Open AccessExtent and dynamic evolution of the lost land aquaterra since the Last Glacial Maximum
Author(s) -
Giorgio Spada,
Gaia Galassi
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
comptes rendus. géoscience/comptes rendus. géoscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1778-7025
pISSN - 1631-0713
DOI - 10.1016/j.crte.2017.06.004
Subject(s) - glacial period , geology , last glacial maximum , physical geography , climatology , earth science , paleontology , geography
We study the evolution of a recently recognised global geographical feature, named aquaterra, enclosing those lands that in previous glacial cycles have been repeatedly exposed and flooded. So far, the geography of aquaterra has been studied as a first approximation neglecting the isostatic effects and assuming globally uniform (i.e. eustatic) sea-level variations. Focussing on the last deglaciation and considering both global and regional aspects, we show that isostatic effects related with mantle dynamics have indeed played a significant role in the evolution of aquaterra. Our analysis is based upon paleogeographic reconstructions in the framework of well-established Glacial Isostatic Adjustment theories