RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Thinning of the Monte Perdido Glacier in the Spanish Pyrenees since 1981
A1 López Moreno, Juan Ignacio
A1 Revuelto, Jesús
A1 Rico, Ibai
A1 Chueca Cía, Javier
A1 Julián, Asunción
A1 Serreta, Alfredo
A1 Serrano Cañadas, Enrique
A1 Vicente Serrano, Sergio Martín
A1 Azorin Molina, Cesar
A1 Alonso González, Esteban
A1 García Ruiz, José María
K1 Geomorfología - España - Monte Perdido
K1 Glaciers
K1 Glaciares
K1 Surface thinning
K1 Disminución de superficies
K1 Global change
K1 Cambio global
AB This paper analyzes the evolution of the Monte Perdido Glacier, the third largest glacier in the Pyrenees, from 1981 to the present. We assessed the evolution of the glacier's surface area by analysis of aerial photographs from 1981, 1999, and 2006, and changes in ice volume by geodetic methods with digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from topographic maps (1981 and 1999), airborne lidar (2010) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014) data. We interpreted the changes in the glacier based on climate data from nearby meteorological stations. The results indicate that the degradation of this glacier accelerated after 1999. The rate of ice surface loss was almost three times greater during 1999–2006 than during earlier periods. Moreover, the rate of glacier thinning was 1.85 times faster during 1999–2010 (rate of surface elevation change  = −8.98 ± 1.80 m, glacier-wide mass balance  = −0.73 ± 0.14 m w.e. yr−1) than during 1981–1999 (rate of surface elevation change  = −8.35 ± 2.12 m, glacier-wide mass balance  = −0.42 ± 0.10 m w.e. yr−1). From 2011 to 2014, ice thinning continued at a slower rate (rate of surface elevation change  = −1.93 ± 0.4 m yr−1, glacier-wide mass balance  = −0.58 ± 0.36 m w.e. yr−1). This deceleration in ice thinning compared to the previous 17 years can be attributed, at least in part, to two consecutive anomalously wet winters and cool summers (2012–2013 and 2013–2014), counteracted to some degree by the intense thinning that occurred during the dry and warm 2011–2012 period. However, local climatic changes observed during the study period do not seem sufficient to explain the acceleration of ice thinning of this glacier, because precipitation and air temperature did not exhibit statistically significant trends during the study period. Rather, the accelerated degradation of this glacier in recent years can be explained by a strong disequilibrium between the glacier and the current climate, and likely by other factors affecting the energy balance (e.g., increased albedo in spring) and feedback mechanisms (e.g., heat emitted from recently exposed bedrock and debris covered areas).
PB Copernicus Publications
SN 1994-0424
YR 2016
FD 2016
LK http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/40638
UL http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/40638
LA eng
NO The Cryosphere, 2016, vol. 10, n. 2. p.  681-694
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 24-nov-2024