Mass transfers, sediment budget and relief development in the Latnjavagge catchment, Arctic-oceanic Swedish Lapland

摘要

This study on the Latnjavagge catchment (9 km(2)), located in the Abisko Mountain Area in northernmost Swedish Lapland, analyses recent gravitational and fluvial mass transfers in an Arctic-oceanic cold environment. By a combined recording of slope denudation and streamwork information on the absolute and relative importance of the different denudative processes for slope and valley formation, on the temporal and spatial variability of the geomorphic processes, on process intensities and frequencies, on the geomorphic role of a rare rainfall event and a mega slush flow event, on the sediment budget of the catchment and on recent trends of relief development is collected. Regarding annual mass transfers, fluvial transport in main channels dominates over slope processes. Fluvial solute transport is more important than fluvial sediment transport. Rock falls and boulder falls are most important at the slope systems, followed by chemical denudation, mechanical fluvial denudation, ground avalanches, creep and solifluction, slush flows, debris flows, translation slides and deflation. The intensity of the present-day processes is altogether low. Postglacial modification of the glacial relief is little. Due to the short time since the deglaciation (8000-10000 yr) and the low intensity of the active geomorphic processes, until today, there has been no adjustment of the Pleistocene glacial landforms to the surface processes which have been operating until present under the Holocene morphoclimates.