Supraglacial weathering crust dynamics inferred from cryoconite hole hydrology

Water levels in cryoconite holes were monitored at high resolution over a 3‐week period on Austre Brøggerbreen (Svalbard). These data were combined with melt and energy balance modelling, providing insights into the evolution of the glacier's near‐surface hydrology and confirming that the hydrology of the near‐surface, porous ice known as the ‘weathering crust’ is dynamic and analogous to a shallow‐perched aquifer. A positive correlation between radiative forcing of melt and drainage efficiency was found within the weathering crust. This likely resulted from diurnal contraction and dilation of interstitial pore spaces driven by variations in radiative and turbulent fluxes in the surface energy balance, occasionally causing ‘sudden drainage events’. A linear decrease in water levels in cryoconite holes was also observed and attributed to cumulative increases in near‐surface ice porosity over the measurement period. The transport of particulate matter and microbes between cryoconite holes through the porous weathering crust is shown to be dependent upon weathering crust hydraulics and particle size. Cryoconite holes therefore yield an indication of the hydrological dynamics of the weathering crust and provide long‐term storage loci for cryoconite at the glacier surface. This study highlights the importance of the weathering crust as a crucial component of the hydrology, ecology and biogeochemistry of the glacier ecosystem and glacierized regions and demonstrates the utility of cryoconite holes as natural piezometers on glacier surfaces. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Subglacial observations from øksfjordjøkelen,North Norway

Stepped bedrock topography at the snout of a small outlet glacier from Øksfjordjøkelen, North Norway, produces an extensive subglacial cavity system which stretches some 70m across and 100m up-glacier, giving access beneath ice ≤50 m thick. Inside the cavity, regelation ice, clean glacier ice and deforming basal ice have been observed. Samples were taken and basal debris concentrations at the glacier sole were found to vary between 0.005 and 15.38 per cent by volume. The basal ice velocity has been determined using a linear variable differential transformer attached to an analogue recorder, and also by means of measured displacements of ice crews and clasts embedded in the basal ice. Velocities were found to differ both spatially and temporally from a maximum of 2.55 mm h¹ to a minimum of 0.3 mm h^?1. The measurements and observations, which have been related to present theory, show how spatially averaged values for a number of variables could lead to inaccuracies in predicted erosion values, certainly at a local scale. On the exposed foreland, jointcontrolled lee-side faces provide evidence for extensive subglacial plucking (here taken to mean the removal of preloosened bed material and/or material resulting from bed failure). Indeed, in the cavity the early stages of removal of joint-controlled blocks by ice deformation along joints have been observed. The importance of debris-rich basal ice is shown in the formation of large striations (up to 500cm × 16cm × 2cm) present on the foreland.     

Corroded cobbles in Southern Death Valley: Their relationship to honeycomb weathering and lake shorelines

In southern Death Valley, pits similar in morphology to honeycomb weathering (herein referred to as corrosion pits) occur on the surfaces of cobbles that are associated with wave-produced benches. The pitted cobbles include a variety of igneous, metamorphic, and siliciclastic rocks; corrosion pits are rare to absent in limestones or dolomites. Pit morphology is controlled by cobble lithology. In massive rocks the pits are arcuate, elongate, and gently tapering; corrosion of laminated or foliated rocks has produced irregular, more jagged pits. The presence of desert varnish has strongly inhibited the corrosion process. The corroded cobbles are inferred to reflect both chemical and physical weathering of rocks along Pleistocene lacustrine strandlines. Corrosion took place through salt-weathering and/or heat-moisture expansion processes and through chemical dissolution of selected minerals as a result of splash-zone wetting and drying. The ancient lake waters may have had high pH and high total dissolved solids contents. The recognition of corroded cobbles may be important in the reconstruction of the position of ancient shorelines for certain types of alkaline lakes and in the reconstruction of their ancient chemistries.     

Luminescence dating of cobbles from Pleistocene fluvial terrace deposits of the Ara River,Japan

Constraining the ages of fluvial terraces is essential to understanding fluvial responses to climate and sea-level changes and estimating uplift/incision. Luminescence dating of sand or silt grains from fluvial terrace deposits in Japan is difficult because sand layers are often absent from gravelly deposits, quartz grains are typically dominated by medium/slow components and/or contaminated by feldspars, and short transport distances and short residence times in riverbeds result in poor bleaching of luminescence signals. Luminescence dating of cobbles may overcome these difficulties, but few studies have applied this technique to fluvial terrace deposits. Here, we examine the utility of luminescence dating applied to three granodiorite cobbles from a late Pleistocene fluvial terrace deposit of the Ara River, Japan. We investigated variations of the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and post-IR IRSL signals with depth in each cobble. The IRSL and post-IR IRSL signals generally increase with depth, indicating that the cobbles were not completely bleached before deposition. Nonetheless, the IRSL ages of the cobble surfaces (19–17 ka) are consistent with the age of a tephra layer (16–15 ka) at the base of loess deposits overlying the terrace. In contrast, IRSL ages of sand-sized feldspar grains overestimate the depositional age because of incomplete bleaching, whereas silt-sized quartz grains greatly underestimate the depositional age, likely because of the thermal instability of the medium component. Our results demonstrate that luminescence dating of cobbles could provide a better understanding of fluvial systems in which luminescence dating of sand grains is difficult.     

Nitrate content and potential microbial signature of rock glacier outflow,Colorado Front Range

Here we characterize the nutrient content in the outflow of the Green Lake 5 rock glacier, located in the Green Lakes Valley of the Colorado Front Range. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was present in all samples with a mean concentration of 0·85 mg L^?1 . A one‐way analysis of variance test shows no statistical difference in DOC amounts among surface waters (p = 0·42). Average nitrate concentrations were 69 µmoles L^?1 in the outflow of the rock glacier, compared to 7 µmoles L^?1 in snow and 25 µmoles L^?1 in rain. Nitrate concentrations from the rock glacier generally increased with time, with maximum concentrations of 135 µmoles L^?1 in October, among the highest nitrate concentrations reported for high‐elevation surface waters. These high nitrate concentrations appear to be characteristic of rock glacier outflow in the Rocky Mountains, as a paired‐difference t‐test shows that nitrate concentrations from the outflow of 7 additional rock glaciers were significantly greater compared to their reference streams (p = 0·003). End‐member mixing analysis suggest that snow was the dominant source of nitrate in June, ‘soil’ solution was the dominant nitrate source in July, and base flow was the dominant source in September. Fluoresence index values and PARAFAC analyses of dissolved organic matter (DOM) are also consistent with a switch from terrestrial DOM in the summer time period to an increasing aquatic‐like microbial source during the autumn months. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Weakening of gneiss surfaces colonized by endolithic lichens in the temperate climate area of northwest Italy

A role of lithobionts in geomorphological processes is increasingly argued, but the spatio‐temporal scale of their impact is largely unexplored in many ecosystems. This study first characterizes in the temperate zone (northwest Italy) the relationships between lithobiontic communities including endolithic lichens and the hardness of their siliceous rock substrate (Villarfocchiardo Gneiss). The communities are characterized, on humid and xeric quarry surfaces exposed for decades and natural outcrops exposed for centuries, in terms of lichen and microbial constituents, using a combined morphological and molecular approach, and with regard to their development on and within the gneiss. A lichen species belonging to Acarosporaceae (Polysporina‐Sarcogyne‐Acarospora group, needing taxonomic revision) chasmoendolithically colonizes both the humid and xeric quarry surfaces, on which epilithic cyanobacterial biofilms and epilithic pioneer lichens respectively occur. Light and electron microscopic observations show the development of the endolithic thalli within rock microcracks and the hyphal penetration along crystal boundaries down to depths of 1 to 3 mm, more pronounced within the humid surfaces. Such colonization patterns are likely related to biogeophysical deterioration, while no chemical alteration characterizes minerals contacted by the endolithic lichen. By contrast, on natural outcrops, where the endolithic colonization is negligible, a reddish rind below epilithic lichens indicates chemical weathering processes. Schmidt Hammer measurements highlight that the endolithic lichens deeply affect the hardness of the gneiss (down to ?60% with respect to fresh controls and surfaces only colonized by cyanobacteria), exerting a significantly higher weakening effect with respect to the associated epilithic lithobionts. The phenomenon is more remarkable on humid than on xeric quarry surfaces and natural outcrops, where epilithic lichens are likely involved in long‐term hardening processes supporting surface stabilization. Endolithic lichens are thus active biogeomorphological agents at the upper millimetric layer of siliceous rocks in temperate areas, exerting their weakening action during the early decade‐scaled stages of surface exposure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two‐hourly surface change on supra‐tidal rock (Marengo,Victoria, Australia)

A traversing micro‐erosion meter was used to measure rock surface micro‐topography over 40 cm² on a supra‐tidal cliff face from early morning to late evening in late spring. From 06:00 hours to 22:00 hours the relative heights of 188 coordinates were obtained using the meter at 2‐hour intervals, resulting in a data set of 1607 readings. Monitoring shows that rock surfaces are dynamic entities, with significant rise and fall relative to the first measurement at shorter timescales than previously reported. The maximum positive rise between readings was 0·261 mm and lowering was 0·126 mm. The pattern of change did not relate as expected to environmental variables such as temperature or insolation. Rather, the surface showed greater surface change in the early morning and late afternoon. It is hypothesized that this pattern relates to the expansion and contraction of lichen thalli as moisture is absorbed during higher humidity in the morning and late afternoon. The implications of these results for weathering studies are considered. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Probing the deep critical zone beneath the Luquillo Experimental Forest,Puerto Rico

Recent work has suggested that weathering processes occurring in the subsurface produce the majority of silicate weathering products discharged to the world's oceans, thereby exerting a primary control on global temperature via the well‐known positive feedback between silicate weathering and CO₂. In addition, chemical and physical weathering processes deep within the critical zone create aquifers and control groundwater chemistry, watershed geometry and regolith formation rates. Despite this, most weathering studies are restricted to the shallow critical zone (e.g. soils, outcrops). Here we investigate the chemical weathering, fracturing and geomorphology of the deep critical zone in the Bisley watershed in the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory, Puerto Rico, from two boreholes drilled to 37.2 and 27.0 m depth, from which continuous core samples were taken. Corestones exposed aboveground were also sampled. Weathered rinds developed on exposed corestones and along fracture surfaces on subsurface rocks slough off of exposed corestones once rinds attain a thickness up to ~1 cm, preventing the corestones from rounding due to diffusion limitation. Such corestones at the land surface are assumed to be what remains after exhumation of similar, fractured bedrock pieces that were observed in the drilled cores between thick layers of regolith. Some of these subsurface corestones are massive and others are highly fractured, whereas aboveground corestones are generally massive with little to no apparent fracturing. Subsurface corestones are larger and less fractured in the borehole drilled on a road where it crosses a ridge compared with the borehole drilled where the road crosses the stream channel. Both borehole profiles indicate that the weathering zone extends to well below the stream channel in this upland catchment; hence weathering depth is not controlled by the stream level within the catchment and not all of the water in the watershed is discharged to the stream. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wind as a cooling agent: substrate temperatures are responsible for variable lithobiont‐induced weathering patterns on west‐ and east‐facing limestone bedrock of the Negev

Spatial variability in lithobiont‐induced weathering patterns on desert rocks is aspect‐dependent. While differences between the northern and southern aspects have been extensively studied, little is known concerning the differences between east‐facing (EF) and west‐facing (WF) aspects in deserts, including the Negev Desert. Whereas cobbles on both slopes are inhabited by endolithic lichens, epilithic lichens, which render the bedrock a smooth appearance, and free‐living cyanobacteria, which give the bedrock a rugged microrelief, predominate on WF and EF bedrock, respectively. Following previous research that regarded dew as the principal factor that determines lithobiont distribution, measurements of radiation, temperature, wind and dew were carried out during 2008–2009 in the Negev Desert. The data indicated that albeit slightly higher midday surface temperatures that characterize WF surfaces (cobbles and bedrock), nocturnal temperatures on these surfaces were significantly lower, therefore facilitating higher dew condensation. High amounts of dew result from the relatively rapid drop in temperatures (14:00–20:00) due to the afternoon northwesterly sea‐breeze wind (with a cooling rate of the WF bedrock being 52.9% higher than on EF bedrock, 2.6 °C h^?1 in comparison to only 1.7 °C h^?1), and facilitate the growth of high‐chlorophyll dew‐fed (and rain‐fed) epilithic lichens, which may act as bio‐protectors on WF bedrock. Lack of condensation on EF bedrock results in turn in the growth of rain‐fed free‐living cyanobacteria, responsible for high rock dissolution and subsequently for a rugged microrelief. By affecting the nocturnal bedrock temperatures, wind acts as a cooling agent, impacting in turn the amount of dew, and subsequently lithobiont composition and weathering patterns in the Negev Desert. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cavernous weathering,dynamical instability and self‐organization

Cavernous weathering may be conceptualized as a self‐reinforcing process, characterized by positive feedback within the weathering system. A morphometric study of caverns in the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA, demonstrates the applicability of a dynamically unstable, or conditionally unstable, model of cavernous weathering systems. Outcrop surfaces displaying caverns tend to show increasing fragmentation of the surface in the early stages of cavernous weathering, succeeded by convergent evolution of the surface in which caverns tend to grow and coalesce. A paradoxical relationship exists between the weathering system output at the scale of individual forms and the outcrop scale: caverns tend toward minimum interior surface area by developing a spheroidal form, yet the outcrop surface tends toward maximum exposed surface area by increasing the degree of fragmentation of the surface. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Colonization and weathering of engineering materials by marine microorganisms: an SEM study

Microorganisms are a ubiquitous feature of most hard substrata on Earth and their role in the geomorphological alteration of rock and stone is widely recognized. The role of microorganisms in the modification of engineering materials introduced into the intertidal zone through the construction of hard coastal defences is less well understood. Here we use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine microbial colonization and micro‐scale geomorphological features on experimental blocks of limestone, granite and marine concrete after eight months' exposure in the intertidal zone in Cornwall, UK. Significant differences in the occurrence of microbial growth features, and micro‐scale weathering and erosion features were observed between material types (ANOVA p < 0·000). Exposed limestone blocks were characterized by euendolithic borehole erosion (99% occurrence) within the upper 34·0 ± 12·3 µm of the surface. Beneath the zone of boring, inorganic weathering (chemical dissolution and salt action) had occurred to a depth of 125·0 ± 39·0 µm. Boring at the surface of concrete was less common (27% occurrence), while bio‐chemical crusting was abundant (94% occurrence, mean thickness 45·1 ± 27·7 µm). Crusts consisted of biological cells, salts and other chemical precipitates. Evidence of cryptoendolithic growth was also observed in limestone and concrete, beneath the upper zone of weathering. On granite, biological activity was restricted to thin epilithic films (<10 µm thickness) with some limited evidence of mechanical breakdown. Results presented here demonstrate the influence of substratum lithology, hardness and texture on the nature of early micro‐scale colonization, and the susceptibility of different engineering materials to organic weathering and erosion processes in the intertidal zone. The implications of differences in initial biogeomorphic responses of materials for long‐term rock weathering, ecology and engineering durability are discussed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using UAV acquired photography and structure from motion techniques for studying glacier landforms: application to the glacial flutes at Isfallsglaciären

Glacier and ice sheet retreat exposes freshly deglaciated terrain which often contains small‐scale fragile geomorphological features which could provide insight into subglacial or submarginal processes. Subaerial exposure results in potentially rapid landscape modification or even disappearance of the minor‐relief landforms as wind, weather, water and vegetation impact on the newly exposed surface. Ongoing retreat of many ice masses means there is a growing opportunity to obtain high resolution geospatial data from glacier forelands to aid in the understanding of recent subglacial and submarginal processes. Here we used an unmanned aerial vehicle to capture close‐range aerial photography of the foreland of Isfallsglaciären, a small polythermal glacier situated in Swedish Lapland. An orthophoto and a digital elevation model with ~2 cm horizontal resolution were created from this photography using structure from motion software. These geospatial data was used to create a geomorphological map of the foreland, documenting moraines, fans, channels and flutes. The unprecedented resolution of the data enabled us to derive morphological metrics (length, width and relief) of the smallest flutes, which is not possible with other data products normally used for glacial landform metrics mapping. The map and flute metrics compare well with previous studies, highlighting the potential of this technique for rapidly documenting glacier foreland geomorphology at an unprecedented scale and resolution. The vast majority of flutes were found to have an associated stoss‐side boulder, with the remainder having a likely explanation for boulder absence (burial or erosion). Furthermore, the size of this boulder was found to strongly correlate with the width and relief of the lee‐side flute. This is consistent with the lee‐side cavity infill model of flute formation. Whether this model is applicable to all flutes, or multiple mechanisms are required, awaits further study. © 2016 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Seasonal sediment fluxes forcing supraglacial melting on the Wright Lower Glacier,McMurdo Dry Valleys,Antarctica

Cold‐based glaciers exist in low temperature and low humidity environments in which shortwave radiation is the largest source of energy to the glacier surface and the energy budget is very sensitive to the surface albedo. Consequently, the presence of relatively low volumes of debris on glacier surfaces has a significant impact on the timing, magnitude and rate of ablation at the surface. The aim of this study is to understand how the presence of sediment on the glacier surface at the start of the melt season can affect meltwater generation and delivery on a cold‐based glacier. A combination of field measurements, energy balance modelling and chemical mixing modelling were used on the Wright Lower Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, between October 2005 and January 2006 to address this aim. In this system, sediment was transported onto the glacier surface during the winter months (March–October) by foehn winds, which reduced surface albedo at the start of the summer melt season. The areas of the glacier on which sediment accumulated began to melt earlier than other parts of the glacier and experienced a longer melt season. Over the study period, the total ablation on the dirty surfaces was nine times greater than for clean ice. Ablation on the dirty surfaces is dominated by melting, whereas sublimation dominates the clean ice. As the sediment was unevenly distributed over the glacier surface, the variation in melt amount and timing drove the development of a cryoconite hole system. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Near‐surface hydraulic conductivity of northern hemisphere glaciers

The hydrology of near‐surface glacier ice remains a neglected aspect of glacier hydrology despite its role in modulating meltwater delivery to downstream environments. To elucidate the hydrological characteristics of this near‐surface glacial weathering crust, we describe the design and operation of a capacitance‐based piezometer that enables rapid, economical deployment across multiple sites and provides an accurate, high‐resolution record of near‐surface water‐level fluctuations. Piezometers were employed at 10 northern hemisphere glaciers, and through the application of standard bail–recharge techniques, we derive hydraulic conductivity (K) values from 0.003 to 3.519 m day^?1, with a mean of 0.185 ± 0.019 m day^?1. These results are comparable to those obtained in other discrete studies of glacier near‐surface ice, and for firn, and indicate that the weathering crust represents a hydrologically inefficient aquifer. Hydraulic conductivity correlated positively with water table height but negatively with altitude and cumulative short‐wave radiation since the last synoptic period of either negative air temperatures or turbulent energy flux dominance. The large range of K observed suggests complex interactions between meteorological influences and differences arising from variability in ice structure and crystallography. Our data demonstrate a greater complexity of near‐surface ice hydrology than hitherto appreciated and support the notion that the weathering crust can regulate the supraglacial discharge response to melt production. The conductivities reported here, coupled with typical supraglacial channel spacing, suggest that meltwater can be retained within the weathering crust for at least several days. Not only does this have implications for the accuracy of predictive meltwater run‐off models, but we also argue for biogeochemical processes and transfers that are strongly conditioned by water residence time and the efficacy of the cascade of sediments, impurities, microbes, and nutrients to downstream ecosystems. Because continued atmospheric warming will incur rising snowline elevations and glacier thinning, the supraglacial hydrological system may assume greater importance in many mountainous regions, and consequently, detailing weathering crust hydraulics represents a research priority because the flow path it represents remains poorly constrained.     

Subglacial drainage system structure and morphology of Brewster Glacier,New Zealand

A global positioning system and ground penetrating radar surveys is used to produce digital elevation models of the surface and bed of Brewster Glacier. These are used to derive maps of subglacial hydraulic potential and drainage system structure using three different assumptions about the subglacial water pressure (P_w): (i) P_w = ice overburden; (ii) P_w = half ice overburden; (iii) P_w = atmospheric. Additionally, 16 dye‐tracing experiments at 12 locations were performed through a summer melt season. Dye return curve shape, together with calculations of transit velocity, dispersivity and storage, are used to infer the likely morphology of the subglacial drainage system. Taken together, the data indicate that the glacier is underlain by a channelised but hydraulically inefficient drainage system in the early summer in which water pressures are close to ice overburden. By mid‐summer, water pressures are closer to half‐ice overburden and the channelised drainage system is more hydraulically efficient. Surface streams that enter the glacier close to the location of major subglacial drainage pathways are routed quickly to the channels and then to the glacier snout. Streams that enter the glacier further away from the drainage pathways are routed slowly to the channels and then to the snout because they first flow through a distributed drainage system. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Debris entrainment by basal freeze‐on and thrusting during the 1995–1998 surge of Kuannersuit Glacier on Disko Island,west Greenland

Kuannersuit Glacier, a valley glacier on Disko Island in west Greenland, experienced a major surge from 1995 to 1998 where the glacier advanced 10·5 km and produced a ～65 m thick stacked sequence of debris‐rich basal ice and meteoric glacier ice. The aim of this study is to describe the tectonic evolution of large englacial thrusts and the processes of basal ice formation using a multiproxy approach including structural glaciology, stable isotope composition (δ¹⁸O and δD), sedimentology and ground‐penetrating radar. We argue that the major debris layers that can be traced in the terminal zone represent englacial thrusts that were formed early during the surge. Thrust overthrow was at least 200–300 m and this lead to a 30 m thick repetition of basal ice at the ice margin. It is assumed that the englacial thrusting was initiated at the transition between warm ice from the interior and the cold snout. The basal debris‐rich ice was mainly formed after the thrusting phase. Two sub‐facies of stratified basal ice have been identified; a lower massive ice facies (S_M) composed of frozen diamict enriched with heavy stable isotopes overlain by laminated ice facies (S_L) consisting of millimetre thick lamina of alternating debris‐poor and debris‐rich ice. We interpret the stratified basal ice as a continuum formed mainly by freeze‐on processes and localized regelation. First laminated basal ice is formed and as meltwater is depleted more sediment is entrained and finally the glacier freezes to the base and massive diamict is frozen‐on. The increased ability to entrain sediments may partly be associated with higher basal freezing rates enhanced by loss of frictional heat from cessation of fast flow and conductive cooling through a thin heavily crevassed ice during the final phase of the glacier surge. The dispersed basal ice facies (D) was mainly formed by secondary processes where fine‐grained sediment is mobilized in the vein system of ice. Our results have important implications for understanding the significance of basal ice formation and englacial thrusting beneath fast‐flowing glaciers and it provides new information about the development of landforms during a glacier surge. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for seasonal subglacial outburst events at a polythermal glacier,Finsterwalderbreen, Svalbard

Bulk runoff and meteorological data suggest the occurrence of two meltwater outburst events at Finsterwalderbreen, Svalbard, during the 1995 and 1999 melt seasons. Increased bulk meltwater concentrations of Cl^? during the outbursts indicate the release of snowmelt from storage. Bulk meltwater hydrochemical data and suspended sediment concentrations suggest that this snowmelt accessed a chemical weathering environment characterized by high rock:water ratios and long rock–water contact times. This is consistent with a subglacial origin. The trigger for both the 1995 and 1999 outbursts is believed to be high rates of surface meltwater production and the oversupply of meltwater to areas of the glacier bed that were at the pressure melting point, but which were unconnected to the main subglacial drainage network. An increase in subglacial water pressure to above the overburden pressure lead to the forcing of a hydrological connection between the expanding subglacial reservoir and the ice‐marginal channelized system. The purging of ice blocks from the glacier during the outbursts may indicate the breach of an ice dam during connection. Although subglacial meltwater issued continually from the glacier terminus via a subglacial upwelling during both melt seasons, field observations showed outburst meltwaters were released solely via an ice‐marginal channel. It is possible that outburst events are a seasonal phenomenon at this glacier and reflect the periodic drainage of meltwaters from the same subglacial reservoir from year to year. However, the location of this reservoir is uncertain. A 100 m high bedrock ridge traverses the glacier 6·5 km from its terminus. The overdeepened area up‐glacier from this is the most probable site for subglacial meltwater accumulation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphological surfaces of different age and origin in granite landscapes: an evaluation of the Schmidt hammer test

Granite landforms in Sierra Nevada, California, and the southern part of Sweden were used to test whether a Schmidt hammer can be used to distinguish surfaces of different age and origin. Based on 3260 readings, statistically signi?cant differences were obtained from surfaces formed and/or affected by different geomorphological processes. Aeolian, ?uvial or glacially polished surfaces yield higher values than surfaces exposed to surface weathering, which are distinguishable from surfaces at a weathering front caused by deep weathering. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Concentrated, ‘pulsed’ axial glacier flow: structural glaciological evidence from Kvíárjökull in SE Iceland

A detailed structural glaciological study carried out on Kvíárjökull in SE Iceland reveals that recent flow within this maritime glacier is concentrated within a narrow corridor located along its central axis. This active corridor is responsible for feeding ice from the accumulation zone on the south‐eastern side of Öræfajökull to the lower reaches of the glacier and resulted in a c. 200 m advance during the winter of 2013–2014 and the formation of a push‐moraine. The corridor comprises a series of lobes linked by a laterally continuous zone of highly fractured ice characterised by prominent flow‐parallel crevasses, separated by shear zones. The lobes form highly crevassed topographic highs on the glacier surface and occur immediately down‐ice of marked constrictions caused by prominent bedrock outcrops located on the northern side of the glacier. Close to the frontal margin of Kvíárjökull, the southern side of the glacier is relatively smooth and pock‐marked by a number of large moulins. The boundary between this slow moving ice and the active corridor is marked by a number of ice flow‐parallel strike‐slip faults and a prominent dextral shear zone which resulted in the clockwise rotation and dissection of an ice‐cored esker exposed on the glacier surface. It is suggested that this concentrated style of glacier flow identified within Kvíárjökull has affinities with the individual flow units which operate within pulsing or surging glaciers. © 2017 The Authors Earth Surface Processes and Landforms © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seasonal changes in the morphology of the subglacial drainage system,Haut Glacier d'Arolla,Switzerland

Dye tracing techniques were used to investigate the glacier-wide pattern of change in the englacial/subglacial drainage system of Haut Glacier d'Arolla during the ablation seasons of 1990 and 1991. Analysis of breakthrough curve characteristics indicate that over the course of a melt season, a system of major channels developed by headward growth at the expense of a hydraulically inefficient distributed system. By the end of the melt season, this channel system extended at least 3·3 km from the snout of the 4 km long glacier and drained the bulk of supraglacially derived meltwater passing through the glacier. The upper limit of the channel system closely followed the retreating snowline up-glacier. Rates of headward channel growth reached c. 65 m d⁻¹, although these rates decreased in the upper 1 km of the glacier where snowline retreat exposed a patchy firn aquifer. It appears that the removal of snow (with its high albedo and significant water storage capacity) from the glacier surface resulted in a dramatic increase in the volume of runoff into moulins, and in the peakedness of daily runoff cycles. This induced transient high water pressures within the distributed drainage system, which caused it to evolve rapidly into a channelised system. It is therefore likely that, at a local scale, channel growth occurred down-glacier from moulins, and that the overall up-glacier-directed pattern of channel formation was caused by the retreating snowline exposing new moulins and crevasses to inputs of ice-derived meltwater. Damping of diurnal melt inputs by storage in the firm aquifer accounts for the slowing of channel growth in the upper glacier. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.