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This book discusses the recession of alpine glaciers since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA), which has been accelerating in the past decades. It provides an overview of the research in the field, presenting definitions and information about the different proglacial areas and systems. A number of case studies are from the PROSA project group which encompasses the expertise of geomorphologists, geologists, glaciologists and geodesists. The PROSA joint project (High-resolution measurements of morphodynamics in rapidly changing PROglacial Systems of the Alps) is determined to tackle the problems of geomorphic activity on sediment export through a quantification of sediment fluxes effected by the aforementioned geomorphic processes within the forefield of the Gepatschferner glacier (Central Alps, Austria).
List of contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Glacier changes since the Little Ice Age.- Chapter 3. An inventory of proglacial systems in Austria, Switzerland and across Patagonia.- Chapter 4. Debris-covered glaciers.- Chapter 5. Closing the balance of ice, water and sediment fluxes through the terminus of Gepatschferner.- Chapter 6. (Ground) Ice in the proglacial zone.- Chapter 7. Periglacial morphodynamics in the Upper Kaunertal.- Chapter 8. Rock slope instability in the proglacial zone: State of the Art.- Chapter 9. Rockfall at proglacial rockwalls - A case study from the Kauner Valley, Austria.- Chapter 10. Glacial sediment stores and their re-working.- Chapter 11. Slope wash, gully erosion and debris flows on lateral moraines in the upper kaunertal, Austria.- Chapter 12. Sediment transport in proglacial rivers.- Chapter 13. Fluvial sediment transport in the proglacial Fagge River, Kaunertal, Austria.- Chapter 14. Proglacial lakes in high mountain environments.- Chapter 15. Sediment budgets in high-mountain areas: Review and challenges.- Chapter 16. Sediment connectivity in proglacial areas.- Chapter 17. A sediment budget of the Upper Kauner Valley.- Chapter 18. The uncalm development of proglacial soils in the European Alps since 1850.- Chapter 19. Vegetation succession and biogeomorphic interactions in glacier forelands.
Summary
This book discusses the recession of alpine glaciers since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA), which has been accelerating in the past decades. It provides an overview of the research in the field, presenting definitions and information about the different proglacial areas and systems. A number of case studies are from the PROSA project group which encompasses the expertise of geomorphologists, geologists, glaciologists and geodesists. The PROSA joint project (High-resolution measurements of morphodynamics in rapidly changing PROglacial Systems of the Alps) is determined to tackle the problems of geomorphic activity on sediment export through a quantification of sediment fluxes effected by the aforementioned geomorphic processes within the forefield of the Gepatschferner glacier (Central Alps, Austria).
Additional text
“Geomorphology of Proglacial Systems represents a significant contribution to a developing area of geomorphology. The book provides a useful state-of-the-art survey of the geomorphological processes and dynamics of glacier forelands … . It should be of considerable interest not only to geomorphologists but also to a wide range of natural environmental scientists seeking to understand processes in the landscape and/or reconstructing environmental change in cold climates, including readers of The Holocene.” (John A Matthews, The Holocene, Vol. 29 (7), 2019)
Report
"Geomorphology of Proglacial Systems represents a significant contribution to a developing area of geomorphology. The book provides a useful state-of-the-art survey of the geomorphological processes and dynamics of glacier forelands ... . It should be of considerable interest not only to geomorphologists but also to a wide range of natural environmental scientists seeking to understand processes in the landscape and/or reconstructing environmental change in cold climates, including readers of The Holocene." (John A Matthews, The Holocene, Vol. 29 (7), 2019)
