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Contrasting human versus climatic impacts on erosion
Author(s) -
Cook Timothy L.,
Yellen Brian C.,
Woodruff Jonathan D.,
Miller Daniel
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl064436
Subject(s) - erosion , storm , flooding (psychology) , landslide , climate change , sediment , precipitation , hydrology (agriculture) , deposition (geology) , geology , tropical cyclone , physical geography , environmental science , climatology , oceanography , geomorphology , geography , meteorology , psychology , geotechnical engineering , psychotherapist
Both human activity and climate change can influence erosion rates and initiate rapid landscape change. Understanding the relative impact of these factors is critical to managing the risks of extreme erosion related to flooding and landslide occurrence. Here we present a 2100 year record of sediment mass accumulation and inferred erosion based on lacustrine sediment cores from Amherst Lake, Vermont, USA. Using deposition from August 2011 Tropical Storm Irene as a modern analogue, we identified distinct event deposits indicative of destructive erosion events. These deposits record a prolonged (multidecadal) interval of enhanced erosion following the initial storm‐induced landscape disturbance. The direct impact of human land cover alteration is minimal in comparison to the more recent twentieth century increase in the occurrence of catastrophic erosion linked to overall wetter conditions that favor high erosion rates and more easily trigger landslides during periods of extreme precipitation.