Activities of BSG Members

BSG members are geomorphologists from UK and overseas academic institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, consultancy and education. It also offers scope for retired and amateur geomorphologists to remain in contact with the subject.

The BSG aims to promote research and education in all aspects of geomorphology, interpreted in its widest sense. The scope of this definition includes the following topics in pure and applied geomorphology:

Processes

• Hillslope, fluvial, coastal, aeolian, glacial and periglacial processes and their interaction
• Processes of erosion and deposition
• Process mechanics and modelling
• Surface water and sediment movement
• Hydrology and watershed management
• Natural hazards and extreme events
• Landslides

Landforms and Environmental Change

• Landform evolution and analysis
• Terrain analysis and morphometry
• Landform genesis and chronology
• Landform modelling
• Response of landforms to changes in external forcing factors, including climate.

Methods

• Methods, concepts and philosophy of geomorphology

Soils and Weathering

• Weathering processes and features
• Surface geochemistry
• Solute and nutrient cycling
• Soil dynamics and erosion
• Soil properties and mechanics
• Soil development and toposequences

Environments

• Landforms and surface processes of polar, temperate, arid and tropical regions.

Applied Geomorphology

• The application of relevant methods and analyses to engineering, planning and environmental management problems.

The above list is not meant to be exhaustive. Members are active at the frontiers of the discipline, which are always expanding! Papers on all of these topics can be found in our journal Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. The BSG is active in discussing important national issues and developments related to geomorphology, and provides a forum in which new techniques and concepts can be discussed both formally and informally.

The BSG sponsors a number of Working Groups to consider themes that are considered important by a range of members, with particular emphasis on providing access for PhD students. The range of topics is illustrated by recent and current groups including ones on Terrestrial Geochemical Sediments and on Rainfall Simulation. Further information can be found on the Working Groups page.

There are also opportunities to set up small projects to monitor landforms and processes over relatively long timescales. These projects are intended to provide baseline data about landforms that would not otherwise be fundable. Further information on long term monitoring.