| 1. |
- Bentley, Michael J., et al.
(författare)
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A community-based geological reconstruction of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum
- 2014
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Ingår i: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 100, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A robust understanding of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglacial history since the Last Glacial Maximum is important in order to constrain ice sheet and glacial-isostatic adjustment models, and to explore the forcing mechanisms responsible for ice sheet retreat. Such understanding can be derived from a broad range of geological and glaciological datasets and recent decades have seen an upsurge in such data gathering around the continent and Sub-Antarctic islands. Here, we report a new synthesis of those datasets, based on an accompanying series of reviews of the geological data, organised by sector. We present a series of timeslice maps for 20 ka, 15 ka, 10 ka and 5 ka, including grounding line position and ice sheet thickness changes, along with a clear assessment of levels of confidence. The reconstruction shows that the Antarctic Ice sheet did not everywhere reach the continental shelf edge at its maximum, that initial retreat was asynchronous, and that the spatial pattern of deglaciation was highly variable, particularly on the inner shelf. The deglacial reconstruction is consistent with a moderate overall excess ice volume and with a relatively small Antarctic contribution to meltwater pulse la. We discuss key areas of uncertainty both around the continent and by time interval, and we highlight potential priorities for future work. The synthesis is intended to be a resource for the modelling and glacial geological community.
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| 2. |
- Glasser, Neil F., et al.
(författare)
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Cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages for moraines in the Lago San Martin Valley, Argentina
- 2011
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Ingår i: Quaternary Research. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 0033-5894 .- 1096-0287. ; 75:3, s. 636-646
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- At several times during the Quaternary, a major eastward-flowing outlet glacier of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet occupied the Lago San Martin Valley in Argentina (49 degrees S, 72 degrees W). We present a glacial chronology for the valley based on geomorphological mapping and cosmogenic nuclide ((10)Be) exposure ages (n = 10) of boulders on moraines and lake shorelines. There are five prominent moraine belts in the Lago San Martin Valley, associated with extensive sandar (glaciofluvial outwash plains) and former lake shorelines. Cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages for boulders on these moraines indicate that they formed at 14.3 +/- 1.7 ka, 22.4 +/- 2.3 ka, 34.4 +/- 3.4 ka to 37.6 +/- 3.4 ka (and possibly 60 +/- 3.5 ka), and 99 +/- 11 ka (1 sigma). These dated glacier advances differ from published chronologies from the Lago San Martin Valley based on (14)C age determinations from organic sediments and molluscs in meltwater channels directly in front of moraines or in kettleholes within end moraine ridges. The moraine boulder ages also point to possible pre-LGM glacial advances during the last glacial cycle and a key observation from our data is that the LGM glaciers were probably less extensive in the Lago San Martin Valley than previously thought.
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| 3. |
- Glasser, Neil F., et al.
(författare)
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Younger Dryas and early Holocene age glacier advances in Patagonia
- 2012
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Ingår i: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 58, s. 7-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reliable dating of Southern Hemisphere glacier fluctuations since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is crucial to resolving debates about millennial-scale climate change. Here we present Be-10 dates for lateral, valley-mouth and cross-valley moraines formed between the contemporary South American North Patagonian Icefield (NPI) and its LGM position in four separate valleys around 47 degrees S. This is an area near the core of the precipitation-bearing southern westerly winds, where it is known that rapid shifts in climate occurred during Lateglacial times. The dates indicate that outlet glaciers advanced, or at least stabilised, to form large moraines east of an expanded NPI at 11.0 +/- 0.5/11.2 +/- 0.6, 11.5 +/- 0.6, 11.7 +/- 0.6 and 12.8 +/- 0.7 ka (Putnam southern-hemisphere production rates and Dunai scaling scheme, assumed boulder erosion rate of 2 mm/ka). Four of these ages are statistically indistinguishable and probably represent a single, regional ice advance. The dates indicate that glaciers in Patagonia were larger during these times than at any point since the LGM and provide evidence in Patagonia for glacier advances around the time of the European Younger Dryas (12.9-11.7 ka) and into the very early Holocene. Although palaeoclimatic records from this area are often contradictory, these glacier advances were probably associated with a period of cooling or regionally increased precipitation related to the changes in the position of the southern westerly winds.
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| 4. |
- Harrison, Stephan, et al.
(författare)
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Early and mid-Holocene age for the Tempanos moraines, Laguna San Rafael, Patagonian Chile
- 2012
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Ingår i: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 31, s. 82-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Data about the nature and timing of Holocene events from the Southern Hemisphere, especially in southern South America, are required to provide insight into the extent and nature of past climate change in a region where land-based records are restricted. Here we present the first use of single grain Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of a moraine sequence recording glacial advance along the western side of the Patagonian Icefields. Dates from the Tempanos moraines at Laguna San Rafael (LSR) show that the San Rafael Glacier (SRG) advanced to maximum Holocene positions during the period 9.3 to 9.7 ka and at 5.7 ka. Outwash lying beneath the moraine in its northern portion, dated to 7.7 ka, indicates that the glacier front was also advanced at this time. Since these advances span both the regional early Holocene warm-dry phase (11.5 ka to 7.8 ka) and the subsequent cooling and rise in precipitation in the mid-late Holocene (since 6.6 ka) we infer that the advances of the SRG are not simply climate-driven, but that the glacier has also probably responded strongly to non-climatic stimuli such as internal ice dynamics and the transition between calving and non-calving. Many westwards-flowing glaciers in Patagonia were probably calving during much of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, so we conclude that establishing robust glacial chronologies where climatic and non-climatic factors cannot be distinguished is likely to remain a challenge.
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| 5. |
- Sahlin, Eva A.U. 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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The Geomorphological Map of Wales and its use in Geoconservation Assessment (poster)
- 2011
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A geomorphological map is probably the most comprehensive way of illustrating the landform distribution, surface form, material, age, and the processes responsible for the landscape look. As such geomorphological maps are invaluable in the fields of geoconservation assessment, evaluation and management. It is therefore an oddity, as well as an inconvenience, that there is no systematic landform inventory or mapping of the geomorphology that is comparable to the surveys undertaken for geology or soils in the UK. For that purpose the project of “Developing a Geomorphological Map of Wales” was initiated by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) as part of a PhD project investigating the Quaternary glaciations of Wales.To develop a mapping methodology suitable for the Welsh landscape, three contrasting areas were selected to provide a wide range of geomorphological features. Aerial photography, satellite imagery, digital elevation models, and field investigations of landform/sediment associations, formed the foundation for landform interpretation, which were compiled in a GIS.Geomorphological maps of Cadair Idris, and the Central and North Cambrian Mountains were produced, scale 1:10 000 – 1:25 000. The maps form an extensive inventory of the geomorphological geodiversity, and were used for providing data to palaeoglaciological reconstructions and making geoconservation recommendations to the CCW. The recommended sites are of regional interest; their rareness, distinct morphology, interesting research and educational value makes them worthy of RIGS (Regional Important Geodiversity Sites) protection.A Geomorphological Map of Wales has the potential for wider practical, scientific and educational benefits, such as for governmental bodies, local authority planners, tourism, researchers, teachers, landowners and land managers. Without a full account of all the geomorphological components of a landscape, there can be no full understanding of the landscape history or the various landforming processes. Important geodiversity sites may be overlooked, badly managed or lost before their full potential are realised.
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