Measuring erosion with the micro-erosion meter—Contributions to understanding landform evolution

We review the contribution made to understanding landform evolution through the use of the micro-erosion meter (MEM) and the variant, the traversing micro-erosion meter (TMEM). The MEM has allowed the direct measurement of bedrock erosion in terrestrial and coastal settings as well as of building stone. As recorded in MEM measurements, world wide the average rate of surface lowering on shore platforms is 1.486 mm a− 1, and on terrestrial rock surfaces, measured lowering rates are on average 0.903 mm a− 1. Reported means obscure significant variation in rates from a range of environmental settings and lithologies. The MEM has in a number of examples allowed the identification of the contribution of individual processes in polygenetic settings, particularly in shore platform studies. The dynamic nature of rock weathering has been highlighted, where the TMEM has revealed rock surfaces swelling and contracting at time scales ranging from hours to years. The MEM will continue to provide useful data on erosion rates and processes but the most fruitful investigations will be those that combine the T/MEM with other techniques that transcend time and space scale issues in erosion and process measurement.