A new grant received by Dr. Tammy Rittenour

A land of ice and rising mountains: Understanding the climate-tectonic nexus in New Zealand

Synopsis: Glacial records from the New Zealand Southern Alps provide insight into global climate change, due to linkages to Southern Ocean conditions, which controls global greenhouse gas exchange. Although not well studied, more expansive older (pre- 50,000 years) glacial ice limits suggest that 1) either the climate was significantly colder and/or wetter (snowier) in the past allowing greater glacial mass balance or 2) that tectonic uplift and erosion have preconditioned mountain valleys to restrict ice extent due to valley deepening, producing less extensive ice margin positions with time. Research will use a combination of field work, geochronology and modelling to test end-member hypotheses.