Original paper
Empirical–conceptual gully evolution model using ergodic reasoning
Huang, Xiaoli; Jiang, Ling; Zhao, MingWei; Chen, Xi; Wei, Hong; Yan, Zhenjun
Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie (2024)
published online: Oct 8, 2024
manuscript accepted: May 31, 2024
manuscript revision received: May 26, 2024
manuscript revision requested: May 10, 2024
manuscript received: Jan 11, 2024
Abstract
Ergodic reasoning is a concept that has been widely applied, but not thoroughly tested, in some fields of geomorphology. This study aims to test whether ergodic reasoning is valid in reconstructing the evolution of a special type of gully called spoon-shaped gully (SG) in China’s Loess Plateau. We use unmanned aerial vehicle-based digital elevation model data to analyze the morphometry of a sequence of SGs ordered in terms of increasing gully length. The morphological model of the SG evolution that we can propose from this analysis is similar to the established models in the literature. Therefore, time can be substituted by space when reconstructing the evolution of SGs in the Loess Plateau. By extracting morphometric information from the application of the ergodic reasoning model to our data, we identify a series of morphological patterns as SG evolves in the Loess Plateau. We also observed through detailed field studies that SG formation is strongly associated with loess piping and tunnel erosion. SG can be considered a special initial form of a hillside gully that is widely distributed in the collapsible sandy loess area. This type of hillside gully is dominated by piping and tunnel, surface fluvial, and gravity erosion.
Keywords
Gully • gully evolution model • ergodic reasoning • Spoon-shaped Gully • Loess Plateau