A GIS method for reconstruction of late Quaternary landscapes from isobase data and modern topography

doi:10.1016/S0098-3004(01)00097-8

Computers & Geosciences

Volume 28, Issue 5, June 2002, Pages 631-639

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0098-3004(01)00097-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Digital reconstructions of late Quaternary landscapes can be produced using a geographic information system (GIS) method that subtracts interpolated isobase values from modern elevations and bathymetry. The principal utility of the GIS method for reconstructing late Quaternary landscapes is in the relative ease and rapidity with which high-resolution, quantitative, and georeferenced databases of paleo-topography can be generated. These databases can be used for many purposes, including the generation of paleo-topographic maps, the estimation of the areas and volumes of individual water bodies and landforms, and the approximation of paleo-shoreline positions. GIS-based estimates of the dimensions of water bodies and landforms can be used to help constrain hydrological and climatic models of the late Quaternary.

Introduction

The general form of a glacial or post-glacial landscape can be reconstructed for a particular time interval by subtracting interpolated isobase values from modern elevations. Paleo-topographic information is useful for the characterization of past environments, and for the assessment and modelling of past geological, hydrological, and climatic processes (e.g., Mann et al., 1997; Gareau et al., 1998; Leverington et al., 2000). Although generalized reconstructions of late Quaternary landforms can be produced from isobase data and modern topography using manual methods, the time-consuming and tedious nature of this approach is not suitable for the rapid generation of large, high-resolution databases of paleo-topography.

This paper presents an overview of the methodologies and issues involved in the use of GIS techniques for modelling the topography (elevations and bathymetry) of late Quaternary landscapes from isobase data and modern topography. A database of paleo-topography for the central Canadian Arctic at 9300 ¹⁴C yr BP is generated in order to demonstrate the method.

Section snippets

Glacio-isostatic rebound and isobase maps

During glaciation, the formation and expansion of an ice sheet loads the Earth's crust, causing terrain subsidence below the ice sheet and in broad regions adjacent to its margins (Walcott, 1970; Peltier (1974), Peltier (1985); Peltier and Andrews, 1976). The reduction of ice mass causes terrain emergence during and following deglaciation through the process of glacio-isostatic rebound (e.g., Walcott, 1972; Farrell and Clark, 1976; Clark et al., 1978; Andrews, 1989). The extent to which the

Methodology

Late Quaternary landscapes of isostatically deformed regions can be reconstructed most easily and accurately by using a geographic information system (GIS), because a GIS can facilitate the collection of relevant topographic and isobase data, can be used to interpolate these values to continuous surfaces, and can be used to perform spatial arithmetic. In addition, quantitative analyses of the resulting paleo-topographic database (e.g., calculations of area, volume, aspect, and slope) can be

Conclusions

High-resolution digital reconstructions of late Quaternary landscapes can be made using a GIS method that subtracts interpolated isobase values from modern elevations. The principal utility of the GIS method for reconstructing such landscapes is in the relative ease and rapidity with which high-resolution, quantitative, and georeferenced databases of paleo-topography can be generated. The method can also be used for the projection of future topographic configurations in areas of continuing

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank John Shaw and an anonymous reviewer for their helpful comments on this paper.

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A GIS method for reconstruction of late Quaternary landscapes from isobase data and modern topography

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Glacio-isostatic rebound and isobase maps

Methodology

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Quaternary Research

Quaternary Science Reviews

Quaternary Science Reviews

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

Quaternary Research

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Geographical Bulletin

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Arctic

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