How do Glacial Landforms Evolve over Time as Climate Changes?

How do Glacial Landforms Evolve over Time as Climate Changes?

1. Modification

   • Continuous temperature rise results in further melting, retreat of glaciers and more meltwater
     • Greater accumulation of outwash material in pro-glacial zone. Kames and eskers exposed in greater number and greater length
     • Solheimajokull is retreating at 100m/year, there is now a pro-glacial lake at its snout

2. Landforms of Glacio-Fluvial Deposition

   • Outwash Plains
   • Eskers
   • Kames

3. Climate Change and the Effects on Geomorphic Processes

4. Periglacial Landforms

   • Feature of current periglacial environments, widespread in more temperature regions such as northern Britain
   • Patterned Ground
     • Frost-heave pushes stones to the surface and causes the surface to become domed
       • stones move radially under gravity
         • this forms a network of stone polygons/circles
           • Typically 1-2 m in diameter
           • On slope angles of 3 - 50 degrees, larger stones move greater distances downslope
             • Stone polygons become elongated into stone garlands.
               • On slopes of 60+ degrees, polygons lose shape and stone stripes develop, this is caused by gelifluction
           • Sorted and stratified
             • Larger stones move upwards and outwards to the edge of the polygons
             • Fine-grained material
     • Tends to form in areas with little precipitation, otherwise ice wedges will form
   • Ice Wedges
     • Mass of ground that tapers down from the surface
     • Develop in summer when meltwater penetrates ground via open fissures
       • Onset of winter subsequently freezes and expands water
         • Regular thawing and freezing causes wedge shape which becomes wider and deeper
     • annual growth rates vary from 1-20 mm
       • Wedges may reach a depth of 10 m whilst rarely more than 1.5 m in diameter on surface
     • Can be seen in Long Hanborough Carrot near Oxford