This session seeks to bring together studies from the fields of glaciology, glacial geomorphology and geology, geochronology, climatology, remote sensing, and environmental history to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of science on Little Ice Age (LIA) glacier advances.
LIA advances have been documented in many of the world’s glaciated regions between roughly 1300 and 1900 CE, although the timing of these advances varies regionally.
The extent and variations of glaciers during the LIA are of major significance because they offer a unique snapshot of the “natural”, pre-industrial state of the cryosphere, before the global climate and environmental disruption caused by human activity since the beginning of the industrial era.
We invite contributions that examine any aspect of LIA glacier advances, ranging from studies aiming to reconstruct the timing and climatic conditions of these advances to those aiming to assess LIA glacier extent, ice thickness as well as post LIA glacier change, or studies on their societal impacts, such as the effects they had on local mountain communities. We welcome presentations employing diverse methods and data sources, including dating, remote sensing, or modelling approaches, and using satellite, instrumental, historical, and geomorphological records.
We hope that this session can help identify key knowledge gaps regarding LIA glacier advances and provide a road map to guide future research priorities and efforts in this field.