CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Chadbourn, J.; and Bell, T.
Date : 2010.
Title : Topographic setting of glaciers in the Torngat Mountains, Labrador, Canada,
Publication : 22nd Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers. October 1-3, 2010. Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland.
Issue : Program and Abstracts Volume.
Page(s) : 4.
Abstract
Topography surrounding the glaciers in the Torngat Mountains, Labrador, was analyzed to describe the current setting of glaciers in this region. Further analysis was completed to determine important variables contributing to the preservation of these glaciers. A digital elevation model (DEM) and air photos were used to measure a variety of geographic and topographic variables for each glacier and the results assessed to identify important relationships. The 59 glaciers identified cover an area of 16.66 km2, most glaciers (64%) having an area smaller than 0.25 km2. With a mean elevation of 829 m, many of these glaciers lay below the local glaciation level, the elevation below which glaciers should not exist, making them anomalous in this region. A northerly aspect (315° - 45° azimuth) is most common (63%), increasing the potential for shading on the glacier surface and reducing the amount of incoming solar radiation available for melting, particularly below backwalls with a mean elevation of 272 m above the ice surface. Preliminary results indicate a strong positive correlation between area and backwall height. This relationship supports early hypotheses that topography has a major influence on glacier mass balance in the Torngat Mountains. Further analysis will explore additional variables including debris cover and equilibrium line altitude, and examine all identified relationships in detail.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology