Landsystem models from remote and field based geomorphological mapping reveal diverse glacier dynamics on Svalbard

McCerery, Rebecca; Davies, Bethan J.; Lovell, Harold; Calvo-Ryan, Rosalia; Pearce, David A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5292-4596; Małecki, Jakub; Woodward, John. 2025 Landsystem models from remote and field based geomorphological mapping reveal diverse glacier dynamics on Svalbard. Geomorphology, 484, 109854. 20, pp. 10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109854

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text (Open Access) © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an Open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). 1-s2.0-S0169555X25002648-main.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (17MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

Glacial landsystems are geomorphological records produced by glaciers that provide important insights into past and present glacier dynamics. Here, we present a snapshot of the diversity in glacier landsystems in Svalbard. We present remote and field geomorphological mapping from 11 glaciers: seven in south Spitsbergen (Scottbreen, Renardbreen, Antoniabreen, Penckbreen, Bakaninbreen, Paulabreen and Skobreen) and four in northwest Spitsbergen (Charlesbreen, Protektorbreen, Bullbreen, and Ferdinandbreen). These examples include landform assemblages that (1) are diagnostic of recent surging in terrestrial and marine settings; (2) are characteristic of thinning polythermal glaciers that have previously been more dynamic; and (3) represent rapidly vanishing glaciers, the geomorphological endpoint for Svalbard glaciers characterised by the fragmentation and downwasting of small cold-based glaciers. We synthesize these into four landsystem models to provide a framework for interpreting glacier dynamics in Svalbard based on geomorphological records. The hypsometries of many land-terminating glaciers in Svalbard suggests that we will increasingly observe the transition from polythermal to cold-based glacier thermal regimes as the climate continues to warm, ultimately leading to more vanishing glaciers. This has important wider implications for changing water, sediment and biogeochemical fluxes which will impact subglacial, forefield and ocean ecosystems.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109854
ISSN:	0169555X
Additional Keywords:	Thermal regimes, Svalbard, Arctic, Glacial landsystems
Date made live:	28 May 2025 14:00 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539500

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...