Upper mantle dynamics and quaternary climate in cratonic areas (DynaQlim)—Understanding the glacial isostatic adjustment

Abstract

Abstract A substantial material flow, deep within the solid Earth, is caused by the periodic ocean-continent water transport of the Quaternary ice ages. That lateral transport is enormous, causing 120–135 m of equivalent global sea-level rise and fall, or about 45–50 Peta tonnes (1 Peta tonne = 10 18 kg) of surface mass transfer. The global manifestation of the slow mantle flow response to this surface load is glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). Measurements of this phenomenon offer a unique opportunity to retrieve information pertaining to both the Earth's upper mantle and the changing mass of glaciers and ice sheets during the past. The waxing and waning of ice mass is driven by long-term variations in climate. DynaQlim (upper mantle dynamics and quaternary climate in cratonic areas), a regional coordination committee of the International Lithosphere Program (ILP) since 2007, is focused on studying the relations between upper mantle dynamics, its composition and physical properties, temperature, rheology, and Quaternary climate. Combining historical and modern terrestrial and space-borne geodetic observations with seismological investigations, studies of the postglacial faults and continuum mechanical modelling of GIA, the research goal of DynaQlim is to offer new insights into properties of the lithosphere and upper mantle. The joint inversion of different types of observational data is an important step toward providing a better understanding of GIA on all levels of Earth sciences. A primary regional focus of DynaQlim is the study of cratonic areas of northern Canada and Scandinavia. Greenland and Antarctica are also of great interest, as they represent observational examples of ice sheet dynamics and mass change in response to relatively strong present-day climate forcing.