Special Issue “Laboratory Geosciences: Modelling Surface Processes” in Geosciences

What is it about?

This Special Issue on the reproduction of landscape evolution at the laboratory scale shows new measurement techniques with the associated pros and cons, and proposes different approaches depending on the phenomenon under analysis. The three applications reported here pointed out the capabilities of image-processing techniques in tracking the changes typically observed in fluvial environments involving relatively easy-to-use but very reliable methods. Indeed, as can be seen in the following, images can be handled to describe the dynamics associated with very small sediments, but also to track the movements of coarser material.

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Why is it important?

The three examples reported in this Special Issue highlight the necessity to deeply study the evolution of fluvial landscapes by means of laboratory experiments, combining traditional and innovative techniques towards the use of low-cost devices. In fact, thanks to the decrease in the cost of cameras and image-processing software, the acquisition and associated analysis of automatically acquired images are becoming widely used in laboratories worldwide, giving rise to a renewed impulse in the experimental geosciences as a support tool for modelling approaches.

Perspectives