Animated visualization of post-glacial land uplift and shore displacement from modeled paleotopographic reconstructions

Abstract

Post-glacial land uplift and shore displacement are dynamic processes that are challenging to present with cartography and geovisualization. To communicate these phenomena, we have created a dynamic visualization in the form of high-quality animation, utilizing automated processes in the computation and rendering of large raster datasets. We have developed a simplified model to assess the past and future elevation models, and applied it to the High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is considered one of the best places in the world to observe land uplift. Additionally, the ice decline in the area has been evaluated and visualized.Based on the model and the present-day topography/bathymetry data, we provide a 40 fps 4K-resolution animation with an 80-s duration of the post-glacial history at the World Heritage Site and its vicinity, extending from 10,500 years ago to 1000 years in the future. Although they do not aim to contain the precision of thorough paleogeographic reconstructions, we have found that the individual frames of the animation are closely aligned with comparable geological data. We also present the computational process flow and the visualization principles used in the automated rendering, and thus aim to contribute to the cartographic presentation of geodynamic processes.

Keywords

• Animated maps
• Geovisualization
• Land uplift
• Shore displacement
• Paleotopography
• Glacial isostatic adjustment