Project institution: University of Glasgow
Project supervisor(s): Dr Jingtao Lai (University of Glasgow), Dr Katie Miles (Lancaster University), Dr Sarah Falkowski (University of Glasgow), Dr Sebastian Mutz (University of Glasgow) and Dr Mirjam Schaller (University of Glasgow)
Overview and Background
Glacial erosion plays a critical role in the feedback mechanisms between different Earth systems. Rates and patterns of glacial erosion are controlled by climate variations, and glacial erosion can, in turn, influence the climate by modulating the carbon cycle through chemical weathering and ecosystem changes. Despite its importance, significant uncertainties remain regarding how climate affects the rates and spatial patterns of glacial erosion. The Patagonian Andes, with its broad latitudinal range and rich observational data, offers a valuable natural laboratory to address these questions. This project aims to integrate glacial landscape evolution models with thermochronology data to explore the pace and style of glacial erosion in the Patagonian Andes over the past 10 million years.
Methodology and Objectives
This project will integrate glacial landscape evolution modelling with thermochronology data to investigate glacial erosion in the Patagonian Andes. The student will use the Fastscape landscape evolution model and the Instructed Glacier Model (IGM), a glacier dynamics model that employs a Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) approach. Dr Lai, the project supervisor, has successfully integrated IGM with Fastscape. The student will use this modelling framework to simulate glacial landscape evolution in the Patagonian Andes. Low-temperature thermochronology provides valuable insights into erosion history by recording the time a rock sample takes to travel from a given depth to the Earth’s surface. In this project, the student will integrate model results from landscape evolution simulations with thermochronology data. Using the simulated evolution of glacial topography as input, the student will use the Pecube model to generate synthetic thermochronological datasets. These results will be compared with existing thermochronology data from the Patagonian Andes, offering new perspectives on the region’s glacial erosion history. The overall technical objective of this project is to develop a robust and scalable GPU-based modelling framework for landscape evolution in glacial environments. A key aspect of the project will be optimizing the existing code for efficient multi-GPU simulations, enabling large-scale landscape evolution simulations. This project will also involve incorporate climate models and other Earth surface process models into this modelling framework, including orographic precipitation, landslides, and sediment transport.
Teaser Project 1: Investigate valley-scale temporal evolution of glacial erosion rate in the Patagonia Andes
The hypothesis of a global increase in erosion rates due to the expansion of glaciation since the Late Cenozoic (~25 million years ago) remains a topic of intense debate and controversy. While modern glaciers are indeed more erosive than rivers, the response time of glacial erosion — specifically, how long elevated erosion rates persisted following the onset of glaciation — remains uncertain. In the Patagonian Andes, low-temperature thermochronology studies suggest that the onset of glaciation triggered a transient pulse of rapid erosion, followed by a gradual decline in erosion rates toward preglacial levels over response timescales spanning millions of years.
The objective of this teaser project is to understand the transient evolution of a glacial valley after the onset of glaciation and quantify the response time of glacial erosion. The student will connect glacial landscape evolution models with other Earth surface process models, including models for landslides and sediment transport. The student will focus on understanding the potential feedback mechanisms during glacial landscape evolution and exploring response times of glacial erosion in various climatic and tectonic conditions.
Teaser Project 2: Investigate reginal-scale spatial pattern of glacial erosion in the Patagonian Andes
The Patagonian Andes span a broad latitudinal range, offering a unique natural laboratory to study how glacial erosion responds to varying climatic conditions. Previous research suggests that glacial erosion rates are influenced by factors such as temperature, precipitation, and the basal thermal conditions of glaciers. However, a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the climatic impact on glacial erosion is still missing. This teaser project aims to integrate glacial landscape evolution models with existing climate reconstructions to simulate the regional history of glacial erosion in the Patagonian Andes. The focus will be on evaluating how latitudinal variations in temperature and precipitation shape the spatial patterns of basal thermal regimes and glacial erosion. Additionally, the model will be coupled with an orographic precipitation model to explore feedback mechanisms between topographic evolution and climate. The simulated spatial patterns of glacial erosion will be compared with those inferred from thermochronology data, providing new insights into the climatic controls on glacial erosion.
References and Further Reading
- Herman, F., Seward, D., Valla, P. G., Carter, A., Kohn, B., Willett, S. D., & Ehlers, T. a. (2013). Worldwide acceleration of mountain erosion under a cooling climate. Nature, 504(7480), 423–426 (click here)
- Herman, F., De Doncker, F., Delaney, I., Prasicek, G., & Koppes, M. (2021). The impact of glaciers on mountain erosion. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (click here)
- Jouvet, G., & Cordonnier, G. (2023). Ice-flow model emulator based on physics-informed deep learning. Journal of Glaciology, 1–15 (click here)
- Lai, J., & Anders, A. M. (2021). Climatic controls on mountain glacier basal thermal regimes dictate spatial patterns of glacial erosion. Earth Surface Dynamics, 9(4), 845–859 (click here)
- Willett, C. D., Ma, K. F., Brandon, M. T., Hourigan, J. K., Christeleit, E. C., & Shuster, D. L. (2020). Transient glacial incision in the Patagonian Andes from ~6 Ma to present. Science Advances, 6(7), eaay1641 (click here)
