A TIME-DEPENDENT GLACIOLOGICAL MODEL OF THE WEICHSELIAN ICE-SHEET

A time dependent model is used to study the evolution of the Weichselian Ice Sheet. The results indicate three stages of the glaciation. A mountain-centered ice sheer between 110,000 and 80,000 BP followed by a phase with an extension similar to or Slightly larger than the Younger Dryas zone. The last and maximum extent was reached about 30,000-20,000 BP and the main deglaciation began about 15,000 BP. The model is based on a finite-element method solution of the continuity equation. The climatic records from the Camp Century and Summit ice cores are used for climate control and the model is calibrated using geological deglaciation evidence in Scandinavia. The assumption of a general sliding condition for elevations below 100 m, with an enhanced sliding zone through the center of the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia yield broad agreement for marginal positions in Sweden and Finland during a simulated termination.