Slower erosion in carbonate landscapes due to partitioning of energy between surface and groundwater flow

Most widely used fluvial landscape evolution models infer discharge from a power-law scaling with drainage area. In settings with high permeability, this assumption can break down. Karst systems can drain whole rivers through the subsurface, sometimes against local topographic gradients. It is unclear how such large-scale groundwater drainage affects landscape evolution. We introduce a framework for landscape evolution based on the dissipation of the potential energy of precipitation as it takes both surface and subsurface flow paths, responding to hydraulic head gradients. The framework explains how large carbonate plateaus like the Swabian Alb in Southern Germany can persist and stall drainage capture despite a large river profile asymmetry between Rhine and Danube catchments. Finally, we suggest a simple approach for examining the combined controls of permeability and rock strength on landscape evolution.