The impact of freeze-thaw processes on a cliff recession rate in the face of temperate zone climate change.

[Display omitted] • In Poland the role of freeze-thaw action in cliff recession declined. • The number of FTDs in Poland in 1951–2018 decreased. • The number of FTDs in 1995–2018 declined 3–4 times faster than in 1951–2018. • The number of FTCs/FTDs declined the most in central and western Poland. Freeze-thaw action is a common type of geomorphological processes eroding cliff faces in the temperate climate zone. In our previous study, we assessed the geomorphological effects of freeze-thaw fluctuations occurring within the cliff of Jeziorsko Reservoir (central Poland). Based on those findings, we have now determined the number of freeze-thaw cycles to assess their historical impact on the studied cliff. We have also traced the directions and the pace of changes in freeze-thaw processes in Poland. The results reveal a gradually decreasing role of freeze-thaw action in the process of the recession of the cliff of Jeziorsko Reservoir throughout its existence. The same is true nearly across Poland, although with some regional variation. Within 1951–2018, the impact of freeze-thaw action declined most significantly in north-western and central Poland, i.e. the area with the smallest annual number of freeze-thaw cycles. Consequently, this is also where the impact of geomorphological results of freeze-thaw cycles will be the least pronounced. It was only in the north-eastern edges of the country, which are under the dominant influence of continental air masses, where no significant changes in the impact of freeze-thaw processes were identified. The obtained results strongly legitimise the conclusion that global warming in the mid-latitude zone of the temperate climate has reduced the role of freeze-thaw processes in the geomorphological transformation of cliffs developed within river banks and lake or water reservoir shores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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