title: Erosion by an Alpine glacier.
abstract: Assessing the impact of glaciation on Earth's surface requires understanding glacial erosion processes. Developing erosion theories is challenging because of the complex nature of the erosion processes and the difficulty of examining the ice/bedrock interface of contemporary glaciers. We demonstrate that the glacial erosion rate is proportional to the ice-sliding velocity squared, by quantifying spatial variations in ice-sliding velocity and the erosion rate of a fast-flowing Alpine glacier. The nonlinear behavior implies a high erosion sensitivity to small variations in topographic slope and precipitation. A nonlinear rate law suggests that abrasion may dominate over other erosion processes in fast-flowing glaciers. It may also explain the wide range of observed glacial erosion rates and, in part, the impact of glaciation on mountainous landscapes during the past few million years.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. frederic.herman@unil.ch.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.affiliation: Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux, et de Cosmochimie, Sorbonne Universités, UMR CNRS 7590, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 06, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement UMR 206, 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Beyssac
authors.affiliation: Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brughelli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Stuart N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.affiliation: Division of Geological and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leprince
authors.affiliation: Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Adatte
authors.affiliation: Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jiao Y Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Division of Geological and Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Avouac
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Private Bag 1930, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Simon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Cox