Collaborative Research: Ice and Rock Processes in Cirques

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Cirque glaciers are sensitive to climate change and offer unique opportunitiesfor studying fundamental aspects of glacial mechanics. Erosion by these glaciers and the coupled response of adjacent hillslopes govern the long-term evolution ofbedrock topography in the divide regions of alpine orogens and contributesediment into major drainage networks. This project will acquire newmeasurements of ice flow, microclimate, rock topography, and sediment flux attwo cirques in the western North American Cordillera. Data will be interpretedwith numerical and conceptual models to constrain the force balance partitioningand basal motion distribution of the glaciers, to identify the primary controlson rock flux, and to establish a baseline of topographic measurement on cirqueheadwalls for longer-term investigations. The project is a step toward achievinga general understanding of flow and stress regimes of glaciers in cirques, andtoward building process-based transport relationships between rock mass flux fromcirques and topographic, lithologic, and climatic variables.