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Glacio-geological databases

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Glacio-geological databases compile data on glacially associated sedimentary deposits and erosional activity from former and current ice-sheets, usually from published peer-reviewed sources. Their purposes are generally directed towards two ends: (Mode 1) compiling information about glacial landforms, which often inform about flow directions; and (Mode 2) compiling information which dates the absence or presence of ice.

These databases are used for a variety of purposes: (i) as bibliographic tools for researchers; (ii) as the quantitative basis of mapping of landforms or dates of ice presence/absence; and (iii) as quantitative databases which are used to constrain physically-based mathematical models of ice-sheets.

Antarctic Ice Sheet: The AGGDB is a Mode 2 glacio-geological database for the Antarctic ice-sheet using information from around 150 published sources, covering glacial activity mainly from the past 30000 years is available online, and aims to be comprehensive to the end of 2007.[1]

British Ice Sheet: BRITICE is a Mode 1 database which aims to map all glacial landforms of Great Britain.[2]

Eurasian Ice Sheet: DATED-1 is a Mode 2 database for the Eurasian ice-sheet. Its sister-project DATED-2 uses the information in DATED-1 to map the retreat of the Eurasian ice-sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum.[3]

See also

References