Vegetation-dependent topographic patterns in arid landscapes

I will explore three cases demonstrating how sparse vegetation in arid landscapes couples with sediment transport to produce striking topographic patterns. 1) Banded vegetation and run-off bedload on shallow hillslopes to produce terraces, 2) salt-resistant grasses and dust deposition on a damp lakebed to produce accretionary terraces, and 3) fire-prone vegetation and sand saltation on linear dunes to control their orientation. These studies use fieldwork, remote sensing, and climate models to illustrate how life patterns our planet's surface, and if these patterns can encode climate and its Quaternary evolution.