Author(s):
Daniel J. Weiss - University of North Carolina
Sean A. McKnight - University of North Carolina
Stephen J. Walsh - University of North Carolina
Evan S. Hammer - University of North Carolina
Abstract:
Solifluction and freeze-thaw processes have produced turf-bank terraces in the alpine, periglacial regions of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. Turf-bank terraces are a type of patterned ground characterized by alternating sequences or stripes of exposed rock and vegetation, orientated approximately perpendicular to the hillslope. A total of 58, 50-meter transects were collected from five different study basins in Glacier National Park since 2001 using a run-length approach. Each transect measured the widths of the alternating rock (steps) and vegetation (risers) sequences. A GPS point and a compass bearing were taken at the start of each transect. The compositional make-up of each field transect was analyzed using descriptive statistics; whereas the spatial structures of the field transects were assessed using one-dimensional pattern metrics and semi-variance statistics. Using composition and pattern variables as the dependent variables, multivariate models were developed using GIS-based measures of topo-climatic settings, geomorphic conditions, and biogeographic characteristics of the transects and their geographic site and situation relative to hypothesized controls.
