This lab aims to analyze how climate influences landscape erosion and topography through hypsometric curve analysis of basins along the Andes mountain range. Students will generate hypsometric curves for 6 basins representing 3 climatic regions - northern, central, and southern Andes - to compare how erosion and the distribution of land area varies with elevation between regions. The document provides guidance on extracting elevation data from a DEM, normalizing it in Excel to create hypsometric curves, and plotting the curves to analyze differences between basins and link these to distinct climatic erosion regimes along the Andes.
This lab aims to analyze how climate influences landscape erosion and topography through hypsometric curve analysis of basins along the Andes mountain range. Students will generate hypsometric curves for 6 basins representing 3 climatic regions - northern, central, and southern Andes - to compare how erosion and the distribution of land area varies with elevation between regions. The document provides guidance on extracting elevation data from a DEM, normalizing it in Excel to create hypsometric curves, and plotting the curves to analyze differences between basins and link these to distinct climatic erosion regimes along the Andes.
This lab aims to analyze how climate influences landscape erosion and topography through hypsometric curve analysis of basins along the Andes mountain range. Students will generate hypsometric curves for 6 basins representing 3 climatic regions - northern, central, and southern Andes - to compare how erosion and the distribution of land area varies with elevation between regions. The document provides guidance on extracting elevation data from a DEM, normalizing it in Excel to create hypsometric curves, and plotting the curves to analyze differences between basins and link these to distinct climatic erosion regimes along the Andes.
Lab 5: Climate and erosional signatures of the ndes
Due: Beginning of lab 6 !urpose: The goal of this lab is to learn how erosional style and magnitude influences landscape form under different climates, and to quantify these differences. We will be analyzing basins along the length of the ndes and constructing hypsometric cur!es to in!estigate how topography is affected by climate and erosion. "ntrodu#tion: "ypsometry is the frequency distribution of land area at different ele!ations. #or e$ample, %arth&s hypsometry 'see figure( is bimodal, with the ma)ority of area at ele!ations of either continental platforms or ocean basins. To perform a hypsometric analysis on any gi!en basin, ele!ation 'often normalized ele!ation( is plotted against percent area. The percent area will be the proportion of total basin area at each ele!ation. *eft: +a$imum 'dar, line( and mean 'grey area( ele!ation in -. latitude bins. /ed circles are ele!ations of modern snowline and blue circles are lowest ele!ation of 0leistocene glacier e$tent. /ight: +ean annual precipitation, o!erlain on shaded1relief map of western 2outh merica. ndes Climate and Erosion: The climate of the ndes e$hibits strong !ariation across the mountain range and with latitude 'see figure(. 3n the low1latitude northern ndes, the %astern side of the range recei!es 45 m6yr of rainfall, while the 0acific side gets 78.5 m6yr. This relationship is re!ersed in the temperate southern ndes 'south of 99. 2(. The central ndes are in the subtropical belt of deserts, and little precipitation falls on either side of the range. Question 1: Describe the relationship between climate and erosion in each of the three areas: What is the dominant type of erosion in each area: What is the relati!e magnitude of each type of erosion: "ow does the style and magnitude of erosion !ary with ele!ation in each region: Question 2: Based on your thoughts about the erosional regimes in each area, draw three normalized cur!es showing your e$pectations of each area&s hypsometry. #or each area, thin, about how much of the land area you e$pect to be at each ele!ation. "ow and why do the cur!es !ary between climatic regions: 'nswer questions on separate sheets( $ypsometri# nalysis of ndean %asins To compare the landscapes of the three regions, we will do hypsometric analyses of si$ west1 draining basins in the ndes, two from each of the climatic regions 'see map on ne$t page(. #ollow the instructions on the last page of this handout to create hypsometric cur!es using rc;32 and %$cel. Question 3: Describe in detail how the land area at different ele!ations !aries between the hypsometric cur!es for the three areas. What do these differences mean in terms of the style and magnitude of erosion in each region: Discuss how the cur!es compare with the cur!es you s,etched based on e$pectations. Question 4: /epeat the hypsometric analysis for 9 basins of your choice, one in each climatic region and add the cur!es to your plot. 3s the hypsometric !ariance greater within indi!idual erosional regimes or between different regimes: Discuss whether including these additional basins on your graph suggests that this sort of analysis is useful for characterizing the climatic1erosional history of different regions. Turn in a copy of your plot with the lab. Question 5: /ead the following paper, which can be downloaded from the website: +ontomery et al., 588-. <limate, tectonics, and the morphology of the ndes What are the ta,e home points of the paper: Describe how your results compare with these authors& findings. 3n what ways do your hypsometric analyses support or refute the paper&s conclusion: Creating hypsometri# #ur&es using r#G"S and E'#el: -. Obtain data: Download data from course website 'http:66gis.ess.washington.edu6grg6courses6ess9566inde$.html( and sa!e data in a new folder: <:=Documents and 2ettings=geo1user=Documents=rc;32="ypsometry>*ab=. 2a!e all lab files in this folder. 5. Import data: ?pen rc;32 4 open the <atalog 'top right( 4 browse to data 4 drag data into the Table of <ontents. 9. Setup data: +a,e sure watershed layer is abo!e the ndes D%+. /ight1clic, watersheds 4 properties 4 2ymbology Tab 4 2ymbol 4 change fill color to @no color&. A. Select basins: /ight1clic, watersheds 4 ?pen ttribute Table 'this is a list of all the basins in the shapefile( 4 clic, on the grey bo$ to the left of basin with #3D B A-A55 to highlight that basin 4 close ttribute Table 4 right1clic, watersheds 4 Data 4 %$port Data 4 name the file C#3D>Dbasin numberDE 4 change the file type to 2hapefile 4 sa!e file 4 dd layer to pro)ect. F. Clip DEM to basin shape: <lic, @2earch& 'top right( 4 search and clic, on: @e$tract by mas,& 'see footnote if you encounter an error( 4 choose demcon as the @3nput raster& 4 choose clipped basin for @3nput raster or feature mas, data& 4 choose C#3D>Dbasin numberD>D%+E for the @?utput raster&. 6. dd clipped DEM: 3f the clipped D%+ isn&t automatically added: <atalog 4 browse to location of clipped D%+ 4 drag into the Table of <ontents. G. E!port ele"ation data: ;o to the clipped D%+&s ttribute Table 4 right1clic, !alue and choose 2ort scending 4 select all data points whose Halue 'ele!ation( is greater than - m 4 Table ?ptions 'top left( 4 %$port 4 sa!e as a .t$t file with name: @#3D>Dbasin numberD>data.t$t& 4 do not add layer. I. #ormali$e data in E!cel: a. ?pen file as a comma1separated file. The @H*J%>& column contains ele!ations, while the @<?JKT>& column contains the number of grid points in the basin at each ele!ation. Data should be in order of ascending ele!ation. Kame columns D1#: <umulati!e rea, <umulati!e #raction of Total rea, and #raction of +a$ %le!ation. b. 2et D5B<5, and for the rest of column D, ha!e each !alue be the sum of the preceding D !alue and the cell of the same number in column < 'e.g. D-5B<-5LD--(. c. #or column %, use the equation: %nBDn6'+M'D:D(1+3K'D:D((1+3K'D:D(6 '+M'D:D(1+3K'D:D((, where n is the row number. d. #or column #, use the equation: #nBBn6'+M'B:B(1+3K'B:B((1+3K'B:B(6 '+M'B:B(1+3K'B:B((, where n is the row number. e. 0lot the @<umulati!e #raction of Total rea& on the $1a$is and @#raction of +a$imum %le!ation& on the y1a$is. Jse the following plot as an e$ample of how the data should loo, and the plot format: N. %epeat: /epeat steps A1I for basin #3D numbers: GI8II, N5-F8, N5II6, -565IG, 5A-5N5. 2a!e the @<umulati!e #raction of Total rea& and @#raction of +a$imum %le!ation& data for each basin in a new spreadsheet, and ma,e sure you ,now the basin associated with each dataset. -8. &lot: 0lot all 6 cur!es on the same graph' <olor the northern basins red, the central basins yellow, and the southern basins blue. #ootnote: to turn on the 2patial nalyst: <ustomize tab 4 e$tensions 4 turn on spatial analyst