Novel theoretical insights into geomorphic process–environment relationships using simulated response curves

Abstract Robust models of geomorphic process–environment relationships are important to advance theoretical knowledge of geomorphic systems. Here, we examined a generalized additive modeling (GAM) based approach to provide new theoretical insights into process–environment relationships. More precisely, we (i) simulated the shapes of the relationships between geomorphic processes and environmental variables based on GAM and (ii) compared the shapes of the simulated response curves to (a) the hypothetical curves based on theory and (b) the response curves produced by generalized linear modeling (GLM). Hitherto, GLM was the most common technique to study the relationships between environmental gradients and geomorphic processes. The study is based on empirical cryoturbation and solifluction data and environmental variables from subarctic Finland. Our results showed that non‐linear relationships were more common than linear responses and the simulated GAM based response curves coincided more closely with the hypothetical response curves than did the response curves derived from GLM. The simulated response curves showed high potential in geomorphic hypothesis testing. In conclusion, our findings indicate that careful examination of the response curves may provide new insights into theoretical debates in the earth sciences. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.