The empirical basis for modelling glacial erosion rates
| Autor: | Darrel A. Swift, Richard I. Waller, Simon J. Cook, Martin P. Kirkbride, Peter G. Knight |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Cryospheric science
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Science General Physics and Astronomy 010502 geochemistry & geophysics Q1 01 natural sciences Erosion rate General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Article G1 Temperate climate Precipitation Glacial period lcsh:Science 0105 earth and related environmental sciences geography Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category Glacier Geomorphology General Chemistry Erosion lcsh:Q Physical geography Geology |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications Nature Communications, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | Glaciers are highly effective agents of erosion that have profoundly shaped Earth’s surface, but there is uncertainty about how glacial erosion should be parameterised in landscape evolution models. Glacial erosion rate is usually modelled as a function of glacier sliding velocity, but the empirical basis for this relationship is weak. In turn, climate is assumed to control sliding velocity and hence erosion, but this too lacks empirical scrutiny. Here, we present statistically robust relationships between erosion rates, sliding velocities, and climate from a global compilation of 38 glaciers. We show that sliding is positively and significantly correlated with erosion, and derive a relationship for use in erosion models. Our dataset further demonstrates that the most rapid erosion is achieved at temperate glaciers with high mean annual precipitation, which serve to promote rapid sliding. Precipitation has received little attention in glacial erosion studies, but our data illustrate its importance. Glaciers have profoundly shaped Earth’s surface, but glacial erosion models lack a strong empirical basis. Cook et al. have compiled a dataset that illustrates how the speed at which glaciers move controls the rate at which they erode, and that climate is crucial in modulating glacier sliding speed and erosion rates. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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