Work

Annual push moraines as climate proxy

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: We reconstruct the terminus position of a mountain glacier in British Columbia, Canada from annual push moraines formed between 1959 and 2007. Our reconstruction represents the longest, annually‐resolved record of length change for a North American glacier. Comparison of annual recession with climate records indicates that glacier recession is controlled by air temperatures during the ablation season and accumulation season precipitation during the previous decade. Analysis among records of glacier frontal variation and mass balance in western North America similarly reveals an immediate terminus reaction to summer and net balance and a delayed reaction to winter and net balance. Other mountain ranges may contain long series of push moraines that could be exploited as climate proxies, and to improve understanding of glacier response to climate.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2009gl039533

Authors: Matthew J. Beedle, Brian Menounos, Brian H. Luckman, Roger Wheate

Institutions: University of Northern British Columbia, Western University

Language: English

Topic: Cryospheric studies and observations

Subfield: Atmospheric Science

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Natural Resources Canada