A uniform measure of subaerial erosion
It is suggested that observations of contemporary sediment movement in subaerial situations be estimated by the physical work (in joules) that they represent. This can be conveniently done by estimating the change due to erosion in the potential energy of the landscape. An example from an alpine area in southwestern Colorado is used to illustrate the use of geomorphic work as a measure of erosion and to show how it may be compared to other environmental exchanges of material and energy.