Du glaciaire au paraglaciaire : la métamorphose des paysages polaires au Svalbard//From glacial to paraglacial: the metamorphosis of polar landscapes in Svalbard

Oceanic polar landscapes (e.g., Svalbard) are changing due to climatic Global Change. In particular, glaciers are rapidly retreating, paraglacial erosion is replacing glacial erosion and substantial amounts of water are generated. Paraglacial processes are nonglacial processes that are directly conditioned by glaciation, and the term describes the reworking of glacigenic deposits by meltwater after the withdrawal of glacier ice. The Svalbard archipelago is currently experiencing this transitory period in the evolution of polar landscape. Within this context, this paper shows the respective role of glacial, periglacial and paraglacial erosion Systems. In Svalbard, since the Little Ice Age, paraglacial erosion has been the principal System influencing landscape changes in moraines, recently deglaciated terrain, sandurs, and slopes.