Quick
Search: 		  
advanced search
 GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help 
Geology Don't get GSW? Talk to your librarian.
JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Geology; June 2008; v. 36; no. 6; p. 479-482; DOI: 10.1130/G24821A.1
© 2008 Geological Society of America
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Anders, A. M.
Right arrow Articles by Hallet, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation

Influence of precipitation phase on the form of mountain ranges

Alison M. Anders1,*, Gerard H. Roe2, David R. Montgomery2 and Bernard Hallet2

1 University of Washington, 4000 15th Ave NE, Box 351310, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
2 University of Washington, Quaternary Research Center, 4000 15th Avenue NE, Box 351310, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA

Observations of precipitation fall speeds and precipitation patterns suggest that precipitation phase (rain versus snow) is a significant control on the relationship between precipitation patterns and topography, due to the potential for increased downwind advection of snow relative to rain. A coupled model of orographic precipitation and surface erosion shows that for a range of climate variables, steady-state precipitation patterns vary from nearly uniform and maximizing over the highest topography, to highly spatially variable, closely coupled to topography and reaching a maximum on low slopes. Precipitation patterns are a first-order control on modeled range scale and ridge-valley scale relief, channel concavity, and the position of the drainage divide. An association between cool climates, spatially uniform precipitation, and efficient erosion of high topography is indicated. The importance of precipitation phase to the evolution of precipitation patterns and topography further demonstrates the fundamental importance of the coupled climate, erosion, and tectonic system in the evolution of mountain topography.

Key Words: surface processes • climate • numerical modeling • precipitation






JOURNAL HOME HELP CONTACT PUBLISHER SUBSCRIBE ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2009 by Geological Society of America