Current climate change in the Arctic is unprecedented in the instrumental record, with profound consequences for the environment and landscape. In Arctic Sweden, aeolian sand dunes have been impacted by climatic changes since their initial formation after the retreat of the last glacial ice sheet. Dune type, location and orientation can therefore be used to explore past wind patterns and landscape destabilisation in this sensitive area. However, knowledge of the full spatial extent and characteristics of these dunes is limited by their inaccessibility and dense vegetation cover. Geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) permits the semi-automatic creation of reproducible parameter-based objects and can be an appropriate means to systematically and spatially map these dunes remotely. Here, a digital elevation model (DEM) and its derivatives, such as slope and curvature, were segmented in a GEOBIA context, enabling the identification and mapping of aeolian sand dunes in Arctic Sweden. Analysis of the GEOBIA-derived and expert-accepted polygons affirms the
<p>Glacial and periglacial landforms in the semi-arid Andes represent an essential water storage and feed regional river runoff. Glacial and periglacial systems are undergoing change; with signs of permafrost degradation such as thermokarst being visible in the study area of the Agua Negra catchment in the Desert Andes of Argentina. Surface changes are often indicators of thawing and freezing processes and/or permafrost degradation. The analysis of surficial changes provides local patterns and indicates potential meltwater contribution to runoff. It is important to understand such changing processes to assess their future input to the hydrological system. Analyses that exceed landform scale are, however, rare due to limited accessibility and high demand on fieldwork and resources.</p> <p>Glaciers and permafrost in the Agua Negra catchment exist within close proximity, suggesting (de)coupling effects. Glaciers and permafrost features can act as thermal and mechanical entity with water functioning as agent of transient glacier-permafrost interaction. Investigating (de)coupling is essential to better understand landscape (in)stability and changing water storages within the system. We hypothesize that periglacial systems directly interacting with glacial landscapes display diverging surface processes compared to non-glacially impacted periglacial systems. They differ in terms of magnitude and pattern, e.g. due to meltwater (re)routing.</p> <p>We derive high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) for one talus-derived and one glacially impacted rock glacier and assess surface change based on repeated UAV flights in 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023 for the talus-derived, and 2022 and 2023 for the glacially impacted rock glacier; both georeferenced by DGPS measurements. We increase the spatial scale of the analysis and use tristereo Pl&#233;iades data for Pl&#233;iades-based surface change detection of two glacially impacted rock glaciers between 2014 and 2022. Here, we use the UAV-based DEMs as validation datasets. We envision that combining the two data sources allows us to investigate change signals over larger spatial areas which might provide new insight in our process-response understanding of the high Andean (peri)glacial landscape and its hydrological significance.</p> <p>First results from UAV based DEM comparison indicate net negative surface changes of the talus-derived rock glacier. Preliminary analysis of the Pl&#233;iades data shows a net negative mass balance of Agua Negra glacier and highlights the need for improved co-registering of the Pl&#233;iades data for rock glacier surface change detection.</p>
<p>Within the extensive periglacial belt of the dry Andean high mountain range (17&#176;30&#8217;S to 35&#176;S), the most visible expression of creeping mountain permafrost is the occurrence of rock glaciers, which have been studied systematically in the last decades (e.g. Schrott, 1996; Trombotto et al., 1999; Halla et al. 2021). Active, inactive and relict rock glaciers are included in regional and national inventories (e.g. IANIGLA-CONICET 2018), whereas the spatial distribution, internal structure and ice content within block- and talus slopes have not been explored. Thus, there is a lack of explanatory approaches and analytical data on their local and regional distribution patterns and formative controls, despite these landforms being widespread and characteristic elements in the Upper Agua Negra catchment (ca. 30&#176;S 69&#176;W, Province San Juan, Argentina) and covering more than 70&#160;% of its area. We hypothesize that the permafrost bodies and the seasonally frozen active layer of these periglacial landforms store significant amounts of ice and contribute to runoff during summer months, rendering them important water reservoirs and decisive components of the water balance in the high-Andean desert landscape. Especially in light of global climate change, understanding the spatial distribution of potentially ice-rich permafrost landforms is imperative to assess available water resources, water quality and their evolution.</p> <p>A holistic inventory of key cryogenic landforms with focus on block- and talus slopes will be compiled for the Agua Negra catchment. Using field and remote sensing-based geomorphological mapping (based on e.g. 12&#160;m resolution TanDEM-X and 1&#160;m Pl&#233;iades data), published data and statistical modeling techniques, the spatial heterogeneity of cryospheric landforms and their formation controls will be analyzed. Our regional inventory will complement the existing &#8220;Inventario Nacional de Glaciares y Ambiente Periglacial&#8221; (IANIGLA-CONICET 2018) and will further provide the basis for a first assessment of the hydrological importance of these cryogenic landforms.</p> <p>Halla, C., Bl&#246;the, J.H., Tapia Baldis, C., Trombotto Liaudat, D., Hilbich, C., Hauck, C., Schrott, L., 2021. Ice content and interannual water storage changes of an active rock glacier in the dry Andes of Argentina. The Cryosphere, 15, 1187-1213.</p> <p>IANIGLA-CONICET, Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de la Naci&#243;n (2018). IANIGLA-Inventario Nacional de Glaciares y Ambiente Periglacial. Informe de la subcuenca del r&#237;o Blanco. Cuenca del r&#237;o San Juan, p. 62.</p> <p>Trombotto, D., Buk, E., &#160;Hern&#225;ndez, J., 1999. Rock glaciers in the Southern Central Andes (appr. 33&#176; S.L.), Mendoza, Argentina: a review. Bamberger Geographische Schriften, Selbstverlag des Faches Geographie an der Universit&#228;t Bamberg, Germany, 19, 145-173.</p> <p>Schrott, L., 1996. Some geomorphological-hydrological aspects of rock glaciers in the Andes (San Juan, Argentina). Zeitung f&#252;r Geomorphologie, Supplementband 104, 161-173.</p>
<p>Today we introduce you to Geomorphica, the new diamond open access journal in geomorphology. Next to Volcanica, Tektonika, Seismica and Sedimentologika, it adds to the growing family of Diamond Open Access Journals in the Geosciences. What exactly is diamond open access publishing? It describes a bottom-up publishing structure that reduces barriers in accessing scientific literature because there are no journal subscription fees and no article processing charges. As such, it allows the reader to access and the author to publish the article for free. Diamond open access publishing promotes inclusivity, equal access to information and provides the newest findings to a large and diverse audience.</p> <p>Geomorphica has been community-built over the last year. Our structure comprises six commissions &#8211; format, website, communications, inclusivity, ethics, and editorial &#8211; and a steering committee formed of the chairs of each commission. We determined our name by poll in January and our logo by friendly competition in April. We started cooperating with the International Association of Geomorphology (IAG) in July and signed our hosting agreement with Penn State University in December 2022. At EGU 2023 we are excited to celebrate the achievements of the previous year as well as to exchange ideas on our future together.&#160;</p> <p>We welcome feedback, comments, ideas and a stimulating discussion from all sectors of the geoscientific community to help us continually improve the initiative. We are always looking for volunteers and we encourage everyone to start brainstorming on potential submissions to Geomorphica, as we plan to open a call for manuscript submissions in spring 2023.</p>
<p>In recent years, the traditional scientific publication system which operates with subscriptions for readers, and sometimes charges for authors, has been challenged. Open access journals have been funded, and subscription journals offer options for open access publications. Open access is an essential approach for lowering barriers in science, for supporting equal access to information, and for encouraging scientifically-based decisions by providing the newest findings and data to a large and diverse audience.</p><p>However, common open access options come with Article Processing Charges (APCs), which can vary from a few hundred to several thousand euros, to publish a paper. In contrast to the idea of inclusivity that is initiated by the open access process, these charges create exclusivity in terms of publishing possibilities - limiting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Several funding bodies and universities in Northern and Western Europe encourage the open access process by dedicating funds to cover publication costs for research staff. In contrast, many researchers from institutions in developing countries, small universities or private research organisations must include these costs in sometimes limited research budgets. Moreover, researchers on temporary contracts with limited access to research funds due to the nature of their employment also face barriers to publishing in open access outlets. As a result, inclusivity toward readers often comes at the cost of exclusivity toward authors.&#160;</p><p>In the last three years, an initiative has grown in the geoscientific community to create diamond open access journals, which are free to access, free to read, and free to publish, for all. This started with Volcanica, and now, Seismica, Tektonika and Sedimentologika have launched their own community-led, field-specific journals. One key component of these initiatives is their inherent relation to the concepts of equity, diversity, and inclusion, which underlay and guide their every aspect.</p><p>Here, we discuss ideas on how to build a future geomorphology diamond open access journal - Geomorphic(k)a - around EDI values. Our effort is grounded in EDI principles from the start, not as an afterthought; EDI guides our actions.&#160;</p><p>We welcome input from all sectors of the geoscientific community to help us continually improve the initiative. We will share our plans to integrate EDI in the journal development. We would welcome feedback, comments, ideas and a stimulating discussion.</p>
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.