Doctoral Dissertation Research: Landscape and Soil Evolution in Patterned Ground on a Recently Deglaciated Terrain in Jotunheimen, Norway

长期以来，沿着时间景观梯度的地貌和土壤的起源一直是地貌学、土壤学和相关领域研究和推测的主题。这对于直到更新世很晚才被冰川覆盖的亚北极地区来说是正确的。虽然对分析形成冰碛和其他地貌以及土壤的日期和过程给予了相当大的注意，但对将微尺度地貌和土壤的发展与植被演代联系起来的综合检查给予的注意要少得多。本博士论文研究项目将研究挪威中南部Jotunheimen晚全新世脱冰地形微尺度景观演化的地质生态学控制因素。该研究将侧重于有利于消冰后最初形成图案地面的当地环境参数，并关注导致微尺度（从0.5 m到3 m）图案地面地形的植被演替和土壤发育的过程。本项目的中心假设是，在格局化的土地中，显著的微尺度土壤发育差异发生，并与植被演替正相关。由于霜冻活动减少，植被倾向于在有图案的地面结构的外围建立自己。与物理环境参数相关的生物效应将在沿时间顺序样带的土壤形成方面越来越明显。该项目将包括在朝鲜黑门山区的两个冰川前陆进行实地工作。在Storbreen和Slettmarkbreen冰川之前的地形中，有大量关于冰川后地表年龄的数据。本项目将使用这些数据，以及通过挖掘土坑收集的数据。还将对植被进行取样，以获得物种组成、多样性和覆盖度（生物量指标）的测量。该项目的结果将为环境变化引起的景观快速演变提供新的见解。具体来说，该研究将有助于理解控制土壤形成的因素，特别是植被因素，并阐明受基质控制的演替生态过程。这些知识可以用来预测其他山区未来的景观变化。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立研究生涯。

The origin of landforms and soils along temporal landscape gradients long has been a topic of study and speculation in geomorphology, soil science, and related fields. This is true for sub-Arctic areas that were covered by glaciers until very late in the Pleistocene. While considerable attention has been given to analyzing the dates and processes that formed moraines and other landforms as well as soils, far less attention has been given to integrated examinations that link the development of micro-scale landform and soils with vegetational succession. This doctoral dissertation research project will investigate the geoecological controls on micro-scale landscape evolution in the late-Holocene deglaciated terrain of Jotunheimen in south-central Norway. The study will focus on local environmental parameters that were conducive for the formation of patterned ground initially after deglaciation, with attention also given to the processes that led to vegetation succession and soil development in the micro-scale (from 0.5 m to 3 m) patterned ground landforms. The central hypotheses of this project are that significant micro-scale soil development differences occur within patterned ground and are positively correlated to vegetation succession. Vegetation tends to establish itself on the periphery of patterned ground structures due to decreased frost activity. The biotic effects interrelated with the physical environmental parameters will be increasingly detectable in terms of soil genesis within patterned ground along a chronosequence transect. The project will include field work in two glacial forelands within the mountainous area of Jotunheimen. Extensive data are available on postglacial surface ages in the terrains before the Storbreen and Slettmarkbreen glaciers. This project will use these data in addition to data gathered through the excavation of soil pits. Vegetation also will be sampled to obtain measures of species composition, diversity, and coverage (biomass indicator). The results of this project will provide new insights into rapid landscape evolution induced by environmental change. Specifically, this study will contribute to the understanding of factors controlling soil formation, particularly the vegetation factor, and it will elucidate the ecological process of succession as controlled by substrate. This knowledge may then allow for predictions of future landscape changes in other mountainous areas. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.