The influence of aspect and altitude on the size, shape and spatial distribution of glacial cirques in the High Tatras (Slovakia, Poland)

•We examined cirque morphology in relation to mesoclimatic conditions.•Three morphological groups of cirques with allometric development can be recognized.•The cirque spatial distribution is influenced by solar radiation and moisture sources.•Smaller and younger cirques are formed above bigger and older cirques.•Shape of the cirques is only slightly related to altitude.

The shape of glacial cirques is generally considered to result from the combined actions of climate, topography, and geology. The goal of this article was to determine the dependence of cirque morphology on mesoclimatic conditions defined by altitude and aspect in the highest part of the Carpathians — the High Tatras. The morphology of each of 116 analyzed cirques was described using a set of 12 morphometric characteristics. The relationships between the obtained data were evaluated using simple and multivariate statistical methods. The results indicate that cirques in the High Tatras are scale-specific landforms with allometric development. Their occurrence increases with altitude, but their size decreases. The shape of the cirques is determined by altitude only to a small extent, with the exception of an increase in the degree of incision with altitude. The spatial distribution of cirques is negatively influenced by incoming solar radiation and positively influenced by moisture sources, which came mainly from the NW to N during the cold phases of the Pleistocene. For this reason, north-facing cirques have proportionally stronger representation and are more incised with steep slopes. Thus, cirques have proportionally stronger representation on the northern slopes and represent more developed glacial erosion landforms than those on the southern slopes. Although some relationships were detected between cirque morphology and mesoclimatic factors (such as altitude and aspect), a general discriminant analysis showed that these environmental factors did not explain variations in cirque morphology with sufficient cogency.