Introduction
This project, funded by IESR, looks at pronival ramparts, ridges of debris formed at the foot of perennial snow patches. There is a long history of study of these landforms, yet there is considerable debate and controversy concerning their formation. Morphometric studies of pronival ramparts as a landform have been hampered since active ramparts (backed by a snow patch) cannot be completely analysed (the snow patch impedes proximal slope analysis), whilst the study of palaeo-ramparts (mostly found in the British Isles), whose entire morphology is quantifiable, is hampered by disagreements over the interpretation of landforms as pronival ramparts per se and by a lack of understanding of post-formation changes in morphology.
Summary of project research
This project will address all of the problems outlined above through study of pronival ramparts in Wales and Iceland. Analysis of variously evolved pronival ramparts could refine the climatic implications of studying these landforms. Field data gathered using a total station will enable a 3-dimensional reconstruction of landforms within ARCGIS. This data gathering will enable a more sophisticated analysis of pronival rampart morphometry than has hitherto been undertaken.
Project impact
Project reports