The Cookie Cutter: A method for obtaining a quantitative 3D description of glacial bedforms

Recording the position and attributes of subglacial bedforms, particularly drumlins, is paramount in determining the extent, and dynamics, of former ice sheets. This paper presents a method of deriving 3D properties of glacier bedforms (drumlins in this case) in order to quantify bedform dimensions and acquire information necessary for further investigations, such as calculating amounts of sediment moved subglacially and hence interactions between a glacier and a deformable bed. The method developed here is a semi-automated technique, called Cookie Cutter after the baking implement/process. This method is applied to 5 m spatial resolution DEM data and is based on manual geomorphological mapping of the DEM images, which forms the judgmental part of the process. The mapped bedforms are then processed individually using an automated technique which is described in detail with worked examples from western Central Scotland, which was last glaciated during the Last Glacial Maximum and the Younger Dryas. The advantages and potential sources of error are discussed and results from the sample area are used to compare the volumes of drumlins in an area of LGM glaciation with those in an area glaciated during the Younger Dryas. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.