Snow cornice dynamics as a control on plateau edge erosion in central Svalbard

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Snow cornices grow extensively on leeward edges of plateau mountains in central Svalbard. Seasonal snow cornice dynamics control bedrock weathering and erosion in sedimentary bedrock on the Gruvefjellet plateau edge in the valley Longyeardalen. Air, snow and ground temperature sensors, as well as automatic time-lapse cameras on a leeward facing plateau edge were used to study seasonal cornice dynamics. These techniques allowed for monitoring of cornice accretion, deformation and collapse/melting in great detail. The active layer of the top plateau edge is characterized by high moisture content due to rain before freeze-up in autumn and cornice meltdown during spring thaw. Thus frost weathering there can be very efficient. The cornice will either collapse or melt, resulting in suspended sediment transport downslope by cornice fall avalanche or release as rock fall respectively. Therefore, cornices both promote and trigger high weathering rates on Gruvefjellet, and thus control presently the development of the rockwall free faces and the talus cones.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2013, vol. 38, n°. 5, p. 466-476, nombre de pages : 11, Références bibliographiques : 1 p.

Date :
2013

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley