Regional modelling of present,past and future potential distribution of discontinuous permafrost based on a rock glacier inventory in the Bagnes‐Hérémence area (Western Swiss Alps)

A regional model was used to draw the permafrost distribution in the 200 km 2 of the Bagnes-Hérémence area (Western Swiss Alps). The model is based on the fact that permafrost distribution depends mainly on altitude and orientation and that the minimal altitude of active/inactive rock glaciers can be used as an indicator of the lower limit of discontinuous permafrost. The lower limit of relict rock glaciers is also used as an indicator of past distribution of permafrost. An inventory of rock glaciers was therefore made in the study area. The lower limit of permafrost during the Younger Dryas was determined by comparing the position of relict rock glaciers and glacier extension during the Older Dryas. The model was then applied to four periods (Younger Dryas, Little Ice Age, current period and future) in order to show the temporal evolution of permafrost distribution and glacier extension.     

Periglacial nivation cirques and local glaciations in the rock canyons of Söderåsen,Scania, Sweden. A discussion and new interpretation

Rapp, Anders: Periglacial nivation cirques and local glaciations in the rock canyons of Söderåsen, Scania, Sweden. A discussion and new interpretation. Geografisk Tidsskrift 82: 95–99, Copenhagen, October 15, 1982.

Present opinions about the genesis of the rock canyons OdensjOn, Skäralid and Klöva Hallar of Söderåsen, Sweden are reviewed, and a new theory is presented. It is proposed, that during periglacial tundra periods large amounts of drifting snow collected in valleys of north-south directions. Small glaciers were created, which caused local overdeepening and removal of loose material. These processes were active in tundra periods before and after the main Quaternary glaciations.

SUMMARY

Odensjön, Skäralid and Klöva Hallar are three valleys of canyon type, deeply cut (60–100 m) into the horst block of Söderåsen, of fractured Precambrian gneiss rock. It has been shown by other authors that the cold periods after the Weichselian deglaciation were characterized by permafrost and ice wedges on sandy plains in south Sweden. Strong winds caused widespread wind-polishing of stones and bedrock, predominantly from easterly and westerly directions. Based on this evidence, the author presents the theory that large deposits of wind-blown snow were trapped in the canyon valleys of Söderåsen, except for the valleys of east-west directions. The snow was metamorphosed to firn and local, small glaciers, which filled the valleys. The rims of the canyon valleys have in many cases well developed nivation hollows, either steep nivation funnels or gently sloping, semicircular nivation cirques. Odensjøn is a closed, semicircular rock basin, which has been much discussed by scientists earlier, and which seems to fit the theory of creation by nivation from mainly west, but also east, and a local cirque glacier flow northwards causing the overdeepening and removal of loose material. The three valleys mentioned were problably widened and deepened into a series of nivation basins in tundra periods before and after each major continental glaciation. The nivation hollows and the deep canyon valleys were not destroyed by glacial erosion during the Weichselian and earlier Quaternary major ice advances, because the valleys were filled with densely packed snow and ice from snow drifting before the main glacier front moved over them from NE directions. The theory will be further checked by a team of scientists from the Department of Physical Geography in Lund. A comparison is made with cirque forms in present-day mountain tundra conditions in the area of Kärkevagge in northern Lappland, investigated by the author during the 1950's and later.     

Younger Dryas glaciolacustrine rhythmites and cirque glacier variations at Kråkenes, western Norway: depositional processes and climate

Kråkenes faces the open sea on the west coast of Norway. During the Younger Dryas a cirque glacier deposited a large outer and a smaller inner moraine in a cirque at the site and melt-water entered a small lake depositing glaciolacustrine sediments. The glaciolacustrine succession can be divided into three sub-units corresponding to the advance, the still-stand and the retreat phases of the glacier. The sediment succession contains both varves and other types of rhythmites, the latter being mainly deposited as turbidity underflows caused by localized slumping events. Lee-side accumulation of snow by wind and avalanching into the cirque was crucial to form and maintain the cirque glacier once summer temperatures were low enough. At maximum, the glacier likely was in equilibrium with climate. The initial retreat from the maximum position might have been triggered by fall-out of volcanic ash from Iceland, but the continued retreat was due to increased ablation season temperatures. The most rapid change in climate at the Younger Dryas/Preboreal transition occurred after the cirque glacier had melted away completely.     

THE EASTERN MARGIN OF GLACIATION IN THE BRITISH ISLES DURING THE YOUNGER DRYAS: THE BIZZLE CIRQUE, SOUTHERN SCOTLAND

ABSTRACT. Geomorphological and sedimentological evidence of former glaciation in the Bizzle valley in the Cheviot Hills of northern England and southern Scotland was used to reconstruct the dimensions of a small topographically constrained glacier with an equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of 535 m. This was interpreted as having formed during Younger Dryas cooling; this is the only glacier to have been described from the area and is the most easterly site of Younger Dryas glaciation in the British Isles. Whilst glaciation at this time was extensive in the Lake District to the southwest, the restricted nature of Cheviot ice cover suggests that a steep west–east precipitation gradient existed in this region during the Younger Dryas.     

Using relict rockglaciers in GIS-based modelling to reconstruct Younger Dryas permafrost distribution patterns in the Err-Julier area,Swiss Alp

Differences in mean annual air temperature between the Younger Dryas period and today were estimated at the fronts of 32 relict rockglaciers in the Err-Julier area, eastern Swiss Alps. The analyses were based on a case-by-case calculation of direct incoming solar radiation and mean annual air temperature using a digital elevation model (DEM) and meteo data of recent years. Our results suggest that mean annual air temperature during the Younger Dryas was lowered by c. 3C to 4C, and that the lower limit of permafrost occurrence was depressed considerably more than glacier equilibrium lines. This indicates strongly reduced precipitation (30% to 40% reduction) and much larger abundance of mountain permafrost at that time. A model simulation of the corresponding spatial permafrost distribution during the Younger Dryas indicates that glaciers in the study area were mostly surrounded by permafrost at that time and probably had a polythermal structure of englacial temperatures.     

Reconstruction and Regional Significance of the Coire Breac Palaeoglacier,Glen Esk,Eastern Grampian Highlands,Scotland

We present a glaciological and climatic reconstruction of a former glacier in Coire Breac, an isolated cirque within the Eastern Grampian plateau of Scotland, 5 km from the Highland edge. Published glacier reconstructions of presumed Younger Dryas‐age glaciers in this area show that equilibrium line altitudes decreased steeply towards the east coast, implying a arctic maritime glacial environment. Extrapolation of the ELA trend surface implies that glaciers should have existed in suitable locations on the plateau, a landscape little modified by glaciation. In Coire Breac, a 0.35 km² cirque glacier existed with an equilibrium line altitude of 487 ± 15 m above present sea level. The equilibrium line altitude matches closely the extrapolated regional equilibrium line altitude trend surface for Younger Dryas Stadial glaciers. The mean glacier thickness of 24 m gives an ice volume of 7.8 × 10⁶ m³, and a maximum basal shear stress of c. 100 kPa^?1. Ablation gradient was c. –0.0055 m m^?1, with a mean July temperature at the equilibrium line altitude of c. 5.1°C. The reconstruction implies an arctic maritime climate of low precipitation with local accumulation enhanced by blown snow, which may explain the absence of other contemporary glaciers nearby. Reconstructed ice flow lines show zones of flow concentration around the lower ice margin which help to explain the distribution of depositional facies associated with a former debris cover which may have delayed eventual glacier retreat. No moraines in the area have been dated, so palaeoclimatic interpretations remain provisional, and a pre‐Lateglacial Interstadial age cannot be ruled out.     

CHRONOLOGY OF THE LAST GLACIATION IN CENTRAL STRAIT OF MAGELLAN AND BAHÍA INÚTIL, SOUTHERNMOST SOUTH AMERICA

ABSTRACT. Glacier fluctuations in the Strait of Magellan tell of the climatic changes that affected southern latitudes at c. 53–55°S during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Late-glacial/Holocene transition. Here we present a revised chronology based on cosmogenic isotope analysis, ¹⁴C assays, amino acid racemisation and tephrochronology. We unpick the effect of bedrock-derived lignite which has affected many ¹⁴C dates in the past and synthesise new and revised dates that constrain five glacier advances (A to E). Advance A is prior to the LGM. LGM is represented by Advance B that reached and largely formed the arcuate peninsula Juan Mazia. Carbon-14and ¹⁰Be dating show it occurred after 31 250 cal yrs BP and culminated at 25 200–23 100 cal yrs BP and was then followed by the slightly less extensive advance C sometime before 22 400–20 300 cal yrs BP. This pattern of an early maximum is found elsewhere in South America and more widely. Stage D, considerably less extensive, culminated sometime before 17 700–17 600 cal yrs BP and was followed by rapid and widespread glacier retreat. Advance E, which dammed a lake, spanned 15 500–11770 cal yrs BP. This latter advance overlaps the Bølling-Allerød interstadials and the glacier retreat occurs during the peak of the Younger Dryas stadial in the northern hemisphere. However, the stage E advance coincides with the Antarctic Cold Reversal (c. 14800–12700 cal yrs BP) and may indicate that some millennial-scale climatic fluctuations in the Late-glacial period are out of phase between the northern and southern hemispheres.     

The Cookie Cutter: A method for obtaining a quantitative 3D description of glacial bedforms

Recording the position and attributes of subglacial bedforms, particularly drumlins, is paramount in determining the extent, and dynamics, of former ice sheets. This paper presents a method of deriving 3D properties of glacier bedforms (drumlins in this case) in order to quantify bedform dimensions and acquire information necessary for further investigations, such as calculating amounts of sediment moved subglacially and hence interactions between a glacier and a deformable bed. The method developed here is a semi-automated technique, called Cookie Cutter after the baking implement/process. This method is applied to 5 m spatial resolution DEM data and is based on manual geomorphological mapping of the DEM images, which forms the judgmental part of the process. The mapped bedforms are then processed individually using an automated technique which is described in detail with worked examples from western Central Scotland, which was last glaciated during the Last Glacial Maximum and the Younger Dryas. The advantages and potential sources of error are discussed and results from the sample area are used to compare the volumes of drumlins in an area of LGM glaciation with those in an area glaciated during the Younger Dryas.     

LATE‐GLACIAL GLACIER EVENTS IN SOUTHERNMOST SOUTH AMERICA: A BLEND OF ‘NORTHERN’ AND 'SOUTHERN’ HEMISPHERIC CLIMATIC SIGNALS?

ABSTRACT. This paper examines new geomorphological, chronological and modelling data on glacier fluctuations in southernmost South America in latitudes 46–55°S during the last glacial–interglacial transition. Establishing leads and lags between the northern and southern hemispheres and between southern mid‐latitudes and Antarctica is key to an appreciation of the mechanisms and resilience of global climate. This is particularly important in the southern hemisphere where there is a paucity of empirical data. The overall structure of the last glacial cycle in Patagonia has a northern hemisphere signal. Glaciers reached or approached their Last Glacial Maxima on two or more occasions at 25–23 ka (calendar) and there was a third less extensive advance at 17.5 ka. Deglaciation occurred in two steps at 17.5 ka and at 11.4 ka. This structure is the same as that recognized in the northern hemisphere and taking place in spite of glacier advances occurring at a time of high southern hemisphere summer insolation and deglaciation at a time of decreasing summer insolation. The implication is that at orbital time scales the‘northern’ signal dominates any southern hemisphere signal. During deglaciation, at a millennial scale, the glacier fluctuations mirror an antiphase 'southern’ climatic signal as revealed in Antarctic ice cores. There is a glacier advance coincident with the Antarctic Cold Reversal at 15.3–12.2 ka. Furthermore, deglaciation begins in the middle of the Younger Dryas. The implication is that, during the last glacial–interglacial transition, southernmost South America was under the influence of sea surface temperatures, sea ice and southern westerlies responding to conditions in the 'southern’ Antarctic domain. Such asynchrony may reflect a situation whereby, during deglaciation, the world is more sensitized to fluctuations in the oceanic thermohaline circulation, perhaps related to the bipolar seesaw, than at orbital timescales.     

Environmental magnetic measurements of marine sediments from Antarctica: implications to paleoclimate changes during the past 15 ka

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SEDIMENTS FROM AROUND THE LOWER YOUNGER DRYAS BOUNDARY (SE ARIZONA,USA): IMPLICATIONS FROM LA‐ICP‐MS MULTI‐ELEMENT ANALYSIS

One of the prominent features in sediment sequences formed around the Allerød‐Younger Dryas transition (c. 12.9–12.8 ka bp ) in North America is a dark layer of organic‐rich material, i.e. the black mat. The black mat sequences in southeast Arizona contain a thin sandy basal layer corresponding to the lower Younger Dryas boundary. Trace element concentrations in the lower Younger Dryas boundary sediments, in the black mat, in the host sediments, and in charcoal from Western Europe and southeast Arizona were studied using LA‐ICP‐MS. The black mat samples and samples of the underlying host sediments display compositions similar to the average continental crust, while the sediments from the lower Younger Dryas boundary are enriched in rare earth elements, Ni, and Co whereas Ta, Nb, Zr, and Hf are depleted relative to the rare earth elements. Such a difference in compositions between the lower Younger Dryas boundary sediments and other sediments points to a short enigmatic event, which changed conditions of sedimentation just before the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling. The presence of products of biomass burning of still unknown origin is suggested on the basis of trace element features of sediments from the lower Younger Dryas boundary.     

The late-glacial and early-Holocene palaeoecology of cladoceran microfossil assemblages at Kråkenes, western Norway, with a quantitative reconstruction of temperature changes

Cladoceran microfossil remains were analysed from a sediment core taken from a lake basin at Kråkenes, western Norway. The sequence included immediate post-glacial conditions (ca. 12,300 ¹⁴C BP), the Allerod, Younger Dryas, and early Holocene to approximately 8,500 ¹⁴C BP. The interpretation of changes in the cladoceran assemblages is based on the known ecology of the taxa, the documented environmental history of the study sequence, the variations in the organic content of the sediment, the radiocarbon dates, and the results of analyses of other biotic groups, including diatoms, macrophytes, and chironomids. In addition, a quantitative reconstruction of changes in air temperature is presented for the study period. This reconstruction is based on transfer functions developed from a separate Swiss surface-sediment cladoceran data set.The cladoceran assemblages throughout the sequence are dominated by littoral chydorid taxa. Bosmina, Daphnia, and Simocephalus represent the open-water component of the zooplankton. Chydorus piger and Daphnia were the only immediate post-glacial pioneer taxa. A rapid proliferation of the open-water and littoral cladoceran taxa began with the onset of the Allerod and persisted for approximately 1,000 yrs. At the start of the Younger Dryas a local glacier formed and drained into the lake, causing a sudden decline in chydorid diversity, with only Chydorus sphaericus and Acroperus harpae persisting throughout this period. Chydorid diversity started to recover in the upper Younger Dryas and continued in the early Holocene. Progressive acidification and oligotrophication are also discernible from the cladoceran assemblages present in the Holocene.The reconstructed mean summer air temperature was from 8-21 °C, with prediction errors of 1.8-2.5 °C. The Allerod was only slightly warmer than the Younger Dryas period, but a progressive increase in temperature is apparent during the early Holocene. In conclusion, the results of this study provide a further demonstration of the value of cladocera as indicators of a variety of palaeoenvironmental parameters, including temperature.     

Debris-covered Glaciers and Rock Glaciers in the Nanga Parbat Himalaya, Pakistan

The origin and mobilization of the extensive debris cover associated with the glaciers of the Nanga Parbat Himalaya is complex. In this paper we propose a mechanism by which glaciers can form rock glaciers through inefficiency of sediment transfer from glacier ice to meltwater. Inefficient transfer is caused by various processes that promote plentiful sediment supply and decrease sediment transfer potential. Most debris‐covered glaciers on Nanga Parbat with higher velocities of movement and/ or efficient debris transfer mechanisms do not form rock glaciers, perhaps because debris is mobilized quickly and removed from such glacier systems. Those whose ice movement activity is lower and those where inefficient sediment transfer mechanisms allow plentiful debris to accumulate, can form classic rock glaciers. We document here with maps, satellite images, and field observations the probable evolution of part of a slow and inefficient ice glacier into a rock glacier at the margins of Sachen Glacier in c. 50 years, as well as several other examples that formed in a longer period of time. Sachen Glacier receives all of its nourishment from ice and snow avalanches from surrounding areas of high relief, but has low ice velocities and no efficient system of debris removal. Consequently it has a pronounced digitate terminus with four lobes that have moved outward from the lateral moraines as rock glaciers with prounced transverse ridges and furrows and steep fronts at the angle of repose. Raikot Glacier has a velocity five times higher than Sachen Glacier and a thick cover of rock debris at its terminus that is efficienctly removed. During the advance stage of the glacier since 1994, ice cliffs were exposed at the terminus, and an outbreak flood swept away much debris from its margins and terminus. Like the Sachen Glacier that it resembles, Shaigiri Glacier receives all its nourishment from ice and snow avalanches and has an extensive debris cover with steep margins close to the angle of repose. It has a high velocity similar to Raikot Glacier and catastrophic breakout floods have removed debris from its terminus twice in the recent past. In addition, the Shaigiri terminus blocked the Rupal River during the Little Ice Age and is presently being undercut and steepened by the river. With higher velocities and more efficient sediment transfer systems, neither the Raikot nor the Shaigiri form classic rock‐glacier morphologies.     

基于氢氧同位素和水化学的祁连山老虎沟冰川区径流过程分析

基于2012-2013年两个消融期在祁连山老虎沟冰川区连续2 a采集的冰川融水径流、雪冰以及降水样品,分析探讨了冰川区水体介质中氢氧同位素和水化学要素(主要化学离子、pH值、TDS和电导率等)在消融期的变化过程及特征。结果表明:祁连山老虎沟雪冰融水中的氢氧同位素值(δD和δ¹⁸O)表现出明显的消融期随月份波动,先升高再降低的趋势,在7月份表现出高值,反映了冰川消融强弱程度的变化过程。冰川径流中同位素含量与冰雪融水接近,且处于当地降水线上,其主要来自冰雪融水和降雨补给。老虎沟冰川融水径流水化学主要表现为Ca-Na-HCO₃-SO₄和Ca-Mg-HCO₃-SO₄型,其组成特征也表现出随消融过程而变化。对氢氧同位素和化学要素组成在消融期(6~9月)随时间的变化过程进行了分析,表明结合冰川区氢氧同位素和化学要素(包括化学离子、TDS、pH值和电导率等)的组成可以区分雪坑和新雪、河水的组分变化,可以反映冰川融水径流在消融期的变化过程。     

青藏高原湖泊沉积研究及其进展

青藏高原湖泊沉积研究主要围绕青藏高原隆升和全球变化响应开展的。研究揭示了青藏高原隆升具有整体性、阶段性和后期加速性。中晚更新世以来和末次间冰期一冰期气候演化过程得到重建,并能够与冰芯和深海氧同位素记录对比;同时也存在MIS3阶段强烈暖湿和末次冰盛期冷湿等区域特征;新仙女木事件在湖泊沉积物也有明显记录。全新世研究表明青藏高原早期暖湿并经历冷事件,大暖期普遍出现高水位,后期气候向于冷化方向发展。湖泊沉积环境定量化重建也得到研究。青藏高原湖泊沉积应在高分辨率纹层沉积和环境指标定量分析基础理论方面加强研究。     

Richness, diversity and succession of late-glacial chironomid assemblages in New Brunswick, Canada

Chironomid analysis was performed on late-glacial sediment from four New Brunswick lakes in order to gain basic ecological information regarding the richness and diversity of late-glacial chironomid assemblages, and to compare the pattern of succession at each site. At all sites, the richness and diversity of the larval assemblages were lowest immediately following deglaciation and during the Younger Dryas, corresponding to the coldest times of the late-glacial period. Although cold-stenothermous taxa are characteristic of sediments deposited immediately following deglaciation, as well as during the Killarney Oscillation and Younger Dryas cooling events, the constituent taxa are different at each site. During the intervening warm periods, the larval assemblages at each site are also dissimilar, with the more southern sites containing a greater variety of temperate littoral taxa. This raises the possibility that a north-south temperature gradient existed during the warm intervals of the late-glacial period in New Brunswick.     

Younger Dryas时期东亚季风气候和中国东部沙区沙漠变化

位于沙漠／黄土过渡带的杨桃峁剖面,高分辨率地记录了ＹｏｕｎｇｅｒＤｒｙａｓ时期东亚季风气候和沙漠变化历史。在ＡＭＳ１４Ｃ测年基础上,磁化率、粒度和有机质含量等替代性气候指标的测试结果分析表明,ＹｏｕｎｇｅｒＤｒｙａｓ时期东亚季风气候在全球气候变化的影响下,总的表现为与北半球高纬度地区相同的干寒特征,即沙漠总的具有扩大的趋势;但又与南北半球大气相互作用,特别是赤道太平洋地区气压异常引起亚洲季风气候的不稳定有关,表现出降水变化特点,沙漠出现逆过程变化,存在短暂成壤固定时期。     

TRACE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTION AND IMPLICATIONS IN SEDIMENTS ACROSS THE ALLERØD–YOUNGER DRYAS BOUNDARY IN THE NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Younger Dryas cooling occurred between 12.8 and 11.7 ka bp . This cooling is thought to have been the result of an abrupt change in atmospheric and oceanic circulations. One of the hypotheses explaining such a change suggests that just before the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling, multiple airbursts/impacts occurred over the Northern Hemisphere. We studied the late Pleistocene sediments from the Netherlands and Belgium to check whether a sudden short event might have taken place just before the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling. The geochemical features revealed suggest that such events might have occurred. The presence of products of biomass burning is suggested on the basis of trace element features of sediments from the lower Younger Dryas boundary. The presence of a volcanic component and a component resulting from extensive biomass burning in the sediments of c. 12.9 ka bp are indicated on the basis of trace element features. The volcanic component may be related to the Laacher See volcano eruption, whereas the cause of the extensive biomass burning remains unclear.     

δD-δ18O relationships on a polythermal valley glacier: Midtre Lovénbreen, Svalbard

This paper outlines the results of stable isotope (δD-δ¹⁸O) analysis of snow and glacier ice undertaken as part of a larger study concerning structural glaciology, debris entrainment and debris transport patterns at Midtre Lovénbreen, Svalbard. Samples of fresh snow were collected from the glacier surface in spring 1999 and samples of surface glacier ice and basal ice samples were collected in summer 1999. When plotted on bivariate co-isotopic diagrams (δD-δ¹⁸O), the slopes obtained for snow and unmodified glacier ice (6.4 and 6.9, respectively) are less steep than those for the basal ice layer and transverse ice layers on the ice surface (7.6 and 7.7, respectively). The difference in the slope of these lines is not statistically significant at the sample size (50) used in this study. The results indicate that although stable isotope analysis clearly has potential for studies of debris entrainment, transport and structural glaciology, difficulties remain with applying this technique. It is therefore not possible to apply these isotopic techniques to ice facies of unknown origins. In particular, large sample numbers are required to establish statistical differences and high-resolution sampling of specific ice facies may be necessary to establish isotopic differences.     

青藏高原湖泊沉积研究及其进展

青藏高原湖泊沉积研究主要围绕青藏高原隆升和全球变化响应开展的。研究揭示了青藏高原隆升具有整体性、阶段性和后期加速性。中晚更新世以来和末次间冰期-冰期气候演化过程得到重建,并能够与冰芯和深海氧同位素记录对比;同时也存在M IS3阶段强烈暖湿和末次冰盛期冷湿等区域特征;新仙女木事件在湖泊沉积物也有明显记录。全新世研究表明青藏高原早期暖湿并经历冷事件,大暖期普遍出现高水位,后期气候向干冷化方向发展。湖泊沉积环境定量化重建也得到研究。青藏高原湖泊沉积应在高分辨率纹层沉积和环境指标定量分析基础理论方面加强研究。