Landscapes of Transition Landforms Assemblages & Transformations in Cold Regions

About this book

This volume is mainly concerned with landform and sediment associations in cold regions, and their transformations over time and space in response to changing environments. Most of the chapters adopt a landscape approach, with the goal of describing, interpreting and comparing regional landscapes. The emphasis here is on landscapes that are formed or constrained by cold conditions. In particular, we look at landform morphology, earth surface processes and sediments reflecting the presence of frost, ice and melt water, and the influence upon landscape of cold-adapted plants and animals. The notion of 'transition' is employed to address the ways in which environmental changes are uniquely expressed through adjustments in landforms and earth surface processes. It is shown that geomorphic transitions have, or tend to, generate their own temporal and spatial shape. They involve mechanisms or patterns of adjustment distinct from, and not readily obvious in, the mere chronology of, say, climate change or tectonics. Examples are discussed from high mountain and glacierized environments, from cold lowlands and coasts. Appropriate theoretical concerns are addressed in relation to the slope stability and extreme mass movement events, paraglacial regimes, changing distributions of permafrost, delta and other cold coastal development.

Contents

Part One Glacial and High Mountain Environments: Development of Landform and Sediment Assemblages at Maritime High-arctic Glaciers, M.J. Hambrey, N.F. Glasser; Proglacial and Paraglacial Fluvial and Lacustrine Environments in Transition, P.G. Johnso; Postglacial Landform and Sediment Associations in a Landslide-fragmented River System - the TransHimalayan Indus Streams, Central Asia, K. Hewitt; Fluvial Sediment Transfer in Cold Regions, M. Church. Part Two Cold Lowland and Coastal Environments: Where on Earth is Permafrost? Boundaries and Transitions, M.W. Smith, D.W. Riseborough; Typical Aspects of Cold Regions Shorelines, M.-L. Byrne, J.-C. Dionne; Landform Development in an Arctic Delta - The Roles of Snow, Ice and Permafrost, H.J. Walker; The Search for an Arctic Coastal Karren Model in Norway and Spitzbergen, J. Lundberg, S.-E. Lauritzen; Sedimentary Characteristics, Biological Zonation and Physical Processes of the Tidal Flats of Iqaluit, Nunavut, J.E. Dale, et al.

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