Available online
Description
Three of the leading Quaternary Scientists in the UK visit some of their former research sites to explain the effects of sudden cooling in the midst of the warming part of the climate cycle leading... to the present interglacial period that we are now enjoying. This unexpected rapid cooling event - central to the programme - saw the retum of ice to parts of northern Scotland and the English Lake District and is known geologically as the Younger Dryas' or 'Loch Lomond stadial'. The programme begins with a demonstration of how kettleholes form in the wake of retreating ice fields. Filled with water they often preserve a dateable succession of sediments. Such a kettlehole has been neatly sliced in half in cliffs near St Bees in Northern England and provides an environmental history from the fossilised flora and fauna it contains - particularly beetles - from 13,000 to 9,000 years ago. Russell Coope recalls his classic investigation of this 'world famous site' and presents the evidence for the temperature changes that occurred throughout the succession. This reveals that a strong cooling period interrupted the general warming about 11,0(X) years ago. In search of what happened at this time we move into the Lake District to find evidence for the reactivation of about 60 small corrie glaciers. But its when we go to Scotland that the situation becomes spectacular with an ice cap building up, centred on the Rannoch moor basin and advancing west to the coast and south to Loch Lomond. Colin Ballantyne takes round some of the sites and discusses the sequence of climatic changes associated with the growth of this glaciation and likewise its equally astonishingly rapid disappearance by 10,000 years ago. So what happened? The final part of the programme considers one possible cause related to the retreat of the huge Laurentide icesheet over North America. At one stage drainage via the Mississippi switched to drainage via the St Lawrence. This suddenly released a cold pulse of water - shifting the position of the polar front - and therefore the position of the Gulf Stream which determines the temperature of the UK. The programme is illustrated with contemporary examples and reconstructions of the glaciation throughout.
Three of the leading Quaternary Scientists in the UK visit some of their former research sites to explain the effects of sudden cooling in the midst of the warming part of the climate cycle leading... to the present interglacial period that we are now enjoying. This unexpected rapid cooling event - central to the programme - saw the retum of ice to parts of northern Scotland and the English Lake District and is known geologically as the Younger Dryas' or 'Loch Lomond stadial'. The programme begins with a demonstration of how kettleholes form in the wake of retreating ice fields. Filled with water they often preserve a dateable succession of sediments. Such a kettlehole has been neatly sliced in half in cliffs near St Bees in Northern England and provides an environmental history from the fossilised flora and fauna it contains - particularly beetles - from 13,000 to 9,000 years ago. Russell Coope recalls his classic investigation of this 'world famous site' and presents the evidence for the temperature changes that occurred throughout the succession. This reveals that a strong cooling period interrupted the general warming about 11,0(X) years ago. In search of what happened at this time we move into the Lake District to find evidence for the reactivation of about 60 small corrie glaciers. But its when we go to Scotland that the situation becomes spectacular with an ice cap building up, centred on the Rannoch moor basin and advancing west to the coast and south to Loch Lomond. Colin Ballantyne takes round some of the sites and discusses the sequence of climatic changes associated with the growth of this glaciation and likewise its equally astonishingly rapid disappearance by 10,000 years ago. So what happened? The final part of the programme considers one possible cause related to the retreat of the huge Laurentide icesheet over North America. At one stage drainage via the Mississippi switched to drainage via the St Lawrence. This suddenly released a cold pulse of water - shifting the position of the polar front - and therefore the position of the Gulf Stream which determines the temperature of the UK. The programme is illustrated with contemporary examples and reconstructions of the glaciation throughout.
| Module code and title: | S269, Earth and life |
|---|---|
| Item code: | S269; 04 |
| Recording date: | 1997-08-27 |
| Published: | 1997 |
| Rights Statement: | Rights owned or controlled by The Open University |
| Restrictions on use: | This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages. |
| Duration: | 00:20:01 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | David Jackson |
| Contributors: | Carmen Jackson-Pryce; Colin Ballyantyne; John Boardman; G. R. Coope; Charles Turner |
| Publisher: | Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Quaternary Scientists research sites climate sudden cooling inter-glacial periods ice age Scotland Lake District Younger Dryas Loch Lomond stadial kettleholes sediment dating St Bees fossilsed flora and fauna corrie glaciers ice sheets Rannoch Moor |
| Subject terms: | Fossils; Landscapes; Paleoclimatology -- Great Britain; ; Lake District (England); |
| Footage description: | BAP10233- (IMAGES) LANDSCAPE/ PTC'S/ WALKING & SITTING DOWN/ WALKERS HIKERS RAMBLERS/ LOOKING AT GLACIAL DEBRIS/ DISCUSSION/ SCOTTISH SCENERY BAP10232- (IMAGES) SCENERY SCOTTISH GLACIAL VALLEY/ PTC/ SCENERY SCOTTISH/ DIGGING SEDIMENTS/ GLACIAL DEPOSITS/ MORE SCENERY BAP10234- (IMAGES) U-SHAPED VALLEY/ PTC/ GLACIAL DEPOSITS/ DISCUSSION BAP10178- (IMAGES) PTC/ LOCH BAP9709- COPE RUSSELL + TURNER CHARLES MAP SEQ. BAP11728- AS ABOVE BAP10177- EXTS. ST.BEES KETTLE HOLE/ GOLF COURSE PAN BAP10179- cont. of KETTLE HOLE/ RUSSELL + CHARLES/ BAP12231- C/A TWIG/ RUSSELL WS + ACTIONS/ BOG SAMPLE CUT OUT BAP12232- PTC BAP12233- (IMAGES) HELICOPTER SHOOT PATCHWORK OF FIELDS AERIALS FIELDS AERIALS/ KETTLEHOLES FROM THE AIR/ COASTLINE AERIALS/ SEA (CALM) FROM AIR BAP12234- (IMAGES) cont./ CHIMNIES SMOKING AERIALS/ GLACIAL SCENERY SCOTLAND AERIALS/ CORRIES (AERIALS) BAP12235- (IMAGES) SCENERY cont./ GLACIAL LAKE (AERIAL) BAP12236- BOWSCALE TARN GV'S/ BOARDMAN JOHN PTC/ JOHN + RUSSELL/ WOLF CRAGS LOCATIONS INC. DEPRESSION, MORAINE/ PEAT BOG CU'S + GV'S BAP12237- MORAINE CROSSECTION GLACIAL MORAINE BAP12238- HARROP TARN LOCATION TARN BAP12315- (IMAGES) VIEWS FROM TRAIN WINDOW/ TRAIN DRIVERS VIEW/ VIEWS FROM TRAIN/ TRAIN JOURNEY/ GLACIAL SCENERY BAP12316- (IMAGES) MORAINE/ SCENERY/ FLORA CU MOSS CU/ TREE ROOT FOSSILISED/ LANDSCAPE/ VALLEY BAP12268- (IMAGES) HELICOPTER SHOOT/ GLEN ROY AERIALS/ MORAINE DRIFT RECESSIONAL MORAINE/ RANNOCH MOOR/ LOCH AERIALS BAP12310- (IMAGES) cont./ ICE SCOURED BEDROCK/ GLACIAL SCENERY BAP12269- (IMAGES) cont./ LOCH TORRIDON/ MORAINE/ CORRIE BAP12270- (IMAGES) cont./ GLACIAL SHADOW (FORMER)/ COASTLINE ULLAPOOL/ MOUNTAINS (SCOTTISH)/ MORAINE |
| Production number: | FOUS840B |
| Videofinder number: | 5276 |
| Available to public: | no |
