WEARING DOWN – The Continental Weathering–Erosion–Transport–Deposition Nexus in a New Light
How do landscapes evolve over millennia? What roles are played by forces such as tectonics and climate, but also by weathering and erosion? And how can we better measure and understand these complex processes? These are the key questions addressed by the German-French research project “WEARING DOWN – The Continental Weathering–Erosion–Transport–Deposition Nexus in a New Light”, funded since 2021 by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
The Earth as a Dynamic Interface
Our Earth’s surface is subject to constant transformation, governed by tectonic and climatic processes. Rivers incise valleys into bedrock, wind and rain transport sediments – and over time, new landscapes emerge. This interplay of weathering, erosion, sediment transport, and deposition, under the influence of climate and tectonics, is highly complex – and at the same time fundamental for understanding long-term changes in ecosystems, hydrological cycles, and human habitats.
Project Objectives
The WEARING DOWN project aims to develop a new, quantitative understanding of these processes. At its core is the so-called continental Weathering–Erosion–Transport–Deposition Nexus – the chain of interactions that extends from the breakdown of rocks to the accumulation of sediments.
To achieve this, the team is gathering key information on:
- The weathering and erosion of landscapes
- The transfer of sediments within fluvial systems
- As responses to tectonic and climatic forcing
State-of-the-Art Methods
Another major goal of the project is the advancement and refinement of cutting-edge geochronological methods and modeling approaches.
The project first generates geochronological data from fluvial systems using luminescence dating and cosmogenic nuclides. Data acquisition is focused primarily on fluvial systems in New Zealand and Chile. These data are then systematically integrated with both experimental and numerical modeling.
An International Team
The project is led by Dr. Steven Binnie and Professor Dr. Tony Reimann from Germany, in collaboration with Professor Dr. Stephane Bonnet from France. The German-French team brings together researchers specializing in the analysis, modeling, and dating of surface processes, thereby covering all core aspects of the project. In February and March 2023, the WEARING DOWN project carried out its first field campaign in New Zealand.
Why It Matters
A deeper understanding of the continental Weathering–Erosion–Transport–Deposition Nexus is not only of fundamental scientific interest, but also of great relevance for the future. It helps us to better assess natural hazards such as landslides and floods, to understand the impacts of climate change on landscapes, and to make sustainable decisions in managing our environment.
Edited by Luisa Loers.