Sediment movement rates and processes on cinder cones in the maritime Subantarctic (Marion Island)

Holness, Stephen

doi:10.1002/esp.1015

Cited by 24 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Pérez (1987aPérez ( , 1993 describes fine earth flags below rock dams in the Venezuelan Andes as "elongated downwards-tapering areas where coarse clasts are missing" and presents the phenomena as evidence of needle ice activity. Holness (2004) also reported this feature from cinder cones on Marion Island, again in an area dominated by needle ice activity. It is interesting to note that both authors report these features exclusively from slopes, whereas it was seen exclusively on the FB in our study site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Similarly, although not always significant, there were consistently more particles and better sorted particles on downslope cushion sides. Reports on the banking up of downslope moving particles on upslope sides of larger boulders as well as vegetation, which act as sediment obstructions, are numerous for periglacial environments (Pérez, 1987a;Holness and Boelhouwers, 1998;Selkirk, 1998;Mark et al, 2001;Holness, 2004). Movement of these particles is often ascribed to needle ice heaving, which lifts isolated stones from a matrix of finer particles, and subsequent downslope transportation of heaved particles by frost creep (Pérez, 1987a,b;Lawler, 1993;Holness, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reports on the banking up of downslope moving particles on upslope sides of larger boulders as well as vegetation, which act as sediment obstructions, are numerous for periglacial environments (Pérez, 1987a;Holness and Boelhouwers, 1998;Selkirk, 1998;Mark et al, 2001;Holness, 2004). Movement of these particles is often ascribed to needle ice heaving, which lifts isolated stones from a matrix of finer particles, and subsequent downslope transportation of heaved particles by frost creep (Pérez, 1987a,b;Lawler, 1993;Holness, 2004). Needle ice is characteristic of brief, but frequent freeze-thaw cycles (Troll, 1958) and is favoured by soils with high silt content (Meentemeyer and Zippin, 1981), such as the gravely loams of fellfield habitats (Smith, 1977;Gremmen, 1981).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vertical tilting of platy stones in our study area, often showing imbrication patterns, are direct indicators of the role of frost heave and creep (Benedict, 1970;Washburn, 1979;Holness and Boelhouwers, 1998). Preferential downslope movement of coarser sediment through frost creep (Benedict, 1976;Holness, 2001a;Holness, 2004) results in these clasts accumulating against Azorella cushions. This accumulation of coarser particles upslope of cushions results in a depletion of coarser clasts on downslope sides of cushions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, by colonising loose and exposed substrates (Huntley, 1972;Frenot et al, 1998), these cushion plants affect slope stability and improve substrate nutrient and moisture status (Huntley, 1971;Holness, 2004;Smith and Mucina, 2006). Furthermore, Azorella cushions are considered to influence frost creep and other sediment movement processes and play an important role in the formation of terraces and lobes (Holness and Boelhouwers, 1998;Boelhouwers et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactions between a cushion plant (Azorella selago) and surface sediment transport on sub-Antarctic Marion Island

2009

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a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oOn sub-Antarctic Marion Island cushions of the dominant vascular plant species, Azorella selago, interact with the geomorphology of fellfield landscapes by affecting sediment distribution and ultimately terrace formation. Here, to understand the consequences of Azorella cushions for substrate movement and sorting, we quantified the size and shape of Azorella cushions and the grain size distribution of sediment surrounding these cushions, using a combination of image analysis approaches. Results show that as cushions become larger, they tend to become more elongated and grow more perpendicular to the slope. Mean and variance of grain size were greater upslope of Azorella cushions, while the number of particles was higher downslope of cushions, although these differences were not significant at all sites studied. Differences between upslope and downslope particle sizes were, however, not related to cushion elongation or growth angle as had been expected. The observed sediment partitioning is likely caused by a combination of frost-related sediment transport and Azorella cushions acting as sediment obstructions. Understanding these interactions between Azorella cushions and the landscape is especially important in the light of recent warming and drying on the island, as particle size affects soil properties such as water-holding capacity and frost susceptibility.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Interactions between a cushion plant (Azorella selago) and surface sediment transport on sub-Antarctic Marion Island

2009

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Positive plant–plant interactions expand the upper distributional limits of some vascular plant species

et al. 2019

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ETH Z€ urich, Z€ urich 8092 Switzerland Citation: Raath-Kr€ uger, M. J., M. A. McGeoch, C. Sch€ ob, M. Greve, and P. C. le Roux. 2019. Positive plant-plant interactions expand the upper distributional limits of some vascular plant species.Abstract. Biotic interactions can shape species' distributions through their impact on species' realized niches, potentially constraining or expanding the range of conditions under which species occur. We examine whether fine-scale plant-plant interactions scale up to shape broad-scale species' distributions, using Azorella selago, a widespread cushion plant that facilitates other species, and the rest of the vascular flora of sub-Antarctic Marion Island as a model system. We compared the upper elevational distributional limit of each species when growing on vs. away from A. selago to test how the interaction with this cushion plant species affects species' ranges. Three out of 19 vascular plant species occurred at higher altitudes in the presence of A. selago than in the absence of A. selago: Acaena magellanica (+26 m higher), Colobanthus kerguelensis (+37 m higher), and Lycopodium saururus (+19 m higher). Therefore, A. selago's fine-scale impacts scaled up to shape the distribution of a subset of the vascular flora of Marion Island. Plant-plant interactions thus have the potential to expand species upper distributional limits by increasing the niche space that a species can occupy, although the influence of these interactions may be strongly species-specific.

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Measurement of solifluction rates using multi‐temporal aerial photography

Ridefelt¹,

Boelhouwers²,

Eiken³

2009

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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A new method is presented to assess decadal solifluction lobe movement and volumetric changes at the catchment scale. The method is based on photogrammetrical analysis of orthorectified repeat aerial photography in a geographic information system (GIS). High resolution aerial photographs from two valleys in northern Sweden, Kärkevagge and Låktatjåkka valleys, are used to quantify changes of the lobe fronts, as an indication of solifluction rates over a period of 41 years. Two methods are explored, the flow direction method and the front line method, in order to quantify the movement rates. Results show that the maximum combined root mean square error (RMSE) and resolution error amount to c. 1·7 m; no clear preference of one measurement method over the other was found. Application potential of the method is promising but reliability depends on the movement rates of the landforms and sufficient time span between the images. In the pilot study the measured yearly movement over the period 1959-2000 ranges from not-detectable to 63 mm/yr. Not-detectable means that movement cannot be detected within the resolution used in the study. Lobe advance rates are similar to measured surface movement rates and volumetric sediment flux by solifluction is found to be considerably lower than a previous estimate by Rapp (1960). Implications for lobe advance models are discussed. Photogrammetrical analysis is recommended as an important tool for detecting decadal solifluction movement at the catchment scale.

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Sediment movement rates and processes on cinder cones in the maritime Subantarctic (Marion Island)

Cited by 24 publications

References 29 publications

Interactions between a cushion plant (Azorella selago) and surface sediment transport on sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Interactions between a cushion plant (Azorella selago) and surface sediment transport on sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Positive plant–plant interactions expand the upper distributional limits of some vascular plant species

Measurement of solifluction rates using multi‐temporal aerial photography

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