Neoglaciation and dendroglaciology at the Saskatchewan glacier, Banff National Park, Canadian Rocky Mountains
Date
2002
Authors
Wood, Christopher Andrew
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the Neoglacial history of the Saskatchewan Valley in BanffNational Park. Geomorphic history was explored through an examination of exposed facies and a proxy climate record was established during a two-century interval of the Neoglacial Advance using dendroclimatological techniques. An exposed Neoglacial subfossil forest was discovered in the proglacial environment of the Saskatchewan Glacier. This in-situ forest was sampled extensively, as were other detrital logs in the area. The samples were then identified to species and built into floating tree-ring chronologies. Of three sampled species, only subalpine fir formed a significantly strong chronology that could be statistically analysed. Nearby living forests were sampled to build master chronologies that could be compared to meteorological climate records and examined for their response to local climate. The derived response function for the living subalpine fir chronology established that July temperature was the primary variable determining tree-growth. This response function was then applied to floating chronology to establish a proxy-climate record of July temperature.