Reconstructing past ice sheet dynamics and decay from glacial landforms and sediments

该研究项目主要关注于了解在最后一个冰河时期覆盖加拿大和美国北部大部分地区的冰块运动、稳定和衰变的模式、演变和控制。了解古代冰盖的行为是很重要的，因为为它们的生长、衰变、几何形状和稳定性开发的模型可以用来预测当今北极和南极冰盖的未来行为，从而影响全球海平面和气候。冰的运动在很大程度上是由发生在冰川床上的过程所控制的。现在的冰原床很难接近，所以我们转向古代冰原床（它们留下的地貌和沉积物）来探索在大范围内、在各种尺度上、甚至在整个冰期内调节冰动力学的过程。在冰川床上发生的过程影响冰盖特性（如厚度、几何形状、碎屑含量），并可能对冰盖衰变的速度、形式和几何形状产生持久的影响。在这个应用中，研究探索了古代冰盖的床，以及它们的衰变景观，以增强我们对冰的运动、稳定性和衰变的理解。这项研究将从不列颠哥伦比亚省南部和华盛顿州的古冰川床（冰下）地貌和沉积物中收集新的数据，这些数据将对我们了解冰川地貌的形成、冰川景观的演变以及古冰盖的运动和管道做出重大贡献。它将为不列颠哥伦比亚省南部的科迪勒兰冰盖提供新的衰变（去冰期）年龄，并可能导致一个新的冰盖衰变模型，该模型与冰下湖泊的分布、范围和排水有关。该项目产生的观测结果和概念对于预测当今冰盖（如南极洲和格陵兰岛的冰盖）的未来行为至关重要，并将为冰盖模型提供关键数据。此外，本研究的结果预计将对漂移找矿领域的工业产生影响。

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 future 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.    This research will collect new data from ancient glacier bed (subglacial) landforms and sediments in southern British Columbia and Washington State that will contribute significantly to our understanding of the formation of glacial landforms, the evolution of glacial landscapes, and the motion and plumbing of ancient ice sheets. It will provide new decay (deglacial) ages for the Cordilleran ice sheet in southern British Columbia, and may lead to a new model of ice sheet decay that responds to the distribution, extent and drainage of subglacial lakes. The observations and concepts generated by this program are vital to predicting the future behaviour of present-day ice sheets, such as those in Antarctica and Greenland, and will provide critical data for ice sheet models. In addition, the results of this research are anticipated to impact industry in the area of drift prospecting.