Climate patterns during former periods of mountain glaciation in Britain and Ireland: Inferences from the cirque record
| Autor: | Brice R. Rea, Jeremy C. Ely, Iestyn D. Barr, Ramón Pellitero, Xavier M. Pellicer, Chris D. Clark, Matteo Spagnolo, Ian S. Evans |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Cirque Paleontology Westerlies Glacier Cirque glacier 010502 geochemistry & geophysics Oceanography Glacier morphology 01 natural sciences Altitude Glacial period Quaternary Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Geology 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Earth-Surface Processes |
| Zdroj: | Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 485:466-475 |
| ISSN: | 0031-0182 |
| Popis: | We map glacial cirques, and analyse spatial variability in their altitude and aspect to derive a long-term, time-integrated, perspective on climate patterns during former periods of mountain glaciation (likely spanning multiple Quaternary glaciations) in Britain and Ireland. The data reveal that, although air temperatures were important, exposure to moisture-bearing air masses was the key factor in regulating sites of former mountain glacier formation, and indicate that during such periods, moisture supply was largely controlled by North Atlantic westerlies, with notable inland precipitation gradients (precipitation decreasing inland), similar to present day. In places, trends in cirque altitude may also reflect regional differences in the extent of cirque deepening, controlled by the dimensions and dynamics of the glaciers that came to occupy them. Specifically, comparatively deep cirques in coastal locations may reflect the former presence of dynamic (fed by moisture from the North Atlantic), but comparatively small, glaciers (largely confined to their cirques). By contrast, decreasing cirque depth further inland, may reflect the former presence of larger and/or less dynamic ice masses, occupying comparatively continental climatic conditions. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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