US-Brazil Cooperative Research on The Cause of Erosion and Deposition Cycles in Humid Landscapes: An Integrated Study of Process and Stratigraphy in Southeastern Brazil

该奖项支持加州大学伯克利分校的 William Dietrich 和巴西里约热内卢联邦大学的 Ana Coelho Netto 进行的地层学合作研究。 他们将调查巴西东南部山坡和河谷侵蚀和沉积循环的原因。 人们寻求对这些特征的机械解释，因为将这些特征视为晚更新世和全新世气候变化证据的解释是基于不充分的年代控制以及对侵蚀和径流过程的有限理解。 在拟议的工作中，研究人员将对足够数量的层进行测定，以确定区域广泛的崩积层是否足够同步以提供气候解释。 这两个小组已经独立研究这个问题十多年了。 每个小组开发的不同技能和见解将补充其他小组的技能和见解，并进一步了解景观侵蚀循环的原因。 迪特里希在加利福尼亚州崩积洼地和山体滑坡方面的研究对地貌学做出了巨大贡献，研究巴西景观的机会将增强这项工作。 除了对基础研究具有重要意义外，对于减轻灾害（山体滑坡）也具有重要意义。

This award supports cooperative research in stratigraphy to be carried on by William Dietrich of the University of California at Berkeley and Ana Coelho Netto of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They will investigate the cause of erosion and deposition cycles on hillsides and river valleys in southeastern Brazil. A mechanistic explanation for these features is sought because the interpretation that these are evidence of climatic variation of late Pleistocene and Holocene climates is based on inadequate chronologic controls and limited understanding of erosion and runoff processes. In the proposed work the investigators will date a sufficient number of layers to determine whether the regionally extensive colluvial layers are synchronous enough to provide a climatic interpretation. These two groups have been working independently on this problem for over ten years. The different skills and insights developed by each group will complement those of the other and lead to further understanding of the cause of erosion cycles in landscapes. Dietrich's work on colluvial hollows and landslides in California have contributed greatly to geomorphology and the opportunity to study the Brazilian landscape will augment this work. In addition to the significance to basic research, there are important implications for hazard (landslides) mitigation.