A 1:6250 map of the foreland of Fláajökull's north lobe as it appeared in 1989, together with a 1:350 scale map of a sample area of recently exposed glacial landforms from 2014, enables an assessment of the spatial and temporal evolution of glacial landform assemblages at the margin of an active temperate piedmont lobe terminating at ice-marginal thickening till wedges. The pattern of landform development captured in these maps indicates that the glacier margin developed strong longitudinal crevassing and well-developed ice-marginal pecten (threedimensional crenulations) during its historical recession. This is recorded by early recessional phase linear push moraines on well-drained distal slopes of the foreland and the later development of interrelated sawtooth moraines, crevasse squeeze ridges and till eskers, indicative of extending ice flow and poorly drained submarginal conditions. This landform record is a palaeoglaciological signature of a changing process-form regime inherent within the active temperate piedmont lobe landsystem model.
Geomorphological mapping is a well-established method for examining earth surface processes and landscape evolution in a range of environmental contexts. In glacial research, it provides crucial data for a wide range of process-oriented and palaeoglaciological reconstruction studies; in the latter case providing an essential geomorphological framework for establishing glacial chronologies. In recent decades, there have been significant developments in remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), with a plethora of high-quality remotely-sensed datasets now (often freely) available. Most recently, the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has allowed sub-decimetre scale aerial images and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) to be obtained. Traditional field mapping methods still have an important role in 'work streams' that recognise the different approaches typically used in mapping landforms produced by ice masses of different sizes: (i) mapping of ice sheet geomorphological imprints using a combined remote sensing approach, with some field checking (where feasible); and (ii) mapping of alpine and plateau-style ice mass (cirque glacier, valley glacier, icefield and icecap) geomorphological imprints using remote sensing and considerable field mapping. Key challenges to accurate and robust geomorphological mapping are highlighted, often necessitating compromises and pragmatic solutions. The importance of combining multiple datasets and/or mapping approaches is emphasised, akin to multi-proxy/-method approaches used in many Earth Science disciplines. Based on our review, we provide idealised frameworks and general recommendations to ensure best practice in future studies and aid in accuracy assessment, comparison and integration of geomorphological data. These will be of particular value where geomorphological data are incorporated in large compilations and subsequently used for palaeoglaciological reconstructions. Finally, we stress that robust interpretations of glacial landforms and landscapes invariably requires additional chronological and/or sedimentological evidence, and that such data should be collected as part of a coupled inductive-deductive approach.
Citation for published item:hillipsD imrys nd iverestD tez nd ivnsD hvid tFeF nd pinlysonD endrew nd iwertowskiD wrek nd quildD eils nd tonesD vee @PHIUA 9gonentrtedD pulsed9 xil glier )ow X struturl gliologil evidene from uv¡ %¡ rj¤ okull in i selndF9D irth surfe proesses nd lndformsFD RP @IQAF ppF IWHIEIWPPF Further information on publisher's website:his is the epted version of the following rtileX hillipsD imrysD iverestD tezD ivnsD hvid tFeFD pinlysonD endrewD iwertowskiD wrekD quildD eils tonesD vee @PHIUAF gonentrtedD pulsed9 xil glier )owX struturl gliologil evidene from uv¡ %¡ rj¤ okull in i selndF irth urfe roesses nd vndformsD RP@IQAX IWHIEIWPPD whih hs een pulished in (nl form t httpsXGGdoiForgGIHFIHHPGespFRIRSF his rtile my e used for nonEommeril purposes in ordne ith iley erms nd gonditions for selfErhivingF Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details.
Citation for published item:ivnsD hvid tF eF nd iwertowskiD wrek nd yrtonD ghris @PHIUA 9kftfellsj¤ okullD selnd X glil geomorphology reording glier reession sine the vittle se egeF9D tournl of mpsFD IQ @PAF ppF QSVEQTVF Further information on publisher's website: Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. A 1:5700 scale map of the recently deglaciated foreland of Skaftafellsjökull, Iceland as it appeared in 2007, depicts a typical active temperate glacial landsystem with a clear pattern of sequentially changing push moraine morphologies, including remarkable hairpin-shaped moraines, indicative of spatial and temporal variability in process-form regimes in glacier sub-marginal settings. Similar to other Icelandic glacier forelands, this demonstrates that the piedmont glacier lobes of the region have developed strong longitudinal crevassing and well-developed ice-marginal pecten during their historical recession from the Little Ice Age maximum moraines, likely driven by extending ice flow and poorly drained sub-marginal conditions typical of the uncovering of overdeepenings. Additionally, the localized development of a linear tract of kame and kettle topography is interpreted as the geomorphic and sedimentary signature of thrust stacked and gradually melting debris-rich glacier ice, a feature hitherto unrecognized in the Icelandic active temperate lobe landsystem signature. ARTICLE HISTORY
Extensive ice-cored moraine complexes are common elements, marking the last advance of many Svalbard glaciers. Sediment gravity flows are among the most dynamic processes, transforming these landforms. The short-term (yearly and weekly) dynamics of mass-wasting processes were studied in a cm-scale using repetitive topographic scanning. We monitored several active sites on the forelands of two glaciers, Ebbabreen and Ragnarbreen, both of which are located near the Petuniabukta at the northern end of Billefjorden in Spitsbergen.The surveys indicate high dynamic rates of landforms' transformation. The mean annual volume loss of sediments and dead-ice for the most active parts of the moraines was up to 1.8 m a -1 . However, most of the transformation occurred during summer, with the short-term values of mean elevation changes as high as −104 mm day −1 . In comparison, the dynamics of the other (i.e. non-active) parts of the ice-cored moraines were much lower, namely, the mean annual lowering (attributed mainly to dead-ice downwasting) was up to 0.3 m a -1 , whereas lowering during summer was up to 8 mm day −1 . Our results indicate that in the case of the studied glaciers, backwasting was much more effective than downwasting in terms of landscape transformation in the glacier forelands. However, despite the high activity of localised mass movement processes, the overall short-term dynamics of ice-cored moraines for the studied glaciers were relatively low. We suggest that as long as debris cover is sufficiently thick (thicker than the permafrost's active layer depths), the mass movement activity would occur only under specific topographic conditions and/or due to occurrence of external meltwater sources and slope undercutting. In other areas, ice-cored moraines remain a stable landsystem component in a yearly to decadal time-scale. Graphical abstractPlease cite this article as: Ewertowski, Marek W., Tomczyk, Aleksandra M., Quantification of the ice-cored moraines' short-term dynamics in the high-Arctic glaciers Ebbabreen and Ragnarbreen, Petuniabukta, Svalbard, Geomorphology 234 (2015): 211-227,
Citation for published item:torr rD FhF nd iv nsD hFtFeF nd tokesD gF F nd iwertowskiD wF @PHISA 9gontrols on the lo tionD morphology nd evolution of omplex esker systems t de d l times lesD frei merkurj¤ okullD southe st s el ndF9D i rth surf e pro esses nd l ndformsFD RH @IIAF ppF IRPIEIRQVF Further information on publisher's website:his is the epted version of the following rti leX torr rD F hFD iv nsD hF tF eFD tokesD gF FD nd iwertowskiD wF @PHISAD gontrols on the lo tionD morphology nd evolution of omplex esker systems t de d l times lesD frei merkurj¤ okullD southe st s el ndF i rth urf e ro esses nd v ndformsD RH@IIAD IRPIEIRQVD whi h h s een pu lished in (n l form t httpXGGdxFdoiForgGIHFIHHPGespFQUPSF his rti le m y e used for nonE ommer i l purposes in ord n e ith iley erms nd gonditions for selfE r hivingFAdditional information:Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. to be analysed in a high level of detail. We find that complex eskers develop where meltwater and sediment is abundant, such that sediment clogs channels, forming distributary eskers.Isolated eskers are simpler and smaller and reflect less abundant meltwater and sediment, which is unable to clog channels. Eskers may take several decades to emerge from outwash deposits containing buried ice and can increase or decrease in size when ice surrounding and 2 underlying them melts out. It has been suggested that groundwater-channel coupling dictates the spacing between eskers at Breiðamerkurjökull. Our results do not dispute this, but suggest that the routing of sediment and meltwater through medial moraines is an additional important control on esker location and spacing. These results may be used to better understand the processes surrounding esker formation in a variety of geographical settings, enabling a more detailed understanding of the operation of meltwater drainage systems in sub-marginal zones beneath glaciers and ice sheets.
ABSTRACT. Ragnarbreen is a small glacier located in the central part of Spitsbergen Island (Svalbard archipelago) and fed by the larger ice mass of Mittag-Lefflerbreen. Glacier recession and landform development in the foreland of Ragnarbreen are quantified using time-series orthophotos and digital elevation models, which were generated based on aerial photographs from 1961 (black and white frame camera), 1990 (false infrared frame camera) and 2009 (colour digital camera), obtained from the Norsk Polar Institute.Receding from its maximum Little Ice Age extent, attained in the period 1900/1920-2013, the glacier margin retreated by 1658 m while the extent of the area of ice decreased by 26%. The glacier snout lost 135 million m 3 of ice during the period 1961-2009, whereas landform changes (mainly due to dead-ice melting and debris flow activity) were more than twenty five times lower, with the less than 5 million m 3 of sediment and dead ice volume loss. In terms of landscape alteration between 1961 and 2009, the most important was the creation of a terminoglacial lake, which acted as a sedimentary trap and at the same time probably accelerated glacier retreat. The second most active component was the lateral moraines whose transformations were divided into four phases, with various magnitudes of debris flow and backwasting activity that changed with time. The end moraine complex was the most stable component, affected mainly by dead-ice downwasting and to a lesser extent by sporadic debris flows.
This paper presents detailed geomorphological and sedimentological investigations of small recessional moraines at Fjallsjökull, an active temperate outlet of Öræfajökull, southeast Iceland. The moraines are characterized by striking sawtooth or hairpin planforms, which are locally superimposed, giving rise to a complex spatial pattern. We recognize two distinct populations of moraines, namely a group of relatively prominent moraine ridges (mean height ~1.2 m) and a group of comparatively low‐relief moraines (mean height ~0.4 m). These two groups often occur in sets/systems, comprising one pronounced outer ridge and several inset smaller moraines. Using a representative subsample of the moraines, we establish that they form by either (i) submarginal deformation and squeezing of subglacial till or (ii) pushing of extruded tills. Locally, proglacial (glaciofluvial) sediments are also incorporated within the moraines during pushing. For the first time, to our knowledge, we demonstrate categorically that these moraines formed sub‐annually using repeat uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. We present a conceptual model for sub‐annual moraine formation at Fjallsjökull that proposes the sawtooth moraine sequence comprises (i) sets of small squeeze moraines formed during melt‐driven squeeze events and (ii) larger push moraines formed during winter re‐advances. We suggest the development of this process‐form regime is linked to a combination of elevated temperatures, high surface meltwater fluxes to the bed and emerging basal topography (a depositional overdeepening). These factors result in highly saturated subglacial sediments and high porewater pressures, which induces submarginal deformation and ice‐marginal squeezing during the melt season. Strong glacier recession during the summer, driven by elevated temperatures, allows several squeeze moraines to be emplaced. This process‐form regime may be characteristic of active temperate glaciers receding into overdeepenings during phases of elevated temperatures, especially where their englacial drainage systems allow efficient transfer of surface meltwater to the glacier bed near the snout margin. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
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