Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts
A revised Little Ice Age chronology of the Franz Josef Glacier,
Westland, New Zealand
Krista M. McKinzey1*
Wendy Lawson1
Dave Kelly2
Alun Hubbard3
1Department of Geography, University of Canterbury,
Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
2School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury,
Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand.
3Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, The
University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh EH8 9XP
Scotland, UK.
*Present address: Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences,
The University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh EH8 9XP
Scotland, UK. Email: Krista.McKinzey@ed.ac.uk
Abstract A reassessed Little Ice Age chronology of
the Franz Josef Glacier is presented. Diameter at breast height of 1340
southern rata (Metrosideros umbellata) and kamahi (Weinmannia
racemosa) was measured within 50, 150-m2 quadrats in the
Waiho Valley. Age-size relationships based on 60 tree-ring counts and
associated diameter at breast height measurements were constructed,
although the unknown shape of growth curves beyond the realm of
tree-ring data rendered extrapolation unreliable. Thus, the revised
chronology is interpreted from mapped tree-ring counts and measured
diameter at breast height of the largest rata and kamahi within moraine
limits and trimlines to determine the minimum time elapsed since
deglaciation. The Franz Josef Glacier’s Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum
culminated before ad 1600, when it terminated c. 4.5 km
down-valley of its 2001 position. Subsequent, but lesser magnitude,
re-advances culminated by c. ad 1600 and 1800. This pattern is strongly
corroborated by other New Zealand proxy climate data. Evidence from
this reassessment provides increasing support for an earlier LIA
maximum of the Franz Josef Glacier than is often cited.
Keywords Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand; Little
Ice Age; glacier fluctuations; climate change; tree-rings; diameter at
breast height
R04014; Received 31 October 2004; accepted 1 November 2004; Online
publication date 6 December 2004
Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand Volume 34, Number 4,
December, 2004, pp 381–394
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