Understanding former perigacial and glacial environments

A legacy of these periods are the periglacial structures found in the stratigraphic record, many of which contain wind-blown material. Unfortunately, the reconstruction of the conditions responsible for these features has been hindered both by a limited understanding of cryogenic processes and structures, and by the fragmentary nature of terrestrial Quaternary sequences.

Recent progress in understanding contemporary features indicates that the cryostratigraphical record may hold key information on the rates of climatic amelioration. Investigations are currently being carried out to date and characterise such structures in Arctic Canada and relate them to relict evidence in NW Europe.

The work is partly funded by The Royal Society and NERC. Over 25 publications have come from this work so far.

Key outcomes

• Erosion of dune systems in the McKenzie Delta have been dated and tied to Lake Aggassiz outburst floods which may have caused the Younger Dryas event (Nature paper)
• Work on Brecklands, UK has shown all patterned ground related to last glacial-interglacial cycle although within this features are poly-cyclic
• The Northsea icelobe of the last British and Irish Icesheet reached its maximum limites very late within the glacial stage and was dynamic ponding up significan pro-glacail Lakes Humber and Pickering

Recent papers

Full publication list, abstracts and links for download can be found at Google Scholar

• Bateman, M.D., Evans D.J,A., Buckland, P.C., Connell E.R., Friend, R.J., Hartmann D., Moxon, H., Fairburn W.A., Panagiotakopulu, E. and Ashurst, R.A. (2015). Last Glacial dynamics of the Vale of York and North Sea Lobes of the British and Irish Ice Sheet. Proceedings of the Geologist's Association 126, 712-730. DOI:10.1016/j.pgeola.2015.09.005 Open Access
• Bateman, M.D., Buckland, P.C., Whyte, M.A., Ashurst, R.A., Boulter, C., Panagiotakopulu, E. (2011). Re-evaluation of the Last Glacial Maximum typesite at Dimlington, UK. Boreas, 40(4), 573-584.
• Murton, J.B., Bateman, M.D., Dallimore, S.R., Teller, J.T. and Yang, Z. (2010). Mackenzie outburst flooding into the Arctic Ocean at the start of the Younger Dryas. Nature, 464, 740-743. DOI:10.1038/nature08954
• Bateman, M.D., Hitchens, S., Murton, J.B., Lee, J.R. and Gibbard, P.L. (2014). The evolution of periglacial patterned ground in East Anglia, UK. Journal of Quaternary Science, 29, 301–317 [pdf available]
• Fairburn, W.A. and Bateman, M.D. (2016). A new multi-stage recession model for Proglacial Lake Humber during the retreat of the last British and Irish Icesheet. Boreas, 45, 133-151. DOI: 10.1111/bor.12140 Open Access