The Last Glacial Maximum British-Irish ice sheet: a reconstruction using digital terrain mapping

The use of digital terrain mapping in determining the anatomy of the Late Devensian British–Irish Ice Sheet at a resolution of 500m cell size is illustrated for Boulton et al.’s 1985 and 1991 models and Lambeck’s 1995 model of the ice sheet at its maximum extent as an independent ice mass. Area and volume of the ice sheet are given for each model and the spatial pattern of ice thickness shown in maps. The analyses show that if no account is taken of topography beneath the ice surface, models will seriously overestimate ice volume. It is suggested that as reconstructions of the ice sheet improve, detailed models of ice thickness at the resolution given in this paper may be of value in determining the contribution of the ice sheet to sea surface changes as well as in determining the effects of ice loading on glacio-isostasy, neotectonics and possibly on paraglacial processes in areas of high relief.