A GLACIOLOGICAL MODEL OF THE YOUNGER DRYAS EVENT IN SCANDINAVIA

A finite-element method solution of the continuity equation is used to investigate complex features of the Younger Dryas period. By comparin g results of the model with field evidence, we conclude that the clima tic event responsible for the Younger Dryas stillstand was probably sh ort (less than 500 years). The assumption of a general sliding conditi on for elevations below 100 m, with an enhanced sliding zone through t he center of the Baltic and Gulf of Bothnia, yields broad agreement fo r marginal positions in Sweden and Finland during a simulated terminat ion. A stillstand near the Younger Dryas moraine position is attained with a climatic equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) depression of 600 m fo r a time period of 500 years. Agreement of simulated behavior with obs erved behavior is less consistent in the more maritime western Sweden and western Norway.