Meltwater Erosion Research Articles

Origin of glacial curvilineations by subglacial meltwater erosion: Evidence from the Stargard drumlin field, Poland

AbstractDeciphering the origin of subglacial landforms is crucial for understanding processes operating under ice sheets. Due to the inaccessibility of the ice/bed interface limiting real‐time observations, the origin of these landforms is typically interpreted from the morphological and sedimentological record exposed after ice retreat, which makes the conclusions conjectural. Here, we focus on a recently discovered new type of subglacial landform called glacial curvilineations (GCLs), whose formation generates some controversy. We use LiDAR imagery and geological data to constrain the origin of GCLs found in a tunnel valley in the Stargard drumlin field, Poland. The tunnel valley is about 3800 m long, 520 m wide, and it occupies about 2 km2. A total of 61 individual GCLs have been mapped there; they are up to 550 m long and typically 0.5–1.5 m high, but some reach a height of up to 5 m. The GCLs are composed of mostly massive till represented by either a single or several diamicton units occasionally separated by thin layers of meltwater sand. Till macrofabrics in the GCLs and in the nearby till plain are distinctly consistent, and have high and uniform clustering strengths. At all locations, the dominant till fabric direction broadly corresponds with the ice movement direction given by the drumlin orientations, but it is oblique to the orientation of the tunnel valley and independent of the orientations of the individual GCLs. The lack of correspondence between the orientation of the GCLs and the till fabrics in them suggests that the GCLs consist of an antecedent till deposited during the drumlinizing ice advance and subsequently carved by subglacial meltwater erosion in the tunnel valley. These results substantiate the hypothesis that GCLs are erosional features postdating the material constituting them, and emphasize the role of subglacial meltwater flows as a landforming agent.

Tunnel valley formation beneath deglaciating mid-latitude ice sheets: Observations and modelling

The geological record of landforms and sediments produced beneath deglaciating ice sheets offers insights into inaccessible glacial processes. Large subglacial valleys formed by meltwater erosion of sediments (tunnel valleys) are widespread in formerly glaciated regions such as the North Sea. Obtaining a better understanding of these features may help with the parameterisation of basal melt rates and the interplay between basal hydrology and ice dynamics in numerical models of past, present, and future ice-sheet configurations. However, the mechanisms and timescales over which tunnel valleys form remain poorly constrained. Here, we present a series of numerical modelling experiments, informed by new observations from high-resolution 3D seismic data (6.25 m bin size, ∼4 m vertical resolution), which test different hypotheses of tunnel valley formation and calculate subglacial water routing, seasonal water discharges, and the rates at which tunnel valleys are eroded beneath deglaciating ice sheets. Networks of smaller or abandoned channels, pervasive slump deposits, and subglacial landforms are imaged inside and at the base of larger tunnel valleys, indicating that these tunnel valleys were carved through the action of migrating smaller channels within tens of kilometres of the ice margin and were later widened by ice-contact erosion. Our model results imply that the drainage of extensive surface meltwater to the ice-sheet bed is the dominant mechanism responsible for tunnel valley formation; this process can drive rapid incision of networks of regularly spaced subglacial tunnel valleys beneath the fringes of retreating ice sheets within hundreds to thousands of years during deglaciation. Combined, our observations and modelling results identify how tunnel valleys form beneath deglaciating mid-latitude ice sheets and have implications for how the subglacial hydrological systems of contemporary ice sheets may respond to sustained climate warming.

Temporal Variation of Suspended Sediment and Solute Fluxes in a Permafrost-Underlain Headwater Catchment on the Tibetan Plateau

Under global warming, the permafrost-underlain headwater catchments of the Tibetan Plateau have undergone extensive permafrost degradation and changes in precipitation characteristics, which may substantially alter the riverine suspended sediment and riverine solute fluxes. However, these fluxes and their influencing factors in such catchments are poorly understood. We studied the suspended sediment and solute fluxes in a permafrost-underlain headwater catchment on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, based on comprehensive measurements of various water types in spring and summer in 2017. The daily flux of suspended sediment in spring was close to that in summer, but heavy rainfall events following a relatively long dry period made the largest contribution to the suspended sediment fluxes in summer. The riverine solute flux (in tons) was 12.6% and 27.8% of the suspended sediment flux (in tons) in spring and summer, indicating the dominating role of physical weathering in total material exportation. The snowmelt mobilized more suspended sediment fluxes and fewer solutes fluxes than summer rain, which may be due to the meltwater erosion and freeze–thaw processes in spring and the thicker thawed soil layer and better vegetation coverage in summer, and the longer contact time between the soil pore water and the soil and rock minerals after the thawing of frozen soil. The input of snowmelt driven by higher air temperatures in spring and the direct input of rainfall in summer would both act to dilute the stream water; however, the supra-permafrost water, with high solute contents, recharged the adjacent streamflow as frozen soil seeps and thus moderated the decrease in the riverine solute content during heavy snowmelt or rainfall events. With the permafrost degradation under future global warming, the solute fluxes in permafrost-underlain headwater catchments may increase, but the suspended sediment flux in spring may decrease due to the expansion of discontinuous permafrost areas and active layer thickness.

Tunnel valley infill and genesis revealed by high-resolution 3-D seismic data

AbstractLandforms produced beneath former ice sheets offer insights into inaccessible subglacial processes and present analogues for how current ice masses may evolve in a warming climate. Large subglacial channels cut by meltwater erosion (tunnel valleys [TVs]) have the potential to provide valuable empirical constraints for numerical ice-sheet models concerning realistic melt rates, water routing, and the interplay between basal hydrology and ice dynamics. However, the information gleaned from these features has thus far been limited by an inability to adequately resolve their internal structures. We use high-resolution three-dimensional (HR3-D) seismic data (6.25 m bin size, ∼4 m vertical resolution) to analyze the infill of buried TVs in the North Sea. The HR3-D seismic data represent a step-change in our ability to investigate the mechanisms and rates at which TVs are formed and filled. Over 40% of the TVs examined contain buried glacial landforms including eskers, crevasse-squeeze ridges, glacitectonic structures, and kettle holes. As most of these landforms had not previously been detected using conventional 3-D seismic reflection methods, the mechanisms that formed them are currently absent from models of TV genesis. The ability to observe such intricate internal structures opens the possibility of using TVs to reconstruct the hydrological regimes of former mid-latitude ice sheets as analogues for contemporary ones.

Regional stagnation of the western Keewatin ice sheet and the significance of meltwater corridors and eskers, northern Canada

The glacial land system of western Keewatin region, northern Canada, consists of three significant events: (1) regional emplacement of subglacial sediments, mainly till; (2) landscape erosion with development of an integrated, anabranched network of meltwater drainage routes leading to meltwater corridors; and (3) deposition of an extensive array of eskers, and related landforms, within meltwater corridors. Integration of extensive field observations, mapping, and remotely sensed data allow us to link scoured bedrock and till surfaces, truncated drumlins, scour pits, glaciofluvial terraces, boulder lags, and a large-scale network of corridors, as part of regional meltwater erosion events. The network of long (∼100–200 km), relatively wide (∼1–3 km) meltwater corridors record confined subglacial erosion that scoured sediment (and bedrock) prior to glaciofluvial sedimentation (predominately eskers). Despite considerable sediment erosion along meltwater corridors, moraines and other ice-marginal deposits are rarely observed on the western Keewatin landscape. The absence of these features is inconsistent with deglacial models relying on step-wise active retreat of the ice margin. Instead, we propose that deglaciation of the western Keewatin sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet was predominantly controlled by regional thinning and stagnation. These findings raise fundamental questions about deglacial patterns and processes and thus suggest that further evaluation and revision of existing models of deglacial chronology for this sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet is needed.

Glacial geomorphology between Lake Vänern and Lake Vättern, southern Sweden

ABSTRACT The glacial geomorphology between the lakes Vänern and Vättern is presented on a 1:220,000 scale, LiDAR-based map covering approximately 18,000 km2. Fifteen landform units have been mapped; end moraines, De Geer moraines, drumlins, crag-and-tails, hummock tracts and corridors, irregular ridges, murtoos, eskers, deltas/sandur, outwash complexes, meltwater channels, boulder bars/sheets, the Timmersdala ridge, raised shorelines, sand dunes and prominent landslide scars (the last three are post-glacial). The area includes moraines associated with the Younger Dryas cold interval and drainage deposits of the Baltic Ice Lake. Additionally, the map reveals previously undetected geomorphic features including (1) murtoos, (2) abundant traces of meltwater erosion manifested as channels and hummock corridors, (3) laterally extensive end-moraine systems (the Remmene and Kungslena ice-margin positions) and (4) the distinct lobate shape of end moraines formed above the highest shoreline. This map provides a uniform base for future use in georesources, paleo ice-sheet modelling, geologic history, and geoconservation.

Tunnel-valley fills in the Paraná Basin and their implications for the extent of late Paleozoic glaciation in SW Gondwana

Tunnel valleys are subglacial incisions formed mainly by meltwater erosion on soft sediment overridden by glaciers. Despite being common in the Pleistocene and Ordovician glacial record, where their fills constitute excellent aquifers and hydrocarbon traps, tunnel valleys are poorly recognized in late Paleozoic strata. Other types of glacial and non-glacial valleys, on the other hand, have been widely reported from Carboniferous and Permian glacial successions, most cut into the basement or older sedimentary rocks and interpreted as glacial valleys eroded by outlet glaciers draining high-relief settings. The degree of glacial influence on the formation of these valleys has strong implications for the volume of ice during late Paleozoic glaciations. In this paper, we report the Lapa sandstone, an exhumed valley-fill succession encased in Pennsylvanian glacial rocks of eastern Paraná Basin, southern Brazil, and its subsurface counterparts. The Lapa sandstone forms a slightly sinuous ribbon several tens of kilometers long, 1500 m wide and 100 m thick composed essentially of glaciofluvial facies. By comparing the external geometry and the sediment fill of the valley with several types of erosive-based, elongated sediment bodies, we conclude that the Lapa formed as the infilling of a tunnel valley cut beneath an ice margin that advanced to the north onto poorly consolidated, mud-rich sediments. Valley fills previously mapped in the subsurface area to the west are considered to have been formed by the same mechanism and during the same glaciation event. The Lapa tunnel valley and its subsurface counterparts are the first example reported from the late Paleozoic glacial record in South America, but similar features are also expected in any formerly glaciated basin, and their recognition may help in estimating the extent of glaciation across the region and guiding exploration for hydrocarbon traps.

Experimental study on the effects of multiple factors on spring meltwater erosion on an alpine meadow slope

Meadow degradation provides a major indication of increased soil erosion in alpine regions. Serious soil erosion is observed during the spring in particular because soil thawing coincides with the period of snowmelt and the meadow coverage is very low at this time. Studies relating to soil erosion caused by spring meltwater are, however, limited and controversial. Therefore, a field experimental study was conducted in a typical meadow in the Binggou watershed on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau to assess the impact of multiple factors on spring meltwater erosion on an alpine meadow slope. The multiple factors included three flow rates (1, 2, and 3 L/min), four slope gradients (10°, 15°, 20°, and 25°), and three underlying surface conditions (meadow, disturbed meadow, and alluvial soil). An equal volume of concentrated meltwater flow was used in all experiments. The results showed that rapid melting at a high flow rate could accelerate soil erosion; as the flow rate increased from 1 to 3 L/min, the total surface runoff increased by a factor of 0.7 and the total sediment yield increased by more than 6-fold. The influence of the slope gradient on the amount of runoff was positively linear and the influence was relatively low; when the slope increased from 10° to 25°, the total runoff only increased by 16%. However, the slope gradient had a strong impact on soil erosion. The total sediment yield doubled when the slope increased from 10° to 20° and then slightly decreased at 25°. The meadow could effectively reduce soil erosion, although when the meadow was disturbed, the total runoff increased by 60% and the sediment yield by a factor of 1.5. The total runoff from the alluvial soil doubled in comparison to the meadow, while the sediment yield increased nearly 7-fold. The findings of this study could be helpful to understand the characteristics and impact of multiple controlling factors of spring meltwater erosion. It also aims to provide a scientific basis for an improved management of alpine meadows as well as water and soil conservation activities in high-altitude cold regions.

Experimental investigation of freeze-thaw meltwater compound erosion and runoff energy consumption on loessal slopes

The processes of rill erosion and overland flow are significantly affected by freeze-thaw cycles. Meltwater concentrated flow laboratory experiments were carried out to assess the soil erosion of different frozen conditions based on the runoff energy consumption process which own to runoff energy against the sediment transportation and terrain evolution. The experiments were performed over frozen, shallow-thawed, and unfrozen soil-filled flumes under 1, 2, and 4 L/min flow rates with the temperature around 5 °C. The results imply that soil erosion became more severe with increasing flow rate. Variation rate of the soil erosion rate of frozen slope was highest under 1 and 2 L/min flow rates due to lower infiltration of water into soil. Variation in runoff energy consumption variation with flow time presented significant differences under unfrozen, shallow-thawed, and frozen slopes at equal runoff rate (p < 0.05). Compared with shallow-thawed and unfrozen slopes, frozen slope displayed the highest runoff energy consumption and sediment yield capacity at the equal flow rate. Sediment yield capacity was constant regardless of soil condition except in shallow-thawed soil. The sediment yield capacity under 4 L/min flow rate was different from that under 1 and 2 L/min flow rates for shallow-thawed slopes. Soil erosion rates were predictable using runoff energy consumption under one soil condition. The results of this research would provide specific implications about meltwater erosion process and hydrodynamic conditions for improving the erosion model.

An erosional origin for drumlins of NW Poland

AbstractDrumlins are landforms essential to understanding of ice sheet movement over soft beds, sediment transport along the ice/bed interface, and the formation of a wide range of glacial deposits. Although investigated more than any other glacial landform, the origin of drumlins remains contentious. Using high‐resolution LiDAR imagery and field data, we investigate the geomorphology and internal composition of one of the biggest drumlin fields in the North European Lowland. The Stargard drumlin field consists of over 1300 drumlins and related streamlined subglacial bedforms in a terminal part of a major Weichselian palaeo‐ice stream of the southern Scandinavian Ice Sheet. The drumlins are typically 600‐800 m long, 200‐250 m wide, 3‐6 m high and have axial elongation ratios ~2 but in some cases exceeding 15. Several subzones inferred from drumlin morphometry exist reflecting different ice flow dynamics. The most elongated drumlins occur in areas where ice moved down‐slope and where thick fine‐grained deposits of low hydraulic conductivity occur in the substratum. The largest portion of land occupied by drumlins and the greatest frequency density of drumlins occur where the ice moved up‐slope. Stargard drumlins are composed of a wide variety of glacial deposits including various types of tills and meltwater sediments, which range from undisturbed to heavily deformed. There is no correlation between the deposits in the drumlins and the drumlin forms indicating that the deposits pre‐date the drumlinizing process. It is suggested that the drumlin field was generated by a combination of direct glacial erosion and subglacial meltwater erosion by removing antecedent material from the inter‐drumlin areas and streamlining the resultant bumps. Our data support the search for a unifying theory of drumlin formation and suggest erosion as the most plausible single mechanism generating drumlin landscapes. © 2019 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Response of the Meltwater Erosion to Runoff Energy Consumption on Loessal Slopes

Soil properties are influenced by freeze-thaw, which in turn influences soil erosion. Despite this, only a few studies have investigated the impacts on soil hydrodynamic processes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of soil freezing conditions on runoff, its energy consumption, and soil erosion. A total of 27 laboratory-concentrated meltwater flow experiments were performed to investigate the soil erosion rate, the runoff energy consumption, and the relationship between the soil erosion rate and runoff energy consumption by concentrated flow under combinations of three flow rates (1, 2, and 4 L/min) and three soil conditions (unfrozen, shallow-thawed, and frozen). The individual and combined effects of soil condition, flow rate, and runoff energy consumption on the soil erosion rate were analyzed. For the same flow rate, the shallow-thawed and frozen slope produced mean values of 3.08 and 4.53 times the average soil erosion rates compared to the unfrozen slope, respectively. The number of rills in the unfrozen soil slope were 4, 3, and 2 under the flow rate of 1, 2, and 4 L/min, respectively. The number of rills in the thawed-shallow and frozen soil slope were all 1 under the flow rate of 1, 2, and 4 L/min. The rill displayed disconnected distribution patterns on the unfrozen slope, but a connected rill occurred on the shallow-thawed and frozen slopes. The average rill width on unfrozen, thawed-shallow, and frozen soil slopes increased by 1.87 cm, 4.38 cm, and 1.68 cm as the flow rate increased from 1 L/min to 4 L/min. There was no significant difference in the rill length on the frozen slope under different flow rates (p &gt; 0.05). The runoff energy consumption ranged from unfrozen &gt; shallow-thawed &gt; frozen slopes at the same flow rate. The soil erosion rate had a linear relationship with runoff energy consumption. The spatial distribution of the runoff energy implied that soil erosion was mainly sourced from the unfrozen down slope, shallow-thawed upper slope, and frozen full slope.

Soil erosion on the agricultural lands in Southern Siberia: current state, risks, soil protection models

Territorial distribution of agricultural land erosion of in Siberia is considered. We determine different degradation processes mechanisms from west to east. In the Western Siberia meltwater erosion dominates. In the Middle Siberia soil erosion is caused by meltwater and rainstorm runoff, and in the Eastern Siberia by rainstorm discharge. Agricultural lands in mountains located in inter-mountain basins where concentric zoning of changes in mechanisms and rates of land degradation were analyzed. Predictive estimation of soil loss is carried out. We developed maps of erosion-hazard for agricultural lands. Detailed mapping of soil erosion rates in model basins has been carried out. Obtained are the trends and tendencies of soil erosion development in Siberia and the quantitative indicators of potential soil losses from erosion and deflation. Special attention is paid to soil degradation in the Lake Baikal basin. Positive trend of dust storms in the south part of Eastern Siberia at present day indicate aeolian processes increase under climate warming. In future, desertification of steppe landscapes will continue. The probability of desertification of southern Siberia, caused by the development of soil erosion, is determined. Regional models of soil conservation are presented

Water flow velocity over frozen and nonfrozen black soil slopes

AbstractIce‐ and snow‐melted water flow over partially thawed frozen soil of cultivated slopes causes serious soil erosion, which results in soil degradation and affects productivity in Northeast China. Water flow velocity over frozen and nonfrozen soil shows importance in understanding meltwater erosion. In this work, a series of laboratory experiments were conducted to measure water flow velocity over frozen and nonfrozen soil slopes. Experiments were performed using the electrolyte trace method under the pulse boundary model, under conditions of 4 slope gradients (5°, 10°, 15°, and 20°), 3 flow rates (1, 2, and 4 L/min), and 7 sensors positioned at 0.1, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 m away from the electrolyte injection point. Results showed that velocities over frozen soil slopes increased with flow rate and slope gradient. Flow velocities over nonfrozen soil slopes increased with flow rate and slope gradients from 5° to 15° and stabilized at 15°. Flow velocities over frozen soil slopes were 30%, 54%, 71%, and 91% higher than those over nonfrozen ones at slope gradients of 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20°. Flow velocities over frozen soil slopes under different flow rates of 1, 2, and 4 L/min were approximately 52%, 59%, and 79% higher than those over nonfrozen soil, respectively. This study can help in assessing the erosion of partially thawed frozen soil by meltwater flow.

Bedrock morphology reveals drainage network in northeast Baffin Bay

A subglacial drainage network underneath the paleo-ice sheet off West Greenland is revealed by a new compilation of high-resolution bathymetry data from Melville Bay, northeast Baffin Bay. This drainage network is an indicator for ice streaming and subglacial meltwater flow toward the outer shelf. Repeated ice sheet advances and retreats across the crystalline basement together with subglacial meltwater drainage had their impact in eroding overdeepened troughs along ice stream pathways. These overdeepenings indicate the location of a former ice sheet margin. The troughs inherit characteristics of glacial and subglacial meltwater erosion. Most of the troughs follow tectonic weakness zones such as faults and fractures in the crystalline bedrock. Many of these tectonic features correspond with the orientations of major fault axes in the Baffin Bay region. The troughs extend from the present (sub) glacial fjord systems at the Greenland coast and parallel modern outlet-glacier pathways. The fast flowing paleo-ice streams were likely accelerated from the meltwater flow as indicated by glacial landforms within and along the troughs. The ice streams flowed along narrow tributary troughs and merged to form large paleo-ice streams bedded in the major cross-shelf troughs of Melville Bay. Apart from the troughs, a rough seabed topography characterises the bedrock, and we see a sharp geomorphic transition where ice flowed onto sedimentary rock and deposits.

Scottish landform examples 44: the Dirc Mhòr meltwater gorge

ABSTRACTThe Dirc Mhòr gorge in the central Grampian Highlands is 1.1 km long, ∼250 m wide and up to 110 m deep, and is incised in granite bedrock. It is the largest of several bedrock gorges that are incised into spurs, cols or plateau margins in the area, and its present catchment area is negligible. The floor of the gorge is covered by coarse rockfall debris, and the sides of the gorge are mantled by talus accumulations; surface water flow is absent. The gorge is inferred to have evolved over several glacial-interglacial cycles, with subglacial meltwater erosion deepening the gorge under successive ice sheets, and paraglacial rockwall collapse widening the gorge during intervening interglacial periods. Subglacial erosion may also have contributed to gorge enlargement as it widened.

Meltwater erosion process of frozen soil as affected by thawed depth under concentrated flow in high altitude and cold regions

AbstractChanges in thawed depth of frozen soil caused by diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations are commonly found in high altitude and latitude regions of the world. These changes significantly influence hydrologic and erosion processes. Experimental data are necessary to improve the understanding and modeling of the phenomenon. Laboratory experiments were conducted in Beijing to assess the impacts of thawed soil depth, slope gradient, and flow rate on soil erosion by concentrated meltwater flow over an underlying frozen soil layer. Soil samples from watershed were filled in flumes, saturated before being frozen. After the soil was completely frozen, flumes were taken out of storage to thaw the frozen soil from top to the designed depths. Meltwater flow was simulated using a tank filled with water and icecubes at approximately 0°C. The erosion experiments involved four thawed soil depths of 1, 2, 5, and 10 cm; three slope gradients of 5°, 10°, and 15°; and three flow rates of 1, 2, and 4 l/min; and seven rill lengths of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 m. Sediment‐laden water samples were collected at the lower end of the flume for determination of sediment concentration. The results showed that sediment concentration increased exponentially with rill length to approach a maximum value. The sediment concentrations were closely correlated with thawed soil depth, flow rate, and slope gradient. Shallower thawed depths delivered more sediments than deeper thawed depths. Slope gradient was the primary factor responsible for severe erosion. The effect of flow rate on sediment concentration which decreased with increasing slope gradient, was not as significant as that of slope gradient. Results from these experiments are useful for understanding the effect of thawed soil depth on erosion process in thawed soils subject to freezing and for estimating erosion model parameters. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Triangular-shaped landforms reveal subglacial drainage routes in SW Finland

The aim of this study is to present the first evidence of triangular-shaped till landforms and related erosional features indicative of subglacial drainage within the ice stream bed of the Scandinavian ice sheet in Finland. Previously unidentified grouped patterns of Quaternary deposits with triangular landforms can be recognized from LiDAR-based DEMs. The triangular landforms occur as segments within geomorphologically distinguishable routes that are associated with eskers. The morphological and sedimentological characteristics as well as the distribution of the triangular landforms are interpreted to involve the creep of saturated deforming till, flow and pressure fluctuations of subglacial meltwater associated with meltwater erosion. There are no existing models for the formation of this kind of large-scale drainage systems, but we claim that they represent an efficient drainage system for subglacial meltwater transfer under high pressure conditions. Our hypothesis is that the routed, large-scale subglacial drainage systems described herein form a continuum between channelized (eskers) and more widely spread small-scale distributed subglacial drainage. Moreover, the transition from the conduit dominated drainage to triangular-shaped subglacial landforms takes place about 50–60 km from the ice margin. We provide an important contribution towards a more realistic representation of ice sheet hydrological drainage systems that could be used to improve paleoglaciological models and to simulate likely responses of ice sheets to increased meltwater production.

Large subglacial meltwater features in the central Barents Sea

Abstract During the last glacial period large parts of the Arctic, including the Barents Sea, north of Norway and Russia, were covered by ice sheets. Despite several studies indicating that melting occurred beneath much of the Barents Sea ice sheet, very few meltwater-related landforms have been identified. We document ∼200 seafloor valleys in the central Barents Sea and interpret them to be tunnel valleys formed by meltwater erosion beneath an ice sheet. This is the first account of widespread networks of tunnel valleys in the Barents Sea, and confirms previous predictions that large parts of the ice sheet were warm based. The tunnel valleys are interpreted to be formed through a combination of steady-state drainage and outburst floods close to the ice margin, as a result of increased melting within a period of rapid climate warming during late deglaciation. This is the first study documenting widespread tunnel valley formation at the northern reaches of a Northern Hemisphere paleo–ice sheet, during advanced deglaciation and beneath a much reduced ice sheet. This indicates that suitable conditions for tunnel valley formation may have occurred more widely than previously reported, and emphasizes the need to properly incorporate hydrological processes in current efforts to model ice sheet response to climate warming. This study provides valuable empirical data, to which modeling results can be compared.

Experimental modeling of pressurized subglacial water flow: Implications for tunnel valley formation

AbstractTunnel valleys are elongated hollows commonly found in formerly glaciated areas and interpreted as resulting from subglacial meltwater erosion beneath ice sheets. Over the past two decades, the number of studies of terrestrial tunnel valleys has continuously increased, and their existence has been hypothesized also on Mars, but their formation mechanisms remain poorly understood. We introduce here an innovative experimental approach to examine erosion by circulation of pressurized meltwater within the substratum and at the ice/substratum interface. We used a permeable substratum (sand) partially covered by a viscous, impermeable, and transparent cap (silicon putty), below which we applied a central injection of pure water. Low water pressures led to groundwater circulation in the substratum only, while water pressures exceeding a threshold that is larger than the sum of the glaciostatic and lithostatic pressures led to additional water circulation and formation of drainage landforms at the cap/substratum interface. The formation of these drainage landforms was monitored through time, and their shapes were analyzed from digital elevation models obtained by stereo‐photogrammetry. The experimental landforms include valleys that are similar to natural tunnel valleys in their spatial organization and in a number of diagnostic morphological criteria, such as undulating longitudinal profiles and “tunnel” shapes. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that overpressurized subglacial water circulation controls the formation of tunnel valleys.

Discharge‐sediment processes of the Zhadang glacier on the Tibetan Plateau measured with a high frequency data acquisition system

AbstractIn high elevation cold regions of the Tibetan Plateau, suspended sediment transfer from glacier meltwater erosion is one of the important hydrological components. The Zhadang glacier is a typical valley‐type glacier in the Nyainqentanglha Mountains on the Tibetan Plateau. To make frequent and long period records of meltwater runoff and sediment processes in the very high elevation and isolated regions, an automatic system was installed near the glacier snout (5400 m a.s.l) in August 2013, to measure the transient discharge and sediment processes at 5‐min interval, which is shorter than the time span for the water flow to traverse the catchment from the farthest end to the watershed outlet. Diurnal variations of discharge, and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were recorded at high frequency for the Zhadang glacier, before suspended sediment load (SSL) was computed. Hourly SSC varied from the range of 0.2 kg/m3to 0.5 kg/m3(at 8:00–9:00) to the range of 2.0 kg/m3to 4.0 kg/m3(at 17:00–18:00). The daily SSL was 32.24 t during the intense ablation period. Hourly SSC was linearly correlated with discharge (r = 0.885**,n = 18,p &lt; 0.01). A digit‐eight hysteresis loop was observed for the sediment transport in the glacier area. Air temperature fluctuations influence discharge, and then result in the sediment variations. The results of this study provide insight into the responses of suspended sediment delivery processes with a high frequency data in the high elevation cold regions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.