Evolution of the cryosphere over time

Assessing the response of mountain glaciers and polar ice caps during the Quaternary period sheds important light on the dynamics of deglaciation, both on a regional and global scale. Our work focuses on glaciated areas at high, medium and low latitudes in both hemispheres (Greenland, Antarctica, the Alps, the Himalayas, the Kerguelen Islands, the Andes, etc.) and is based on the dating of glacial formations using cosmogenic nuclides and glacial and climatic modelling. Our team is also working on older glaciations (Palaeozoic and Proterozoic), as well as on changes in sea level associated with glaciation and deglaciation cycles.
This area of research has developed significantly in recent years with the arrival of Vincent Jomelli, Deborah Verfaillie and Vincent Rinterknecht. The emulation between old and new members of the team can be seen in their participation in several ANR projects funded in 2022 (ANR DELTA and MARGO). The first project deals directly with the dynamics of glaciers in East Antarctica and their impact on sea level. The second focuses on the impact of melting glaciers in the Kerguelen Islands on the biochemistry of the Southern Ocean. The recent construction of an in situ 14C measurement line (Irene Schimmelpfennig) will soon make it possible to extend cosmogenic nuclide dating approaches to periods of marked glacial retreat.