Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard)
Abstract The dynamics of fluvial system evolution depend on fluvial processes and their driving forces associated with climatic variations, which affect changes in the morphology of river channels and floodplains. Neither channel slope and morphology, nor the properties of fluvial sediment have prev...
Published in: | Earth Surface Processes and Landforms |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2021
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.5069 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/esp.5069 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/esp.5069 |
id |
crwiley:10.1002/esp.5069 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1002/esp.5069 2024-06-02T08:01:56+00:00 Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) Weckwerth, Piotr Sobota, Ireneusz Greń, Katarzyna 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.5069 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/esp.5069 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/esp.5069 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Earth Surface Processes and Landforms volume 46, issue 5, page 942-967 ISSN 0197-9337 1096-9837 journal-article 2021 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5069 2024-05-03T11:58:57Z Abstract The dynamics of fluvial system evolution depend on fluvial processes and their driving forces associated with climatic variations, which affect changes in the morphology of river channels and floodplains. Neither channel slope and morphology, nor the properties of fluvial sediment have previously been considered as determinants of active braidplain widening on outwash plains (formed from valley/alpine glaciers and confined by pre‐existing topography) in the High Arctic region and in the forefields of retreating glaciers. Factors determining widening of braidplain activity of the Waldemar River outwash (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) were analysed on the basis of geomorphological, sedimentological, glaciological and meteorological research, and indicate significant multiple correlations between meltwater discharge, precipitation, braidplain width, morphology of the braided channel and the textural features of braidplain deposits. The capability of multivariate adaptive regression splines to detect these relationships was described, and threshold values were identified. The results indicate that the rate of active braidplain widening is proportional to the meltwater outflow in proglacial rivers, which can decrease despite a growing rate of glacial ablation. A proposed model enables us to predict zones of braidplain prone to widening activity in the High Arctic (humid) outwash fans and plains as well as fans developed in arid intermountain basins. The necessary conditions to activate braidplain widening processes were (1) spatial changes in the outwash feeding system due to glacier terminus retreat and (2) crossing the thresholds in passive factors ( S and d 50 ) controlling lateral erosion intensity. As a result, the braidplain reached a new dynamic equilibrium, in which high‐magnitude–low‐frequency extreme meltwater discharges were of particular importance in terms of braidplain dynamics and are the dominant controls on the pattern of distributary channels. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic glacier Svalbard Spitsbergen Wiley Online Library Arctic Svalbard Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 46 5 942 967 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract The dynamics of fluvial system evolution depend on fluvial processes and their driving forces associated with climatic variations, which affect changes in the morphology of river channels and floodplains. Neither channel slope and morphology, nor the properties of fluvial sediment have previously been considered as determinants of active braidplain widening on outwash plains (formed from valley/alpine glaciers and confined by pre‐existing topography) in the High Arctic region and in the forefields of retreating glaciers. Factors determining widening of braidplain activity of the Waldemar River outwash (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) were analysed on the basis of geomorphological, sedimentological, glaciological and meteorological research, and indicate significant multiple correlations between meltwater discharge, precipitation, braidplain width, morphology of the braided channel and the textural features of braidplain deposits. The capability of multivariate adaptive regression splines to detect these relationships was described, and threshold values were identified. The results indicate that the rate of active braidplain widening is proportional to the meltwater outflow in proglacial rivers, which can decrease despite a growing rate of glacial ablation. A proposed model enables us to predict zones of braidplain prone to widening activity in the High Arctic (humid) outwash fans and plains as well as fans developed in arid intermountain basins. The necessary conditions to activate braidplain widening processes were (1) spatial changes in the outwash feeding system due to glacier terminus retreat and (2) crossing the thresholds in passive factors ( S and d 50 ) controlling lateral erosion intensity. As a result, the braidplain reached a new dynamic equilibrium, in which high‐magnitude–low‐frequency extreme meltwater discharges were of particular importance in terms of braidplain dynamics and are the dominant controls on the pattern of distributary channels. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Weckwerth, Piotr Sobota, Ireneusz Greń, Katarzyna |
spellingShingle |
Weckwerth, Piotr Sobota, Ireneusz Greń, Katarzyna Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) |
author_facet |
Weckwerth, Piotr Sobota, Ireneusz Greń, Katarzyna |
author_sort |
Weckwerth, Piotr |
title |
Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) |
title_short |
Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) |
title_full |
Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) |
title_fullStr |
Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? A new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western Spitsbergen, Svalbard) |
title_sort |
where will widening occur in an outwash braidplain? a new approach to detecting controls on fluvial lateral erosion in a glacierized catchment (north‐western spitsbergen, svalbard) |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.5069 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/esp.5069 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/esp.5069 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic glacier Svalbard Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Arctic glacier Svalbard Spitsbergen |
op_source |
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms volume 46, issue 5, page 942-967 ISSN 0197-9337 1096-9837 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5069 |
container_title |
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms |
container_volume |
46 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
942 |
op_container_end_page |
967 |
_version_ |
1800746433950777344 |