Landforms of cold climates

Abstract

This is another volume in the series, An Introduction to Systematic Geomorphology. It is concerned with the landscapes produced where water exists commonly in solid form - as ground ice, as snow, or as glacial ice. Although the present distribution of glaciers, snowbanks, and frozen groundwater is relatively limited, these phenomena were much more extensively distributed during the Pleistocene ice ages and they have left their mark on the landscapes of almost all parts of the temperate world. It is impossible to understand the landscapes of much of southeastern Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and northern North America without taking into consideration the parts played by glacial and periglacial processes during the Pleistocene. Since World War II there has been a great upsurge of interest in the phenomena associate with ice sheets, the tundra lands, and high mountain areas. Much of the work carried out has been inspired by the difficulties of planning and executing engineering works in regions where snow and ice are prevalent, and some of the results of this recent work in the Arctic and Antarctic are incorporated in this volume. Well illustrated with half-tone plates, maps, and diagrams, Landforms of Cold Climates has been designed particularly for schools and universities, but should interest a much wider audience. Show more