Geomorphic and Sedimentary responses to Climate Periodicity

What lies beneath our feet is a mystery. Geoscientists are studying the Earth’s surface to determine how periodic changes in climate affect Earth-surface processes such as erosion and sedimentation. This is the aim of the EU-funded GyroSCoPe project. Specifically, it will investigate erosion histories in mountainous regions at the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT). It will also research alluvial fans and terraces in the context of a newly developed numerical model. The project will use the data to interpret the impact of a change in the dominant forcing period on hillslope erosion rates, track how this sediment propagates across landscapes through alluvial rivers and thus provide a wealth of data that can be used to calibrate landscape-evolution and alluvial-channel models.