DIRECT QUANTIFICATION OF CURRENT SEDIMENT TRANSPORT ON SURFACES IN VARYING CLIMATES, WA AND ND, USA AND DRY VALLEYS, ANTARCTICA

The stability of ground surface is of great importance as that is the platform of most human and animal activity and the subject of much of the geomorphological research. Moreover, many dating methods such as lichenometry and cosmogenic isotope dating rely on stability and preservation of the dated surfaces. Soil traps and repeat photography sites were established on widely varying climates including: western Washington, western North Dakota, and Dry Valleys of Antarctica. The current sediment transport rates based on the trapped sediment quantities and repeat photography in various climates will be reported. Vegetation cover has a tendency to decrease the rate of sediment transport at the soil surface. However, climates that support lush vegetation typically also support a higher density of fauna. As the prehistoric prairie dog population is estimated at two orders of magnitude larger than today in the Midwestern prairies we studied the effect of prairie dog activity on sediment transport and compared that to a site that is devoid of prairie dogs.