Geological records from formerly-glaciated continental shelves offer an analogue of modern ice sheet behaviour, providing detailed information on ice flow and extent via suites of sediment and landform assemblages over a range of timescales. In addition, new and existing proxies extracted from sediment cores are being used to interpret ice-marginal oceanic conditions while new chronological frameworks based on different dating techniques have been developed to interpret rates of change.
In ice-distal settings along the continental slope and rise, sedimentation processes including the transport and deposition of ice-rafted debris reflect long-term variations in glacial-interglacial cyclicity and regional climatic and oceanographic conditions. Recent technological advances both in coring of the seafloor and in 2D and 3D seismic reflection imagery have allowed investigation of whole landsystems associated with ice sheet growth and retreat beneath the modern sea-floor. Progress has also been made in combining seismostratigraphic frameworks with detailed sedimentological and geochronological datasets.
Ice sheets terminating in marine environments are a dynamic part of the cryosphere and large uncertainties exist in understanding the behaviour of modern ice sheets under continued atmospheric and oceanic warming. In particular, marine-based ice sheets are likely susceptible to tipping point behaviour that could allow rapid retreat or collapse both in the geological past and/or in upcoming decades and centuries.
Much new research has been placed on understanding physical processes at the ice–ocean interface, particularly at the grounding line, and on determining how these processes affect ice-sheet dynamics. The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a forum for researchers to present recent interpretations from geophysical, sedimentological, geochronological and numerical modelling data sets into a regional and global context and help promote a better understanding of deglaciated continental margins.
This Research Topic aims to bring together geomorphological, sedimentological, stratigraphic, geophysical and numerical modelling studies of ice sheet behaviour and ice-ocean interaction over modern to glacial-interglacial timescales along continental margins. We welcome themes including, but not limited to, ice flow dynamics from geological and/or numerical modelling investigations including processes such as marine ice-cliff behaviour, ice dynamics and depositional processes at the grounding line, the role and depositional record of meltwater in continental shelf settings, the use of various biological and geochemical proxies to interpret changing ocean productivity, sea ice and other oceanographic conditions, and the coupling between ice sheet/sea-level change and continental shelf architecture. We also welcome methodological papers highlighting new advances in the acquisition and processing of geophysical data as well as on geochronological and biostratigraphical dating techniques.
Geological records from formerly-glaciated continental shelves offer an analogue of modern ice sheet behaviour, providing detailed information on ice flow and extent via suites of sediment and landform assemblages over a range of timescales. In addition, new and existing proxies extracted from sediment cores are being used to interpret ice-marginal oceanic conditions while new chronological frameworks based on different dating techniques have been developed to interpret rates of change.
In ice-distal settings along the continental slope and rise, sedimentation processes including the transport and deposition of ice-rafted debris reflect long-term variations in glacial-interglacial cyclicity and regional climatic and oceanographic conditions. Recent technological advances both in coring of the seafloor and in 2D and 3D seismic reflection imagery have allowed investigation of whole landsystems associated with ice sheet growth and retreat beneath the modern sea-floor. Progress has also been made in combining seismostratigraphic frameworks with detailed sedimentological and geochronological datasets.
Ice sheets terminating in marine environments are a dynamic part of the cryosphere and large uncertainties exist in understanding the behaviour of modern ice sheets under continued atmospheric and oceanic warming. In particular, marine-based ice sheets are likely susceptible to tipping point behaviour that could allow rapid retreat or collapse both in the geological past and/or in upcoming decades and centuries.
Much new research has been placed on understanding physical processes at the ice–ocean interface, particularly at the grounding line, and on determining how these processes affect ice-sheet dynamics. The goal of this Research Topic is to provide a forum for researchers to present recent interpretations from geophysical, sedimentological, geochronological and numerical modelling data sets into a regional and global context and help promote a better understanding of deglaciated continental margins.
This Research Topic aims to bring together geomorphological, sedimentological, stratigraphic, geophysical and numerical modelling studies of ice sheet behaviour and ice-ocean interaction over modern to glacial-interglacial timescales along continental margins. We welcome themes including, but not limited to, ice flow dynamics from geological and/or numerical modelling investigations including processes such as marine ice-cliff behaviour, ice dynamics and depositional processes at the grounding line, the role and depositional record of meltwater in continental shelf settings, the use of various biological and geochemical proxies to interpret changing ocean productivity, sea ice and other oceanographic conditions, and the coupling between ice sheet/sea-level change and continental shelf architecture. We also welcome methodological papers highlighting new advances in the acquisition and processing of geophysical data as well as on geochronological and biostratigraphical dating techniques.