Rapid viscoelastic uplift in southeast Alaska caused by post-Little Ice Age glacial retreat

Our observations show that extreme uplift in southeast Alaska began about 1770 AD, with relative sea level (RSL) change to 5.7 m and current uplift rates to 32 mm/yr. This region experienced widespread glacial melting following the Little Ice Age (LIA), with the collapse of the Glacier Bay Icefield alone equivalent to 8 mm of global sea level rise. Geodynamic modelling links the uplift to post-LIA isostatic rebound, with the extreme uplift signal and a priori knowledge of ice load changes requiring the presence of a low viscosity asthenosphere (3.7 X 10(18) Pa s). These crustal deformations are triggered by climate change through glacier wastage. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.