Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core
<p>Dating glaciers is an arduous yet essential task in ice core studies, which becomes even more challenging when the glacier is experiencing mass loss in the accumulation zone as result of climate warming, leading to an older ice surface of unknown age. In this context, we dated a 46 m deep i...
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doaj-6b69566ea78a4f2087ad42a7d6ddfcbd2021-08-30T11:40:08ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242021-08-01154135414310.5194/tc-15-4135-2021Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice coreD. Festi0D. Festi1M. Schwikowski2M. Schwikowski3M. Schwikowski4V. Maggi5V. Maggi6K. Oeggl7T. M. Jenk8T. M. Jenk9Faculty of Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 37100 Bolzano, ItalyDepartment of Botany, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaLaboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, SwitzerlandOeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, SwitzerlandDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, SwitzerlandDipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milan, ItalyNational Institute of Nuclear Physics, Milano-Bicocca section, 20126 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Botany, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaLaboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI, SwitzerlandOeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland<p>Dating glaciers is an arduous yet essential task in ice core studies, which becomes even more challenging when the glacier is experiencing mass loss in the accumulation zone as result of climate warming, leading to an older ice surface of unknown age. In this context, we dated a 46 m deep ice core from the Central Italian Alps retrieved in 2016 from the Adamello glacier in the locality Pian di Neve (3100 m a.s.l.). Here we present a timescale for the core obtained by integrating results from the analyses of the radionuclides <span class="inline-formula"><sup>210</sup></span>Pb and <span class="inline-formula"><sup>137</sup></span>Cs with annual layer counting derived from pollen and refractory black carbon concentrations. Our results clearly indicate that the surface of the glacier is older than the drilling date of 2016 by about 20 years and that the 46 m ice core reaches back to around 1944. For the period of 1995–2016 the mass balance at the drilling site (former accumulation zone) decreased on average of about 1 m w.e. a<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> compared to the period 1963–1986. Despite the severe mass loss affecting this glacier even in the former accumulation zone, we show that it is possible to obtain a reliable timescale for such a temperate glacier using black carbon and pollen seasonality in combination with radionuclides <span class="inline-formula"><sup>210</sup></span>Pb and <span class="inline-formula"><sup>137</sup></span>Cs. Our results are therefore very encouraging and open new perspectives on the potential of such glaciers as informative palaeoarchives.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/4135/2021/tc-15-4135-2021.pdf |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
D. Festi D. Festi M. Schwikowski M. Schwikowski M. Schwikowski V. Maggi V. Maggi K. Oeggl T. M. Jenk T. M. Jenk |
spellingShingle |
D. Festi D. Festi M. Schwikowski M. Schwikowski M. Schwikowski V. Maggi V. Maggi K. Oeggl T. M. Jenk T. M. Jenk Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core The Cryosphere |
author_facet |
D. Festi D. Festi M. Schwikowski M. Schwikowski M. Schwikowski V. Maggi V. Maggi K. Oeggl T. M. Jenk T. M. Jenk |
author_sort |
D. Festi |
title |
Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core |
title_short |
Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core |
title_full |
Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core |
title_fullStr |
Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core |
title_full_unstemmed |
Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core |
title_sort |
significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
series |
The Cryosphere |
issn |
1994-0416 1994-0424 |
publishDate |
2021-08-01 |
description |
<p>Dating glaciers is an arduous yet essential task in ice core
studies, which becomes even more challenging when the glacier is
experiencing mass loss in the accumulation zone as result of climate
warming, leading to an older ice surface of unknown age. In this context, we
dated a 46 m deep ice core from the Central Italian Alps retrieved in 2016
from the Adamello glacier in the locality Pian di Neve (3100 m a.s.l.). Here
we present a timescale for the core obtained by integrating results from the
analyses of the radionuclides <span class="inline-formula"><sup>210</sup></span>Pb and <span class="inline-formula"><sup>137</sup></span>Cs with annual layer
counting derived from pollen and refractory black carbon concentrations. Our
results clearly indicate that the surface of the glacier is older than the
drilling date of 2016 by about 20 years and that the 46 m ice core reaches
back to around 1944. For the period of 1995–2016 the mass balance at the
drilling site (former accumulation zone) decreased on average of about 1 m w.e. a<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span> compared to the period 1963–1986. Despite the severe mass loss
affecting this glacier even in the former accumulation zone, we show that it
is possible to obtain a reliable timescale for such a temperate glacier
using black carbon and pollen seasonality in combination with radionuclides
<span class="inline-formula"><sup>210</sup></span>Pb and <span class="inline-formula"><sup>137</sup></span>Cs. Our results are therefore very encouraging and
open new perspectives on the potential of such glaciers as informative
palaeoarchives.</p> |
url |
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/4135/2021/tc-15-4135-2021.pdf |
work_keys_str_mv |
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