Climate Geomorphology: Processes, Responses and Futures Working Group

WG Chair:

Prof. Baotian Pan, Lanzhou University (panbt@lzu.edu.cn)
Prof. Simon Mudd, University of Edinburgh (simon.m.mudd@ed.ac.uk)
Prof. John Mason, University of Wisconsin-Madison (mason@geography.wisc.edu)

WG Secretary:

Prof. Haopeng Geng, Lanzhou University (hpgeng@lzu.edu.cn)
Prof. Zhiwei Xu, Nanjing University (zhiweixu@nju.edu.cn)

Introduction to WG activity

1. Background and Justification

Landscapes across all climatic zones are undergoing rapid and often irreversible adjustments due to contemporary climate change. Intensified warming, shifting precipitation regimes, and rising sea levels are fundamentally altering geomorphic processes, manifesting in accelerated permafrost thaw, paraglacial adjustments in high mountains, increased frequency of climate-triggered landslides and debris flows, changes of processes of fluvial water and sediments, enhanced coastal erosion, and arid zone expansion.

These changes pose significant threats to global ecosystems, infrastructure, and human communities. While the principle of climatic control on landforms is well-established, the current period of anthropogenic forcing requires a renewed effort to quantify process rates, identify tipping points, and develop predictive models that are robust under novel and non-stationary climatic conditions. This Working Group aims to synthesize and advance the emerging field of Climate Geomorphology, linking physical mechanisms and modelling frameworks to support climate adaptation and landscape management.

2. Scientific aims of the group

  1. To synthesize and compare climate-driven geomorphic responses across polar, mountain, coastal, arid, and tropical environments through integration of modern monitoring, remote sensing, and paleo-environmental data.
  2. To clarify physical mechanisms and thresholds controlling non-linear and catastrophic geomorphic responses to climatic forcing, such as permafrost collapse, glacier lake outburst floods, and climate-triggered landslides.
  3. To evaluate and advance numerical modelling frameworks that couple climate projections with geomorphic process models, improving forecasts of future landscape states and geohazards.
  4. To translate scientific insights into actionable knowledge for policymakers and practitioners in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable landscape management.