Vast, majestic, and often stunningly beautiful, glaciers lock up some
10% of the world's freshwater. These great bodies of ice play an
important part in the Earth system, carving landscapes and influencing
climate on regional and hemispheric scales, as well as having a
significant impact on global sea level. Throughout time, the Earth has
experienced various major glaciations in its deep history, long before
the ice ages of the Quaternary, and the observed effects of climate
change on glaciers have recently brought them to the forefront of public
attention.
This Very Short Introduction offers an overview of glaciers and ice
sheets as systems, considering the role of geomorphology and
sedimentology in studying them, and their impacts on our planet in terms
of erosional and depositional processes. Looking at our glaciers today,
and their ongoing processes, David Evans considers the extent to which
we can use this knowledge in reconstructing and interpreting ancient
glacial landscapes.
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