Mobility and Location of Drainage Divides Affected by Tilting Uplift in Sado Island, Japan

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Remote Sensing

Review of the Manuscript ID 2145967 for Remote Sensing - Mobility and Location of Drainage Divides Affected by Tilting Uplift in Sado Island, Japan

by Akimasa Sakashita and Noritaka Endo

The manuscript deals with the mobility and location of drainage divides affected by tilting uplift in Sado Island, Japan. Rivers and drainages were analysed from the geomorphological aspect, focusing on the divide mobility. The proposed hypothesis is well described and graphically represented, with the application of methods that were used in the modern tectonic-geomorphological analysis - geomorphological analysis of DEM data and analysis of parameters like longitudinal river profiles, Normalized steepness index, ? Parameter, and Gilbert metrics to understand the modern state of the divides (divide mobility). The authors represent well the obtained results that show the mobility of different segments of Osado and Kosado parts of the island. The results correspond to the tectonic activity in the area. The authors present a new idea for drainage mobility without the component of reverse movements of the tilting uplift. The proposed manuscript covers mainly the geomorphological characteristics and could be completed with more data on the fault network in the area and its impact on drainages in further studies.

The manuscript is well-written and structured, with strong scientific sound and well-illustrated with 17 figures – maps and plots. The hypothesis represented in the paper is well-defined and provides new data to the current knowledge of the tectonic-geomorphological characteristics of Sado Island. It well fits the journal’s scope because of the application of DEM-based data and analysis. The data, analyses and results were represented and interpreted properly, and conclusions were supported by the results. The analysis is performed with the highest technical standards, robust enough to draw conclusions and test the hypothesis. The methods are clear and well-described. The used data sources were cited appropriately. However, the authors should consider adding a little bit more information about the TopoToolbox and DivideTools in Method Section and details about how they choose the representative channels in each segment in Results Section (4.1 Longitudinal Profiles and the Divide Positions). The results are reproducible and well-represented in figures and plots that are easy to interpret. The conclusions are justified and supported by the obtained results from the geomorphometric analysis. The cited references are appropriate and most of them are from the last 5 years.

I recommend this paper for publication because the obtained results are significant, and add new data and points of view on the drainage migration in the island related to the tectonic in the study area with the application of methods that were used in the modern tectonic-geomorphological analysis. The paper needs some minor revisions following the comments below.

Comments:

·      Figure 1 – Consider adding the Hamo river with a blue line on the map

·    Figure 2 – In legend – Typographical error - with the orange square marked dacite and rhylite? 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

2023/01/22

Remote Sensing, Editorial Board

Dear Reviewer:

 

Thank you very much for providing important comments. We are thankful for the time and energy you expended. Our responses to your comments are as follow:

 

COMMENT 1: ” Figure 1 – Consider adding the Hamo river with a blue line on the map”

RESPONSE: The channels of the Hamo River have been added to Figure 1 with blue color.

 

COMMENT 2: “In legend – Typographical error - with the orange square marked dacite and rhylite?”

RESPONSE: I have corrected the spelling of the rhyolite in Figure 2.

 

COMMENT 3: “However, the authors should consider adding a little bit more information about the TopoToolbox and DivideTools in Method Section and details about how they choose the representative channels in each segment in Results Section (4.1 Longitudinal Profiles and the Divide Positions).”

RESPONSE: We have added descriptions about parameter values necessary to set by users in analysis for knickpoint and swath profile using the Matlab libraries, @ Lines 166-168th in the paper. How we chose channels to show the typical results have been described in the captions of figure 5 and 6 in the previous version of the document, but we modified the sentence.

 

Other modification:

We noticed a careless mistake.

Previously we wrote "higher relief" in Line 200th, in explanation of Gilbert Metrics in the chapter of Method, but the contrary is correct. We corrected it to "lower relief", which does not affect the results of this paper at all, because we analyzed and interpreted the data correctly.

 

Again, thank you for giving us the opportunity to strengthen our manuscript with your valuable comments and queries. We have worked hard to incorporate your feedback and hope that these revisions persuade you to accept our submission.

 

Sincerely,

 

Akimasa Sakashita Department of Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan E-mail: [email protected]

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Please see the attached file for comments

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf