Nivation or cryoplanation: Different terms, same features?

Abstract

Nivation and cryoplanation are considered to produce separate landforms—hence their distinct names. However, despite this duality of terms, both utilize the same basic processes. A review of the literature indicates confusion and overlap regarding nivation and cryoplanation and their meaning. First, nivation is clearly described in its literature as exploiting pre‐existing hollows. Thus nivation cannot be the initiator of cryoplanation as is frequently suggested in the cryoplanation literature. Second, nivation requires snow, usually in some quantity, which must experience melt, whereas cryoplanation is said to characterize arid or semiarid regions. Third, many authors associate cryoplanation with permafrost, whereas this association has never been the case with nivation. Fourth, if both utilize the same basic suite of processes, what then justifies this terminological dichotomy? It is here argued that ‘nivation’ and ‘cryoplanation’ are two end members of the same feature/process suite.

Notes

I would like to thank the British Antarctic Survey for allowing me to work with them on Alexander Island which brought to the fore, for me, the question of “cryoplanation.”; Dr. Colin Thorn, as always, provided stimulating questions on the entire issue of “nivation'/"cryoplanation”; and Dr. Jef Vandenberghe highlighted many of the terminological concerns surrounding “cryoplanation.”; Dr. Toni Lewkowicz is thanked for bringing us all together in the stimulating environment of his excellent field excursion to Ellesmere Island. Support for this work was provided, in part, by NSERC grant 185756. I would like to thank a number of anonymous referees who contributed a wide range of thoughts and concerns on this topic, as well as Dr. Nel Caine, who was extremely helpful in improving the manuscript and its structure. Their input greatly assisted in the rewriting of this contribution, but all failings remain solely those of the author.