SAMS news room

Dr John Howe has been working with colleages at St Andrews, Tromsø and Sogn og Fjordane University College in editing a new book entitled 'Fjord Systems and Archives' published on 15 November 2010 by the Geological Society.

Fjords are glacially over-deepened, semi-enclosed marine basins, but are often neglected as a sedimentary realm. They represent the transition from the terrestrial to the marine environment and as such have the potential to preserve evidence of environmental change.

Typically most fjords have been glaciated a number of times and some high-latitude fjords still possiss a resident glacier. The stratigraphic record in fjords largely preserves a glacial-deglacial cycle of deposition. Sheltered water and high sedimentation rates potentially make fjords ideal depositional environments for preserving continuous records of climate and environmnental change with high temporal resolution. Fjords are also referred to as miniature oceans providing the unique opportunity to study marine processes in great detail. With predictions of warming climates, changing ocean circulation and rising sea levels, this volume is a timely look at these environmentally sensitive coastlines.

To purchase this book, pleas visit the Geological Society's online bookshop: www.geolsoc.org.uk/bookshop