The Haut Glacier D Arolla - 1499 Words

Introduction A model is a representation of reality, designed to generate outputs from inputs in an attempt to understand system behaviour (Jones and Gomez, 2010). Many geographers refer to a model by the classic definition from Kolars and Haggett, 1967: a simplified version of reality, built in order to demonstrate certain of the properties of reality. Models are often known as analogies which is a ‘relationship of similarity between two things, a likeness in some function, effect, or circumstance’ (Andrews, 1987). Analogue models are only one distinguished in physical geography. Conceptual, physical and mathematical models are also used (Jones and Gomez, 2010). Arnold et al., 1998 investigates the behaviour of the Haut Glacier d’Arolla in Valais, Switzerland to predict and explain how glacier drainage systems function. Barron and Washington, 1984, Cox et al., 2000 and Gildor and Tziperman, 2001 all used a form of climate models. Barron and Washington, 1984 aimed to explore past climatic change, by investigating the surface temperature sensitivity by comparing present and cretaceous simulations. Similarly, Gildor and Tziperman, 2001 used a conceptual box model to investigate past climate change, based on oscillations of climate systems. Cox et al., 2000 also used a climate model, however focussed on future climatic change, rather than past. The final paper, by Burt and Butcher, 1986 uses a simple rainfall run-off model to explore the hillslope run-off system. To what