Challenging the southern boundary of active rock glaciers in West Greenland

Abstract Rock glaciers (RGs) are landscape features impacting the composition and magnitude of runoff and, given their ice content, they are used as indicators for past and present climate conditions. While our knowledge of RG coverage has improved over recent years in many mountainous regions, ther...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
Main Authors: Abermann, Jakob, Langley, Kirsty
Other Authors: Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2139
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ppp.2139
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/ppp.2139
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Summary:Abstract Rock glaciers (RGs) are landscape features impacting the composition and magnitude of runoff and, given their ice content, they are used as indicators for past and present climate conditions. While our knowledge of RG coverage has improved over recent years in many mountainous regions, there is very little information available for RGs in Greenland. Here, we provide evidence for an active RG in West Greenland, about 230 km south of what previously has been identified as the southern limit of active RGs. We present field evidence such as bottom temperature of the snow pack and surface displacements and indicate how these results could be utilized in further studies to better assess RG distribution or their ice content.