Reconstructing past ice sheet dynamics and decay from glacial geomorphology and sedimentology

该研究项目主要涉及了解上一个冰河时期覆盖加拿大和美国北部大部分地区的冰块的模式、演化和对冰运动、稳定性和衰变的控制。了解古代冰盖的行为非常重要，因为针对其生长、腐烂、几何形状和稳定性开发的模型可用于预测当今北极和南极冰块的行为，进而影响全球海平面和气候。冰的运动在很大程度上是由冰川床上发生的过程控制的。当今冰盖的床层很难接近，因此我们转向古代冰盖的床层（它们留下的地貌和沉积物）来探索在广阔的区域、不同的尺度甚至整个冰河时代调节冰动态的过程。冰川床上发生的过程会影响冰盖特性（例如厚度、几何形状、碎片含量），并可能对冰盖腐烂的速度、类型和几何形状产生持久影响。该应用的研究探索了古代冰盖的床层及其腐烂景观，以增强我们对冰运动、稳定性和腐烂的理解。

This research program is mainly concerned with understanding the pattern, evolution and controls on ice motion, stability and decay within the ice masses that covered much of Canada and the northern United States during the last ice age. It is important to understand the behaviour of ancient ice sheets because the models developed for their growth, decay, geometry and stability can be used to predict the behaviour of present-day Arctic and Antarctic ice masses that in turn influence global sea level and climate. Ice motion is, in large part, governed by processes taking place at the glacier bed. The beds of present-day ice sheets are difficult to access, so we turn to the beds of ancient ice sheets (the landforms and sediments that they left behind) to explore the processes that regulate ice dynamics over broad areas, at a variety of scales and perhaps over whole ice ages. Processes taking place at the glacier bed impact ice sheet properties (e.g., thickness, geometry, debris content) and likely have an enduring effect on the rate, style and geometry of ice sheet decay. Research in this application probes the beds of ancient ice sheets, and their landscapes of decay, in order to enhance our understanding of ice motion, stability and decay.