Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial Landscapes
Abstract Climate contrasts across drainage divides, such as orographic precipitation, are ubiquitous in mountain ranges, and as a result, mountain topography is often asymmetric. During glacial periods, these climate gradients can generate asymmetric glaciation, which may modify topographic asymmetr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109087 |
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| author | Jingtao Lai Kimberly Huppert |
| author_facet | Jingtao Lai Kimberly Huppert |
| author_sort | Jingtao Lai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Climate contrasts across drainage divides, such as orographic precipitation, are ubiquitous in mountain ranges, and as a result, mountain topography is often asymmetric. During glacial periods, these climate gradients can generate asymmetric glaciation, which may modify topographic asymmetry and drive divide migration during glacial‐interglacial cycles. Here we quantify topographic asymmetry caused by asymmetric glaciation and its sensitivity to different climate scenarios. Using an analytical model of a steady‐state glacial profile, we find that the degree of topographic asymmetry is primarily controlled by differences in the equilibrium line altitude across the divide. Our results show that glacial erosion can respond to the same climate asymmetry differently than fluvial erosion. When there are precipitation differences across the divide, glacial erosion produces greater topographic asymmetry than fluvial erosion, all else equal. These findings suggest that glaciations may promote drainage reorganization and landscape transience in intermittently glaciated mountain ranges. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a8b0897fa756485688f50c9ec9b0c352 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-a8b0897fa756485688f50c9ec9b0c3522025-08-20T02:04:21ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-07-015113n/an/a10.1029/2024GL109087Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial LandscapesJingtao Lai0Kimberly Huppert1Earth Surface Process Modelling GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam GermanyEarth Surface Process Modelling GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam GermanyAbstract Climate contrasts across drainage divides, such as orographic precipitation, are ubiquitous in mountain ranges, and as a result, mountain topography is often asymmetric. During glacial periods, these climate gradients can generate asymmetric glaciation, which may modify topographic asymmetry and drive divide migration during glacial‐interglacial cycles. Here we quantify topographic asymmetry caused by asymmetric glaciation and its sensitivity to different climate scenarios. Using an analytical model of a steady‐state glacial profile, we find that the degree of topographic asymmetry is primarily controlled by differences in the equilibrium line altitude across the divide. Our results show that glacial erosion can respond to the same climate asymmetry differently than fluvial erosion. When there are precipitation differences across the divide, glacial erosion produces greater topographic asymmetry than fluvial erosion, all else equal. These findings suggest that glaciations may promote drainage reorganization and landscape transience in intermittently glaciated mountain ranges.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109087glacial erosionlandscape evolutiondrainage reorganizationorographic precipitationquaternary glaciationtopographic asymmetry |
| spellingShingle | Jingtao Lai Kimberly Huppert Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial Landscapes Geophysical Research Letters glacial erosion landscape evolution drainage reorganization orographic precipitation quaternary glaciation topographic asymmetry |
| title | Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial Landscapes |
| title_full | Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial Landscapes |
| title_fullStr | Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial Landscapes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial Landscapes |
| title_short | Climate‐Driven Topographic Asymmetry Enhanced by Glaciers: Implications for Drainage Reorganization in Glacial Landscapes |
| title_sort | climate driven topographic asymmetry enhanced by glaciers implications for drainage reorganization in glacial landscapes |
| topic | glacial erosion landscape evolution drainage reorganization orographic precipitation quaternary glaciation topographic asymmetry |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL109087 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jingtaolai climatedriventopographicasymmetryenhancedbyglaciersimplicationsfordrainagereorganizationinglaciallandscapes AT kimberlyhuppert climatedriventopographicasymmetryenhancedbyglaciersimplicationsfordrainagereorganizationinglaciallandscapes |