Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Dec. 24, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Cell Biotechnology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-129).

Thesis (M.S.) in Geological Sciences--University of Maine, 2002. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-119).

Thesis (M.S.) in Quaternary and Climate Studies--University of Maine, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-160).

No description available.

The area studied is part of Wester Ross, north-west Scotland, and includes the Applecross Peninsula and the land to the east between Strathcarron and Glen Torridon. Mapping of glacial landforms involved study of aerial photographs and subsequent field work. Evidence was found for the existence of two ice caps and five separate coire glaciers during the Loch Lomond Readvance, their various termini being represented today by clear lateral and end moraines at fourteen out of twenty-five locations. In nine cases, multiple lateral and/or end moraines suggest fluctuation of these ice margins during the Stadial maximum. An earlier stage of glaciation not related to the Late-Devensian ice-sheet maximum is represented by a single moraine and glacial striae. It is believed that this substage probably occurred between 18,000 and 14,000 years ago. Former sea-level changes were investigated by accurate mapping and instrumental levelling of raised coastal features. Three major periods of formation were identified :- 1. A pre-glacial or interglacial stage, evidenced by a highlevel rock platform at 32 to 37 m O.D.; 2. Raised beaches and deltas lying between 21 and 28 m O.D. relating to a period of very early Lateglacial deglaciation; 3. Postglacial features lying below about 10 m O.D. Pollen analysis of core sequences from two sites helped confirm the Loch Lomond Readvance age of the end moraines in Strath a' Bhathaich and to elucidate the history of vegetational development in the area between ca. 13,000 and 9,000 B.P. The Lateglacial pollen diagram indicates early development of a treeless Empetrum- dominated landscape that reverted during the Stadial to tundra-like conditions with a floristically-poor, open vegetation. Both Postglacial diagrams indicate a rapid recovery in early Postglacial times, with the return of pioneer species shortly superceded by a closed vegetation, and then by immigration of birch trees, and the establishment of a mixed birch-hazel woodland.

No description available.

The year 1965 marked the beginning of the International Hydrological Decade. This project, covering the next tan years, has as its major conoern an assessment of the water resource of the earth. At present, it is estimated that some 21.4 million km.^3 of the world's water resouree is locked in ice or permanent snow. This represents approximately 9% of all fresh water on the earth or in the ataosphere. The estimates, of course, vary widely from author to author, but in any case the position of snow and ice in the fresh water balance of the globe is anything but negligible. Clearly the International Hydrological Decade must assess this quantity in some detail. To this end, many nations have undertaken the study of the mass budgets of selected glaciers and ice sheets vithin their boundaries. [...]

In the past century global climate warming has led to widespread glacier recession, which in turn has made a significant contribution to eustatic sea level rise. In the coming century, warming is projected to continue and small glacier melt will make a further contribution to sea level rise. In the monitoring of global glacier change and prediction of the response of glacier to climate change, the few well-studied Southern Hemisphere glaciers have an important role to play in elucidating global climate linkages, both in the information that they have left on past climate and glacier change, and the information the provide on future changes to the cryosphere. Franz Josef Glacier, with the best record of terminus position in the Southern Hemisphere, has an important place in assessing global climate and glacier change. The aim of this thesis is examine the response of Franz Josef Glacier to climate change. This goal is achieved through the application of coupled mass balance and ice-flow models, verified with an extensive set of field measurements. A range of previous studies have attempted to understand the linkages between climate and the advance and retreat of the glacier. Methods of examining the response of the glacier have progressed from simple correlations of climate variables and terminus position, to coupled mass balance - ice-flow models. Despite the large amount written about the glacier, there have been few direct measurements of ice velocity, almost a complete lack of mass balance measurements and no measurements of ice thickness. Without these measurements it is difficult to have confidence in the output of the models. A comparison of the output of these models indicates a wide range of predicted mass balance and ice velocity, the two essential components of glacier response to climate change. The programme of field measurement indicates that Franz Josef Glacier has an extremely high mass turnover. Ablation at the terminus is more than 20 m/a w.e. and accumulation in the névé up to 7 m/a w.e. A degree-day mass balance model is able to simulate these measurements, but measured mass balance at the same elevation varies significantly, indicating that the assumption that the only spatial variation of mass balance is with elevation may not be valid here. Ice velocity reaches 2.5 m/day, which is high for a midlatitude glacier. Temporal variations in velocity measurements indicate that basal sliding occurs year round with little seasonal variation, and a greater sliding velocity on the glacier tongue than in the accumulation area. An ice velocity model tuned to the ice velocity measurements confirms this pattern of sliding velocity. vii The coupled mass balance and ice-flow simulates the overall 20th century glacier retreat, but does not simulate the terminus response well, a result of the mass balance model not producing accurate results for the period 1894-1940. The model, when run for a short period of time into the future, indicates that glacier response is independent of climate for a period of 5 years, and that Franz Josef Glacier will almost certainly retreat a further 1 km in the next 5 years. Longer term predictions are dependent on climate change scenarios, such that by 2100 the Franz Josef Glacier could be anywhere from a size similar to the present to two small glaciers perched on the highest peaks. The mean scenario indicates that by 2100 the glacier will have lost 20% of its volume and retreated 4 km to terminate near the present day Almer Glacier. The possibly significant recession of the Franz Josef Glacier will have an impact on the local community and economy with recreation and tourism on the glacier becoming much more difficult. While the results of this study are particular to Franz Josef Glacier, they provide information on how other small glaciers respond to climate change.

No description available.