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Postglacial rebound promotes glacial re‐advances – a case study from the European Alps
Author(s) -
Norton Kevin P.,
Hampel Andrea
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2010.00946.x
Subject(s) - deglaciation , geology , glacier , younger dryas , last glacial maximum , glacier mass balance , glacial period , post glacial rebound , physical geography , climatology , geomorphology , geography
Terra Nova, 22, 297–302, 2010 Abstract Although deglaciation after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) caused a considerable isostatic rebound of orogens worldwide, the effect of this uplift on glacier mass balance has never been quantified. Here, we propose that postglacial rebound promotes the re‐advance of glaciers by enlarging their accumulation areas, and test our hypothesis for the European Alps. Using a three‐dimensional numerical model with a rheologically layered lithosphere and a reconstructed LGM ice distribution, we show that deglaciation caused up to ∼128 m of rebound between 21 and 13 ka. The rebound‐induced increase in the total glacier accumulation area is 50% at the onset of the Younger Dryas. This shows that postglacial rebound results in a positive glacier mass balance, which may explain the discrepancy between the equilibrium line altitudes derived from different sources in the central Alps.