The climatic significance of rock glaciers

Estimating Permafrost Distribution in the Maritime Southern Alps, New Zealand, Based on Climatic Conditions at Rock Glacier Sites

“…The distribution of rock glaciers in the Southern Alps conforms with the temperature-and precipitation constrained distribution patterns commonly described in the literature (e.g., Haeberli, 1985;Barsch, 1996;Humlum, 1998). Rock glacier occurrence in the Southern Alps is characterized by a distinct western boundary ∼20 km east of the Main Divide (Figure 4).…”

Estimating Permafrost Distribution in the Maritime Southern Alps, New Zealand, Based on Climatic Conditions at Rock Glacier Sites

“…The distribution of rock glaciers in the Southern Alps conforms with the temperature-and precipitation constrained distribution patterns commonly described in the literature (e.g., Haeberli, 1985;Barsch, 1996;Humlum, 1998). Rock glacier occurrence in the Southern Alps is characterized by a distinct western boundary ∼20 km east of the Main Divide (Figure 4).…”

Inactive and relict rock glaciers of the Deboullie Lakes Ecological Reserve, northern Maine, USA

“…Uncertainties involve topoclimatic effects that may complicate the relationship of permafrost distribution to regional climatic trends, as well as lapse rate choice (Walegur and Nelson, 2003). Also, the interpreted palaeotemperature lowering for the New England rock glaciers slightly underestimates the palaeo-MAAT value calculated using the classification of Humlum (1998), who suggested that active rock glaciers are most common in environments with MAAT less than À68C. Despite these caveats, our results reflect simple and consistent regional trends, and thus we hypothesise that the rock glaciers of New Hampshire, Maine, and the Gaspé Peninsula reached their maximum postglacial extent at roughly the same time, during a period when MAAT was at least $68C cooler than today in New England and maritime Québec.…”

Timing and significance of mid‐Holocene glacier advances in northern and central Iceland

“…It is notable that terminal moraines still exist in front of active rock glaciers at several cirques in the Trö llaskagi Peninsula (Häberle, 1991;Stö tter, 1991a;Stö tter et al, 1999). In debris-rich environments, glacier-derived rock glaciers are the characteristic morphological expression of glacier flow (Humlum, 1998). Such rock glaciers have a markedly different response to climate, because the accumulation of a supraglacial debris cover reduces mean specific ablation rates over both time and space.…”

Estimating Permafrost Distribution in the Maritime Southern Alps, New Zealand, Based on Climatic Conditions at Rock Glacier Sites

“…The distribution of rock glaciers in the Southern Alps conforms with the temperature-and precipitation constrained distribution patterns commonly described in the literature (e.g., Haeberli, 1985;Barsch, 1996;Humlum, 1998). Rock glacier occurrence in the Southern Alps is characterized by a distinct western boundary ∼20 km east of the Main Divide (Figure 4).…”

Inactive and relict rock glaciers of the Deboullie Lakes Ecological Reserve, northern Maine, USA

“…Uncertainties involve topoclimatic effects that may complicate the relationship of permafrost distribution to regional climatic trends, as well as lapse rate choice (Walegur and Nelson, 2003). Also, the interpreted palaeotemperature lowering for the New England rock glaciers slightly underestimates the palaeo-MAAT value calculated using the classification of Humlum (1998), who suggested that active rock glaciers are most common in environments with MAAT less than À68C. Despite these caveats, our results reflect simple and consistent regional trends, and thus we hypothesise that the rock glaciers of New Hampshire, Maine, and the Gaspé Peninsula reached their maximum postglacial extent at roughly the same time, during a period when MAAT was at least $68C cooler than today in New England and maritime Québec.…”

Timing and significance of mid‐Holocene glacier advances in northern and central Iceland

“…It is notable that terminal moraines still exist in front of active rock glaciers at several cirques in the Trö llaskagi Peninsula (Häberle, 1991;Stö tter, 1991a;Stö tter et al, 1999). In debris-rich environments, glacier-derived rock glaciers are the characteristic morphological expression of glacier flow (Humlum, 1998). Such rock glaciers have a markedly different response to climate, because the accumulation of a supraglacial debris cover reduces mean specific ablation rates over both time and space.…”

Estimating Permafrost Distribution in the Maritime Southern Alps, New Zealand, Based on Climatic Conditions at Rock Glacier Sites

“…The distribution of rock glaciers in the Southern Alps conforms with the temperature-and precipitation constrained distribution patterns commonly described in the literature (e.g., Haeberli, 1985;Barsch, 1996;Humlum, 1998). Rock glacier occurrence in the Southern Alps is characterized by a distinct western boundary ∼20 km east of the Main Divide (Figure 4).…”

Inactive and relict rock glaciers of the Deboullie Lakes Ecological Reserve, northern Maine, USA

“…Uncertainties involve topoclimatic effects that may complicate the relationship of permafrost distribution to regional climatic trends, as well as lapse rate choice (Walegur and Nelson, 2003). Also, the interpreted palaeotemperature lowering for the New England rock glaciers slightly underestimates the palaeo-MAAT value calculated using the classification of Humlum (1998), who suggested that active rock glaciers are most common in environments with MAAT less than À68C. Despite these caveats, our results reflect simple and consistent regional trends, and thus we hypothesise that the rock glaciers of New Hampshire, Maine, and the Gaspé Peninsula reached their maximum postglacial extent at roughly the same time, during a period when MAAT was at least $68C cooler than today in New England and maritime Québec.…”

Timing and significance of mid‐Holocene glacier advances in northern and central Iceland

“…It is notable that terminal moraines still exist in front of active rock glaciers at several cirques in the Trö llaskagi Peninsula (Häberle, 1991;Stö tter, 1991a;Stö tter et al, 1999). In debris-rich environments, glacier-derived rock glaciers are the characteristic morphological expression of glacier flow (Humlum, 1998). Such rock glaciers have a markedly different response to climate, because the accumulation of a supraglacial debris cover reduces mean specific ablation rates over both time and space.…”