Moving at a glacial pace: a biogeomorphological analysis of ecological succession in recently deglaciated terrain in the Selkirk Range, BC
Date
2022-05-02
Authors
Lincoln, Astra
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Abstract
This research developed a novel workflow for combining different types and scales of data to understand the development of small, steep, and sheltered glacial forefields across space and time using the Avalanche glacier of the Selkirk Range, BC as a case study. As glaciers recede, symbiotic geomorphological and ecological feedback loops determine the ecological succession in recently deglaciated terrain, which can in turn effect landform stability and water quality downstream. In order to describe emergent land cover patterns in the forefield, this research uses Corenbilt’s (2007) fluvial biogeomorphic succession (FBS) framework to interpret a century of land cover changes. To do so, an experimental protocol was developed that combined remotely sensed data – repeat photographs, historic air photographs, satellite imagery, and digital elevation models – and data collected in-situ using a photo transect method. Analysis of more than a century of photographs determined that the Avalanche glacier is receding at a slower rate than has been observed in the region’s larger glaciers, subsequently leading to a slower rate of forefield habitat expansion. Still, all four stages of fluvial biogeomorphological succession were found across the Avalanche glacier’s forefield. It was found that in the Avalanche forefield, terrain age seems to place a limit on which successional stage is possible at any given location within the forefield, but topographic features like slope angle seemed to influence succession patterns within areas that had the same terrain age. Further research is needed to see whether these findings are consistent for similar steep, small, and sheltered glaciers in the region.
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Keywords
biogeomorphology, mountain legacy project, glaciers, selkirk range, columbia mountains, glacier forefield, columbia river