Sediment budgets and rates of sediment transfer across cold environments in Europe : a commentary
Climatic change ; Coldarea ; Erosion ; Europe ; Model ; Northern Europe ; Periglacial features ; Permafrost ; Sediment budget ; Sediment transport
The aim of this short paper is to provide a personal commentary on some of the themes discussed in this Special Issue and highlight other key topics and areas of potential future importance : glacial sediment transfer processes; cold-region coastal
processes; cold climate solute dynamics; and the role of cold-tolerant ecosystems in conditioning sediment dynamics.
Summer thaw depths in cold regions and fossil cryoturbation
An analysis of data from the literature, on summer thaw depths and cryoturbation in present-day coldareas, shows that the thickness of fossil cryoturbated deposits cannot be correlated to the July temperature of that time. It is suggested
This paper reviews the occurence and morphology of coastal dunes developed in arctic and subarctic environments. The characteristic features of cold-climate coastal aeolian landforms are discussed, and some consideration is given
Relations between aerodynamic and surface roughness in a hyper-arid cold desert : McMurdo dry valleys, Antarctica
Aeolian features ; Aeolian transport ; Antarctica ; Arid area ; Cold desert ; Roughness
This study examines relations between roughness element geometry and density, and boundary-layer winds in an area with no vegetation, as a contribution to understanding aeolian processes in rocky terrains, such as those occuring in many hyper-arid
Catastrophic implications of global climatic change in the cold regions of Eurasia
Arctic Region ; Catastrophe ; Climatic variation ; Climatic warming ; Coldarea ; Eurasia ; Global change ; Greenhouse effect ; Kola Peninsula ; Meltwater ; Permafrost ; Russia ; Sakha ; Thermokarst ; West Siberia
Some models predict that annual air temperatures in the Eurasian cold regions could increase by 3 to 6°C in the years 2020 to 2030. In this paper the A. tries to evaluate the probable catastrophic implications of global climatic change in the cold
The role of thermal stress fatigue in the breakdown of rock in cold regions
Antarctica ; Building materials ; Coldarea ; Fracture ; Freeze-thaw cycle ; Geotechnics ; Impact ; Radiation ; Rock ; Temperature ; Weathering
Recent geomorphological studies have shown the importance of thermal stress in cold regions by means of high-frequency rock temperature data which can identify rates of temperature change in excess. The occurence of weathered material in cold
Fungal weathering of basaltic rocks in a cold oceanic environment (Iceland) : comparison between experimental and field observations
Basalt ; Biogenic process ; Coldarea ; Iceland ; Micro-organism ; Periglacial features ; Weathering
This paper presents evidence for strong biochemical weathering of basaltic outcrops induced by fungal communities in a cold environment. Weathering rind formation is considered to be a consequence of the biological activity. Comparisons between
in vitro experiments and in situ observations allow a characterization of fungal effets on rocks and help to define the place of these micro-organisms in the cold environment weathering chain. It is concluded that biological weathering is chronologically
The mineral composition of hot and cold desert soils
Arid area ; Carbonate ; Chemical alteration ; Clay mineral ; Cold desert ; Desert ; Geochemistry ; Mineralogy ; Pedogenesis ; Salinisation ; Weathering
The mineralogy-determining processes in both hot and cold desert soils are similar. The major process is accumulation and profile redistribution of soluble salts. Release of Fe-oxides and their redistribution within the soil matrix is a minor
Here a reconsideration of the whole conceptual framework of weathering in cold environments is undertaken. It is shown that, contrary to popular presentations, weathering, including chemical weathering, is not temperature-limited but rather
is limited by moisture availability. Where water is available it is clearly shown that chemical weathering can be a major component of the weathering regime. The argument is made that there is no zonality to cold environment weathering. The assumption
of angularity with weathering in cold regions is questioned.
The minimum temperatures in the winter 2006/07 in Slovenian frost hallows and cold basins
Air temperature ; Climatology ; Coldarea ; Physical geography ; Slovenia
during the period 2004-2006, continued also in the winter 2006-2007, all together, in more than 30 frost hallows and cold basins Alpine, Dinaridic and even Submediterranean areas. Allthough the winter 2006/2007 was very mild, minimum temperatures in frost
The members of Slovenian Meteorological Forum, Department of Geography at University of Ljubljana and Slovenian Forestry Institute started to measure temperatures in Slovenian frost hallows and cold basins in 2004. The measurements, which improved
Field experiments were carried out over a five year period with the aim of understanding contemporary weathering and erosional environments in the Sør Rondane Mountains, an Antarctic cold desert region. These include observations of 1) scaling from
Since models of global warming predict that climatic changes will be greatest in the Arctic and might already be in progress, it is prudent to attempt to understand the rapidly changing thermal regime on Eurasian cold regions. In this paper
the A. tries to evaluate the probable catastrophic implications of global climatic change in the cold regions of Eurasia. The impact on Man activities in permafrost regions is discussed.