We are pleased to announce that our paper, “Classification of Colluvial Channels in a Mountain River: A Case Study of ‘Seoul National University Check Dam’ Catchment in Mt. Gwanak (산지 하천의 붕적하도 분류: 관악산 ‘서울대학교 사방댐’ 유역을 대상으로)”, subimitted to the Journal of the Korean Geomorphological Association (한국지형학회지) was accepted yesterday. Many thanks to Ha-eun for your hard work during your master’s thesis course, particularly for piloting the drone equipped with LiDAR sensor (link) and analyzing the collected LiDAR data. The article will appear in Vol. 32, No.2, scheduled for publication on June 30. The abstract of the article is below:
“The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events due to climate change has heightened the risk of geomorphic hazards, such as debris flows and landslides, in mountainous areas. Colluvial channels, which typically occupy the uppermost sections of mountain river networks, serve as primary pathways for sediment transport during these events. Despite their geomorphic significance, few studies have classified colluvial channels, exhibiting diverse morphologies and processes over short distances, at the catchment scale. This study aims to classify colluvial channel subtypes in a granitic headwater catchment in Mt. Gwanak using a high-resolution(1 m) digital terrain model(DTM) generated from UAV-based LiDAR. For this purpose, 515 segments(10 m each) from colluvial channel network were extracted, and five geomorphic attributes were calculated from each segment: channel gradient, unit stream power, channel sinuosity, valley bottom width, and sediment connectivity. Hierarchical clustering based on the attributes revealed three subtypes: deposition-dominated, erosion-dominated, and highly coupled hillslope–channel reaches. ANOVA and PCA results indicated that channel gradient and valley bottom width were the most influential variables, with sediment connectivity also contributing to subtype differentiation. These findings highlight the morphological diversity of colluvial channels and offer a foundation for improving our understanding of sediment dynamics in mountainous areas.”