Topography, climate and ice masses: a review

• Published in: Terra Nova
• Main Author: Kerr, Andrew
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1993
• Subjects: Ice Sheet
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3121.1993.tb00266.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-3121.1993.tb00266.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-3121.1993.tb00266.x

Topography acts as a filter between regional climate and the consequent response of a glacier or ice sheet. It influences the mass and energy inputs and modifies the ice dynamics. The evolution of the ice sheet surface and, over longer time scales, of the bed topography modulates the climatic forcing. Until we have a better understanding of these topographic linkages, the use of geophysical signals from former ice masses to determine palaeoclimates must be regarded as fundamentally flawed.