At present, we have been living in an ice age for around 2.5 million years, a geological epoch in which there is ice on Earth and in which the curve of the global mean temperature is subject to significant fluctuations (current trend: temperature increase). At nearly 16 million square kilometers, about ten percent of the land surface is currently covered by glacial ice-and glacial ice plays a major role in shaping landscapes. This compact textbook sharpens the eye for such landscapes. It makes the forms and the shaping processes comprehensible, which the author illustrates with numerous regional examples, especially from Central Europe, such as the North German Plain and the Alpine foothills, but also from Iceland. What traces have the glaciers and their meltwaters left behind? What formation processes can be inferred? How can recent climate history, in particular that of the Ice Age, be reconstructed?
It is exciting to look at current developments in glaciated areas and also to take a look at the (climate) future of the Earth. For example, the question arises as to what influence glaciers have on sea level and on future climate change. In this context, natural processes such as the ice age cycles, for which there are various ice age formation hypotheses, and anthropogenic influences in global warming must be weighed against each other.
Author(s): Wolfgang Fraedrich
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 153
City: Berlin
Preface
Contents
1: Searching for Clues on Our Doorstep
2: Around the Glacier
2.1 Learning to Understand Glaciers
2.2 How Glaciers Form
2.3 Glacier, Ghiaccia, Jökull
2.4 Glacier Types
2.5 Structure and Properties of a Glacier
2.6 Glacial Ice Flows
2.7 Glaciers Are Growing and Melting
2.8 Glacial Fluctuations and Their Causes
2.9 The Registration of Glacier Fluctuations
3: Distribution of Ice and Cold Regions
4: Glaciations During the Geological Past
4.1 Pre-quaternary Cold Periods
4.2 Quaternary Cold Periods
4.3 The Keys to the Past
4.4 Pleistocene (Cold Ages)
4.5 Pleistocene Europe
5: Glaciers Shape Landscapes
5.1 Overview of Forces and Processes
5.2 The Glacial Mould Record
5.2.1 Glacial Erosion Forms
5.2.2 Glacial Depositional Forms
5.3 Reconstruction of Glacier Movements by Guiding Bedloads
5.4 Simple Investigations on a Moraine Outcrop
5.5 Moraines in North-Central Europe
5.6 Moraines in the Mountains and Mountain Margins
5.7 Other Glacial Forms
6: The Influence of Glacial Meltwater
6.1 Overview of Forces and Processes
6.2 Fluvioglacial Forms of Erosion
6.3 Fluvioglacial Depositional Forms
6.4 Analytical Methods for the Examination of Gravel Pit Outcrops
6.5 The Composition of Sediments Tells Us Something About Their Origin
6.6 Form Societies of Glacial and Fluvioglacial Origin
6.6.1 Suggestions and Aids for Landscape Interpretation
6.6.2 Variety of Shapes in a Confined Space: An Example
6.6.3 Form Society in the Model: The Glacial Series
7: Shape Design Away from Glaciated Areas
7.1 Overview of Forces and Processes
7.2 The Regional Distribution of Periglacial Areas
7.3 The Periglacial Form Treasure Trove
7.3.1 Wind: Aeolian Processes and Forms
7.3.2 Gravity: Gravitational Processes and Forms
7.3.3 Frost: Cryogenic Processes and Forms
8: Glaciers and Sea Level
8.1 The Geophysical Principle of Isostatic Movements
8.2 Eustatic Sea Level Fluctuations
8.3 The Geological Structure of the Marshes Provides the Key to Reconstructing Sea-Level Changes
8.4 Isostasy and Eustasy Act Together
8.5 Comparison of German Coastal Landscapes
9: The Next Cold Period Is Coming
9.1 Global Developments
9.2 Atmosphere and Climate
9.3 Anthropogenic Interventions
9.4 Natural Climate Fluctuations
9.4.1 Astronomical Influences
9.4.2 Earthly Influences
9.5 Ice Cores Are Sought-After Climate Archives
9.6 The Greenland Icecore Project: An Ice Core Drilling Brings Surprising Findings
9.7 Atlantic Sediments Show Traces of the Last Cold Period
9.8 Ocean Currents Control the Climate
9.9 Can There Be a Convincing Climate Forecast?
Glossary
References
Index
