Subglacial weathering is the study of mechanical and chemical changes in soil and rocks due to physical (e.g., grinding) and chemical (e.g., dissolution) processes in glacial environments. The subglacial hydrochemistry governs the rates of biogeochemical denudation and carbon cycling. These processes can have a significant impact on global biogeochemical cycles (Jones et al., 2002). Effluent glacier water transports dissolved and suspended matters that have been mobilized due to subglacial weathering and which can be used to determine nutrient and metal export and cycling (Mitchell et al., 2001, 2006; Mitchell and Brown, 2007).
Hydrologists use chemical analysis of glacier water to infer hydrological flow-paths in glacial drainage systems (Brown et al., 1996; Mitchell et al., 2006). The chemical signature of water samples can indicate the configuration and evolution of subglacial drainage systems.
Subglacial environments feature tough conditions for life due to a combination of low...
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Konz, M. (2011). Subglacial Weathering. In: Singh, V.P., Singh, P., Haritashya, U.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_548
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