Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

This research focuses on two themes: the dynamics of the Newfoundland ice cap during the last glaciation from retreat offshore to final melting in the interior; and the history of sea-level fluctuations around Newfoundland in response to deglaciation. Deglacial dynamics will be investigated through examination of the ""Digital Landforms Database of Newfoundland"" and field mapping of glacial landforms. A new initiative in this proposal is to combine glacial landform data from the seabed offshore, mapped using multibeam sonar, with landform data onshore, mapped from aerial photographs and satellite imagery. Topics of particular research interest are the evidence for former ice streams in the Newfoundland ice cap and the timing and configuration of ice-marginal retreat. Results should provide new potential for drift prospecting studies and will have immediate application to the mineral exploration industry in Newfoundland. ) Relative sea-level studies have gained increased attention as we attempt to forecast global sea-level responses to climate warming over the next century. Past sea-level records suggest strong regional variability in this response, primarily due to residual effects from the last glaciation. The proposed research addresses the spatial and temporal variation in postglacial relative sea-level change in Newfoundland, a region that may experience moderate to significant impacts even under the most conservative scenarios of future sea-level rise. A major focus of this research will be the collection of precise sea-level data to improve our understanding of sea-level processes, specifically the glacio-isostatic evolution of Newfoundland, and to provide quantitative information for the modelling community. Application of glacial systems modelling to questions of sea-level history requires excellent data to constrain the models. My program is strongly interdisciplinary in nature, involving collaboration with scientists from archaeology, biology, geology, marine geophysics, and physics. There is also a strong emphasis on graduate training across these disciplines and this is reflected in the number of proposed co-supervised PhD and MSc students.