Topoclimate and the Depth of Cirque Erosion

Abstract

An analysis of 320 cirques with similar lithology indicates that the depth of cirque erosion varies systematically in relation to the topoclimatic factors, altitude and aspect. Altitude and aspect presumably exert direct control over glacier mass balance thereby affecting variations in the degree of cirque floor lowering. Within the Sierra Nevada Mountains of central California altitude and aspect exert independent effects as well as an interaction effect upon the depth of cirque erosion.