding to each catchment. This dataset can help to identify the hydrological similarities between different headwater catchments, which is important for determining the parameters of hydrological models in ungauged catchments. We analyze the relationship between the catchment morphology features and tectonics (e.g., shortening rate) as well as climate variables (e.g., precipitation and temperature). The results show that great differences exist in catchment morphology between tectonically active areas and inactive areas. Furthermore, the relationship between morphology and climatic variables varies depending on the lithology of the region, with the strongest correlation observed in sedimentary regions.

How to cite: Wu, P., Liu, J., and D'Agostino, V.: Global Distribution of Mountainous Headwater Catchments Morphology, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-12871, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12871, 2024.

Southern England has been undergoing subsidence since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum due to the Glacial Isostatic Adjustment of the British Isles. Rivers typically respond to subsidence by aggrading, however many rivers along the coast of Southern England incise at their outlet and exhibit river profile convexities typical of systems experiencing a drop in base level. Studies have suggested that coastal erosion could result in such river morphology. Specifically, numerical modelling studies (Leyland and Darby, 2009; Hackney et al., 2014) have shown that it was only in the Late Holocene when small basins experienced significant channel incision at their outlets.  They demonstrated that this was due to the reduction in the rates of sea level rise which enabled knickpoint recession rates to exceed cliff retreat rates.  

Observations and understanding of the geomorphic controls, including both climatic and topographic drivers, on coastal river outlets remain limited, however. For the first time, we examine the spatial distributions of river outlets in Southern England through digital topographic analysis. In regions with similar lithologies and coastal exposure, we find that channels with the smallest basins incise at their mouth while rivers with the largest basins experience aggradation. This signal aligns to model predictions, assuming that the slope of rivers at the coast decreases with increasing basin size. We further explore the role of lithology on knickpoint magnitude and retreat by testing whether more resistant lithologies slow knickpoint retreat rates. Moreover, we investigate the influence of spatial variations in coastal erosion rates on knickpoint morphology, with greater wave heights and subsidence rates documented in the South West. Finally, we examine whether realistic estimates of coastal erosion can be made by reconstructing river profiles before the initiation of subsidence.  This contribution will enhance our understanding of how rivers respond to rising base levels, which is particularly important given the projected sea level rise in Southern England.

How to cite: Towers, A., Attal, M., Mudd, S., and Clubb, F.: Quantifying the response of rivers to Holocene sea level rise in Southern England, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-13101, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-13101, 2024.

The streampower law is widely used to model the detachment-limited endmember of bedrock channel evolution, in which rivers set their slope mainly to abrade or pluck material from the channel bed. The model suggests a strong sensitivity of river long profiles to tectonic forcing, local bedrock strength, and climate. This has made it a tool of choice for interpreting these signatures in landscapes, regardless of the applicability of detachment limited erosion. For instance, sediment flux can be a major control on channel slope, as channels steepen to evacuate sediment and maintain their bed elevation, which is neglected by the streampower law.

While this is a well understood limitation, the implications become slightly murkier when the streampower law is used in 2D landscape evolution models that add a diffusion law to capture hillslope processes. We find that channel steepness increases with hillslope length, as channels have to steepen in order to erode the hillslope material added to the valley floor by diffusion processes. We show that this approximates some aspects of a transport-limited fluvial erosion model, but neglects others. Importantly, here channel steepening scales exactly with local hillslope properties, rather than those of the entire upstream watershed that would theoretically supply sediment. This has implications for interpretations of river profiles using chi-analysis and model inversion that rely on a version of the streampower law, especially when working between one-dimensional and two-dimensional approaches. We conclude with some extension of the physical significance of our findings, specifically related to constraints on the relationships between streampower erosivity, hillslope diffusivity, and grainsize.

How to cite: Litwin, D., Sklar, L., and Malatesta, L.: Right for the wrong reasons? On hillslope sediment and the streampower model, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-15831, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-15831, 2024.

Deeply incised bedrock channels can be found in mountain landscapes across the whole globe. The processes controlling this incision and subsequently gorge formation in bedrock have been discussed in the scientific community but have not been directly observed in an actualistic way. Here, we show the results of an unprecedented LiDAR dataset deciphering the erosive power of a 60,000 m³ hyperconcentrated flow (transition of flood and debris flow). We were able to quantify the lateral bedrock erosion in a narrow limestone gorge with channel widths between 1 and 15 m and a total length of 900 m. The flow laterally eroded up to 1 m massive limestone and widened sections by up to 15 %. The influence of sinuosity, convergence and gradient were tested but found not to influence the local erosivity pattern of the rock walls. We show that single hyperconcentrated flows similar to this one could have a major influence on the effectiveness of bedrock incision in comparison to turbulent flows. Here, we provide a new explanation of the processes of rock gorge formation due to mechanically excited breakout of rock fragments in a massive limestone gorge.

How to cite: Stammberger, V., Jacobs, B., and Krautblatter, M.: Bedrock erosion by hyperconcentrated flows: A quantitative analysis and implications for effective gorge formation, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-16976, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-16976, 2024.