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A free-boundary model of diffusive valley growth: theory and observation

Yi, R; Cohen, Y; Seybold, H; Stansifer, E; McDonald, NR; Mineev-Weinstein, M; Rothman, D; (2017) A free-boundary model of diffusive valley growth: theory and observation. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences , 473 (2202) , Article 20170159. 10.1098/rspa.2017.0159. Green open access

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Abstract

Valleys that form around a stream head often develop characteristic finger-like elevation contours. We study the processes involved in the formation of these valleys and introduce a theoretical model that indicates how shape may inform the underlying processes. We consider valley growth as the advance of a moving boundary travelling forward purely through linearly diffusive erosion, and we obtain a solution for the valley shape in three dimensions. Our solution compares well to the shape of slowly growing groundwater-fed valleys found in Bristol, Florida. Our results identify a new feature in the formation of groundwater-fed valleys: a spatially variable diffusivity that can be modelled by a fixed-height moving boundary.

Type: Article
Title: A free-boundary model of diffusive valley growth: theory and observation
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2017.0159
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2017.0159
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: moving-boundary problem, valley growth, erosion
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Mathematics
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1559918
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