ABSTRACTS / RESUMES - Comitato Glaciologico Italiano

cussed on the interpretation of Sirius Group glacial deposits
which are distributed at high altitudes in the Transantarctic
Mountains and which are intimately related to the
landscape evolution and tectonic history of the region. The
debate has drawn attention to the important link between
tectonics and the growth and behaviour of the East Antarctic
Ice Sheet.
This research uses a three-dimensional model of the East
Antarctic Ice sheet coupled to a flexural model of the bedrock
to explore the sensitivity of the ice sheet to the gross
morphological characteristics of the continent. Since the
tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains during
the Cenozoic is poorly constrained, we treat the bedrock
topography as a boundary condition and use a series of
difference configurations.
The results of the modelling reveal how the sensitivity of
the ice sheet at difference stages of its growth is influenced
by topography. The results highlight the importance on ice
sheetsensitivity of the span of the continent in relation to
the elevation of coastal mountains.
ADAM KERTESZ
Aridification .. climate change in South-Eastern Europe
Geographical Research Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
p.o. box 64, H-1388 Budapest, Hungary
In South-Eastern Central Europe climatic change has been
leading to a situation approaching semiaridity. Climate
change in this region can be described by the term aridification.
Aridification means increasing semiaridity, manifested
in the increase of mean annual temperature and in the
decrease of yearly precipitation at the same time. A research
programme was started as an extension of the Medalus
II project (funded by the EU) with the following objectives:
(i) Assessment of the impact of global change on the
climate of the investigated area, including scenarios for future
climates, (ii) Physical processes of aridification, including
studies on ground water level change, soil moisture
profie dynamics, soil development, vegetation change and
soil erosion, (iii) Land use change, involving research on
present land use and suggestions for the future.
Various methods were applied for the different research
objectives, i.e. 0) statistical analysis of climatic oscillations
and computer runs of scenarios, ii) analysis of ground water
data, mapping and analysis of soils and vegetation, assessment
of soil loss for present and for future and iii) land
capability assessment through ranking environmental conditions
according to the demands of the most widely
grown arable crops in Hungary.
According to our results i) the average warming for the last
110 years is +0,0104 °C, precipitation decrease is 0,917
mm/year, ii) -2 to -4 m drops in the annual mean
groundwater level can be detected in the most sensitive
228
areas, with the gradual lowering of the water table in alkali
ponds and with the complete desiccation of some of them
the direct contact between groundwater and salt-affected
soils is interrupted, the solonchaksoil dynamics ceases, helophile
and hygrophile plant associations disappear, the
change of soil erosion regime will lead to disastrous erosion
in the future. iii) The climatic changes induce a transformation
in land use from arable crops to plantations,
first of all orchards;
The above results lead to the conclusion that policy
making should prepare for the environmental consequences
of aridification first of all concerning and use change.
The research for this paper was carried out also as part of
the Medalus II (Mediterranean Desertification and Land
Use) collaborative research project.
HUSEIN A. KHALILOV
Geomorphological aspect of magmatism and
«Concepiton of intralability»
Institute of Geography, Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences,
370143, H. Javid Str., Baku, Azerbaijan
Magmatism being a leading motive power of litosphere's
evolution plays an enormous role in formation of the
Earth's relief and generation the magmatic morphostructure
(morphomagrnature) proper, directly connected with it.
Primary (obvious) morphomagmatures are generated in
the volcanic form of magmatism's activity and in Plutonic
form - magmatic masses, hardening in entrails of the Earth,
form cryptomorphostructures (they are characterized as
morphomagmature only after emergence on the terrestrial
surface).
Meanwhile, in estimation of the geomorphological role of
magmatism, as a rule, limiting only by passive factors of
magmatism, disregard thus its active factor, especially after
transformation of plutonic melted down mobile masses in
hardend solid «inert» bodies.
For the purpose of making up this deficiency in geomorphological
researches, we develop the conception of
intralability of definite magmatic bodies, such as intrusive,
extrusive, dike, neck, etc. According to this conception,
the intralability characterizing a particular occurrence of
magmatism, implies the individual dynamic instability of
similar bodies and supposes its independent «emergence»
and "submergence» in the Earth's crust as alien hard body
in heterogeneous litho and thermodynamic surroundings.
It is assumed that the mobility of magmatic bodies is inten ­
sified in the period of stirring up of lithospheric plates'
mobility and becomes apparent characteristic indications
of dynamometamorphism in its contact zone and the formation
of its specific, frequently, anomal forms in relief.
The factor of intralability is of great importance in following
taking place alterations in relief and modification of