Key research themes
1. How can digital elevation models (DEMs) and GIS algorithms be utilized to accurately delineate and analyze alluvial fan geomorphology on Earth and extraterrestrial surfaces?
This research area focuses on the development and application of remote sensing techniques, particularly DEM analysis and GIS-based algorithms, to identify, map, and characterize alluvial fans and related fluvial geomorphic features. Accurate delineation of alluvial fans assists in understanding sediment transport dynamics, hazard assessment, and planetary geomorphology comparisons, including on Mars. Automated or semi-automated methods are crucial to handle large spatial datasets and to enable consistent, reproducible analyses across terrestrial and planetary surfaces.
2. What are the sedimentological and morphodynamic processes governing the formation, architecture, and evolution of alluvial and fluvial fans in tectonically and climatically diverse settings?
This theme investigates the physical and depositional mechanisms shaping alluvial fan systems, focusing on sediment transport pathways, depositional processes, autogenic lobe switching, and their responses to tectonic, climatic, and base-level changes. Understanding the morphodynamics of alluvial fans informs on catchment-basin interactions, landscape evolution, and stratigraphic record formation over different timescales and environmental conditions.
3. How do tectonic activity, climatic fluctuations, and sediment supply interplay to control the stratigraphy, architecture, and evolution of alluvial depositional systems and paleoenvironments?
This area explores the influence of tectonics, climate variability, and sediment provenance on alluvial fan and fluvial system development, including accommodation space changes, sedimentation rates, paleosol formation, and landscape tilting. It integrates stratigraphic, geomorphic, and geochronological data to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions and understand alluvial system responses to external forcing over geological timescales.