Search results for "glacier"
showing 10 items of 67 documents
Quaternary Glaciations in the French Alps and Jura
2011
During last glacial maximum, the pre-existing relief of the Alps and the Jura Mountains controlled glacier development. The Jura massive morphology, only slightly dissected by valleys, resulted in a wide ice-sheet; and this situation contrasts with the Alps where numerous deep valleys were filled by big glaciers.
The Jura glaciers: palaeogeography in the Würmian circum-Alpine zone
2008
Since the first studies on the glacial formations of the Jura mountains there have been two concepts concerning type of glaciation and ice origin during the Wurmian glaciation. Some authors believed that the Jura was totally inundated by ice of Alpine origin, while others believed that the Jura had its own glaciers, originating from a single ice-cap. Several recent studies on both the NW and SE slopes of the range define the problem more accurately. This paper presents a synthesis of the new results from mapping the moraine systems and studying the stratigraphic relationships between Alpine and Jura tills. It is concluded that even the highest level of Alpine glaciers could not lead to a pe…
Rétro-observation des dynamiques paysagères alpines à partir de photographies anciennes. Apports de la mono-photogrammétrie
2016
International audience; Les paysages alpins sont des indicateurs de variations climatiques reconnus à travers leurs dynamiques géomorphologiques et glaciaires. Dans ce domaine, les documents anciens (photographies, gravures, peintures...) constituent des sources de données importantes, utilisées à des fins de rétro-observations. Les méthodes classiques consistent, le plus souvent, à les exploiter dans des travaux descriptifs, faisant ensuite l'objet de retranscriptions cartographiques naturalistes. Aujourd'hui, l'apport de méthodes innovantes de traitement, et en particulier celles fondées sur la mono-photogrammétrie, offrent de nouvelles perspectives. Pour étudier ces dynamiques géomorphol…
APPLICATION OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES FOR GLACIER RESEARCH IN THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC
2019
Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones are nowadays widely used in a broad field of scientific and commercial applications. Despite this, it is quite a new method for glacier mapping in polar regions and has a lot of advantages, as well as disadvantages over more classical remote sensing instruments. Here we examine the main issues associated with the application of drones for glacier research from our experience in Iceland, Greenland and the Antarctic. We use DJI Phantom series drones for the obtaining of aerial photographs and produce digital surface models (resolution of 8 – 16 cm) and orthomosaics (resolution of 2 – 4 cm) for glacier mapping. Several issues related to the ground control poi…
Contributions of statistical modelling for the understanding of the nivo-glaciological dynamics of a small arctic glacial basin (Austre Lovén glacier…
2021
Since the middle of the 19th century, the Earth has experienced a climate shift marked by a high rise in temperature (+ 0.85 °C over the period 1880-2012). The Arctic is the region of the world that is warming the most rapidly, at a rate of 2 to 3 times faster than the global average. In this context, all components of the Arctic cryosphere are experiencing a change in their dynamics. Because of their direct links with the atmosphere, glaciers are among the best indicators of these climate variations. Like other glaciers on the globe, the glaciers of Svalbard, which cover 60% of the archipelago’s surface, have been retreating since the end of the Little Ice Age. This retreat, which is refle…
Tracking the ice: Subterranean harvestmen distribution matches ancient glacier margins
2019
Biogeographic studies often underline the role of glacial dynamism during Pleistocene (1.806-0.011 Mya) in shaping the distribution of subterranean species. Accordingly, it is presumed that present-day distribution of most specialized cold-adapted (cryophilic) cave-dwelling species should bear the signatures of past climatic events. To test this idea, we modelled the distribution of specialized cold-adapted subterranean alpine harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones: Ischyropsalididae: Ischyropsalis). We found that the distance from the glacier margins during Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; about 22,000 years ago) was the most important predictor of their present-day distribution. In particular, the pe…
Effects of glaciation on karst hydrology and sedimentology during the Last Glacial Cycle: The case of Granito cave, Central Pyrenees (Spain)
2021
In Alpine regions, speleothem development on karst systems largely occurs during warm interglacial or interstadial phases due to their limited growth during cold stages. Still, recent attention has been given to the role of clastic sediments in caves, less dependent on temperature conditions. Yet, only a small number of caves worldwide preserve both speleothems and detrital deposits. Here we present an outstanding record of fine-grain laminated sediments and carbonate speleothems from the Granito cave (South Central Pyrenees, Spain) associated with seasonal to annual hydroclimatic pulses through the Last Glacial Cycle (LGC). Analysis of cave clastic facies together with new absolute dates o…
Late Paleozoic Ice Age glaciers shaped East Antarctica landscape
2019
International audience; The erosion history of Antarctica is fundamental to our understanding of interlinks between climate and glacier dynamics. However, because of the vast polar ice sheet covering more than 99% of Antarctica land mass, the continental surface response to glacial erosion remains largely unknown. Over the last decade the subglacial topography of Antarctica has been imaged by airborne radar surveys. These studies revealed high and complex sub-glacial relief in the core of the East Antarctic shield, interpreted as resulting from rifting episodes and low long-term erosion rates, or repeated large-scale glacial retreats and advances. In East Antarctica, thermochronology studie…