Landscapes evolve in response to prolonged and/or intense precipitation resulting from atmospheric processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Whereas synoptic (large‐scale) features (e.g., atmospheric rivers and hurricanes) govern regional‐scale hydrologic hazards such as widespread flooding, mesoscale features such as thunderstorms or squall lines are more likely to trigger localized geomorphic hazards such as landslides. Thus, to better understand relations between hydrometeorological drivers and landscape response, a knowledge of mesoscale meteorology and its impacts is needed. Here we investigate the extreme geomorphic response associated with one type of mesoscale meteorological feature, the narrow cold frontal rainband (NCFR). Resulting from low‐level convergence and shallow convection along a cold front, NCFRs are narrow bands of high‐intensity rainfall that occur in midlatitude areas of the world. Our study examines an NCFR impacting the Sierra Nevada foothills (California, USA) that initiated over 500 landslides, mobilized ~360,000 metric tons of sediment to the fluvial system (as much as 16 times the local annual sediment yield), and severely damaged local infrastructure and regional water transport facilities. Coupling geomorphological field investigations with meteorological analyses, we demonstrate that precipitation associated with the NCFR was both intense (maximum 15 min intensity of 70 mm/hr) and localized, resulting in a highly concentrated band of shallow landsliding. This meteorological phenomenon likely plays an important role in landscape evolution and hazard initiation. Other types of mesoscale meteorological features also occur globally and offer new avenues for understanding the effects of storms on landscapes.

中文翻译：

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将中尺度气象学与极端景观响应联系起来：NCFR的影响

景观响应于各种时空尺度上的大气过程所产生的长时间和/或强烈降水而演变。天气特征（大尺度特征）（例如大气河流和飓风）支配着诸如洪水泛滥等区域尺度的水文灾害，而中尺度特征（例如雷暴或线）则更有可能引发局部地貌灾害，例如滑坡。因此，为了更好地了解水文气象驱动因素与景观响应之间的关系，需要了解中尺度气象学及其影响。在这里，我们研究了与一种中尺度气象特征相关的极端地貌响应，即狭窄的冷锋雨带（NCFR）。由于低水平的收敛和冷锋对流的浅对流，NCFR是在世界中纬度地区发生的高强度降雨的窄带。我们的研究检查了影响内华达山脉山麓（美国加利福尼亚州）的NCFR，NCFR引发了500多次滑坡，动员了约360,000吨沉积物进入河流系统（是当地年沉积物产量的16倍之多），并严重破坏了当地基础设施和区域水上运输设施。将地貌学现场调查与气象分析相结合，我们证明与NCFR相关的降水既强烈（最大15分钟，强度为70 mm / hr）又局部化，导致浅滑坡高度集中。这种气象现象可能在景观演变和灾害引发中起重要作用。