Glacial geomorphology at Glasgow

Abstract

This paper reviews a century of geographical contributions at the University of Glasgow to the development of glacial geomorphology. Significant advances were made from the 1960s, when geographers and topographic scientists began to combine geomorphic and survey expertise in accurately charting spatial and temporal changes in Icelandic glacier snouts and proglacial landforms, providing modern analogues for process-form models (the first glacial landsystems model) and a methodological avenue for quantification. Subsequent expeditions and research projects, involving a range of Glasgow academics, doctoral students and undergraduates, often in collaboration with researchers based elsewhere, have led to numerous conceptual and methodological refinements - and on occasion significant recasting - of this pioneering work. A detailed review is provided of these many contributions, seeking to elaborate their significance against a wider horizon of inquiry into glaciated landscapes, past and present. © 2009 Royal Scottish Geographical Society.