Richard Ott

• PhD
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Amsterdam

The eastern flank of the tropical Northern Andes (0.5–3.5°N) is characterized by variations in tectonic style due to strain partitioning, and thus an ideal setting to explore how along‐strike differences in rock uplift rate scale with relief and elevation. Here we quantify erosion and topography and their relationship along the Eastern Cordillera u...

Drainage basins delineate Earth's land surface into individual water collection units. Basin shape and river sinuosity determine water and sediment dynamics, affecting landscape evolution and connectivity between ecosystems and freshwater species. However, a high-resolution global dataset for the boundaries and geometry of basins is still missing....

Drainage divides separate Earth’s surface into individual river basins. Divide migration impacts the evolution of landforms, regional climate, ecosystems and biodiversity. In this Review, we assess the processes and dynamics of divide migration and offer insights into the impact on climate and biodiversity. Drainage divides are not static: they can...

Erosion rates are widely used to assess tectonic uplift and sediment export from mountain ranges. However, the scarcity of erosion rate measurements often hinders detailed tectonic interpretations. Here, we present 25 new cosmogenic nuclide-derived erosion rates from the Northern Andes of Colombia to study spatio-temporal patterns of uplift along t...

Drainage basins delineate the Earth’s land surface into individual water collection units. Basin shape and river sinuosity determine water and sediment dynamics, affecting landscape evolution and connectivity between ecosystems and freshwater species. However, a high-resolution global dataset for the boundaries and geometry of basins is still missi...

Carbonate rocks are highly reactive and can have higher ratios of chemical weathering to total denudation relative to most other rock types. Their chemical reactivity affects the first-order morphology of carbonate-dominated landscapes and their climate sensitivity to weathering. However, there have been few efforts to quantify the partitioning of...

Carbonate rocks are highly reactive and presumably have higher ratios of chemical weathering to total denudation relative to most other rock types. Their chemical reactivity affects the first-order morphology of carbonate-dominated landscapes and their climate sensitivity. However, there have been few efforts to quantify the partitioning of denudat...

Erosion rates are widely used to assess tectonic uplift and sediment export from mountain ranges. However, the scarcity of erosion rate measurements often hinders detailed tectonic interpretations. Here, we present 25 new cosmogenic nuclide-derived erosion rates from the Northern Andes of Colombia to study spatio-temporal patterns of uplift along t...

Fluvial aggradation and incision are often linked to Quaternary climate cycles, but it usually remains unclear whether variations in runoff or sediment supply or both drive channel response to climate variability. Here we quantify sediment supply with paleo‐denudation rates and provide geochronological constraints on aggradation and incision from t...

Cosmogenic radionuclides (CRNs) are the standard tool to derive centennial-to-millennial timescale denudation rates; however, it has been demonstrated that chemical weathering in some settings can bias CRNs as a proxy for landscape denudation. Currently, studies investigating CRN weathering biases have mostly focused on the largely insoluble target...

The impact of Quaternary climate cycles on denudation rates and fluvial aggradation and incision is debated, especially in non-glaciated regions. Here we present paleo-denudation rates and geochronological constraints on aggradation and incision from the Sfakia and Elafonisi alluvial-fan sequences on Crete, Greece. We report seven optically stimula...

Carbonate rocks are highly reactive and presumably have higher ratios of chemical weathering to total denudation relative to most other rock types. Their high chemical reactivity affects the first-order morphology of carbonate-dominated landscapes and their sensitivity to climate. However, there have been few efforts to quantify the partitioning of...

Cosmogenic radionuclides (CRNs) are the standard tool to derive centennial-to-millennial timescale denudation rates, however, it has been demonstrated that chemical weathering in some settings can bias CRNs as a proxy for landscape denudation. Currently, studies investigating CRN weathering biases have mostly focused on the largely insoluble target...

The tropical Northern Andes of Colombia are one the world's most biodiverse places, offering an ideal location for unraveling the linkages between the geodynamic forces that build topography and the evolution of the biota that inhabit it. In this study, we utilize geomorphic analysis to characterize the topography of the Western and Central Cordill...

Alluvial fan and terrace formation is traditionally interpreted as a fluvial system response to Quaternary climate oscillations under the backdrop of slow and steady tectonic activity. However, several recent studies challenge this conventional wisdom, showing that such landforms can evolve rapidly as a geomorphic system responds to catastrophic an...

The hallmark of great earthquakes in the Mediterranean is the 21 July 365 CE earthquake and tsunami that destroyed cities and killed thousands of people throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. This event is intriguing because most Mediterranean subduction forearcs exhibit pervasive crustal extension and minimal definitive evidence exists for great su...

The tropical Northern Andes of Colombia are one the world's most biodiverse places, offering an ideal location for unraveling the linkages between the geodynamic forces that build topography and the evolution of the biota that inhabit it. In this study, we utilize geomorphic analysis to characterize the topography of the Western and Central Cordill...

Alluvial fan and terrace formation is traditionally interpreted as related to Quaternary climate oscillations under the backdrop of slow and steady tectonic activity. However, several recent studies challenge this conventional wisdom, showing that such landforms can evolve rapidly as a geomorphic system responds to catastrophic and stochastic event...

Die langfristige Sicherheit der Endlagerung radioaktiver Abfälle in tiefen geologischen Formationen beruht auch darauf, dass der einschlusswirksame Gebirgsbereich nicht durch Erosion in einem Zeitraum von einer Million Jahren freigelegt wird. Mit geologischen Daten und numerischen Modellen der Landschaftsentwicklung kann quantifiziert werden, wie s...

Chemical and mechanical properties of lithology exert a first‐order control on landscape evolution and biological colonization of substrate. To quantify the influence of lithology on topography, vegetation density, and animal biodiversity, I compile lithologic, topographic, climatic, and biological data sets for mountainous regions globally. I find...

On Crete—as is common elsewhere in the Mediterranean—carbonate massifs form high mountain ranges whereas topography is lower in areas with meta‐clastic rocks. This observation suggests that differences in denudational processes between carbonate‐rich rocks and quartzofeldspathic units impart a fundamental control on landscape evolution. Here we pre...

On Crete — as is common elsewhere in the Mediterranean — carbonate massifs form high mountain ranges whereas topography is lower in areas with meta-clastic rocks. This observation suggests that differences in denudational processes between carbonate-rich rocks and quartzofeldspathic units impart a fundamental control on landscape evolution. Here we...

Quaternary paleoshorelines are common landforms on the island of Crete, a forearc high above the Hellenic Subduction Zone. These geomorphic markers are useful on Crete and elsewhere in determining coastal uplift rates, the identification of active geologic structures, and to constrain geodynamic models and seismic hazards. Controversy exists in the...

Quaternary paleoshorelines are common landforms on the island of Crete, a forearc high above the Hellenic Subduction Zone. These geomorphic markers are useful in Crete and elsewhere in determining coastal uplift rates, the identification of active geologic structures, and to constrain geodynamic models and seismic hazards. Controversy exists in the...

The record of Tertiary landscape evolution preserved in Arizona’s transition zone presents an independent opportunity to constrain the timing of Colorado Plateau uplift and incision. We study this record of landscape evolution by mapping Tertiary sediments, volcanic deposits, and the erosional uncon­formity at their base, 40Ar/39Ar dating of basalt...