Articles | Volume 12, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3311-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3311-2018
Research article
 | 
16 Oct 2018
Research article |  | 16 Oct 2018

19th century glacier retreat in the Alps preceded the emergence of industrial black carbon deposition on high-alpine glaciers

Michael Sigl, Nerilie J. Abram, Jacopo Gabrieli, Theo M. Jenk, Dimitri Osmont, and Margit Schwikowski

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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
AR by Michael Sigl on behalf of the Authors (17 May 2018)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (24 May 2018) by Becky Alexander
RR by Anonymous Referee #3 (26 Jun 2018)
ED: Reconsider after major revisions (05 Jul 2018) by Becky Alexander
AR by Anna Wenzel on behalf of the Authors (27 Aug 2018)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (07 Sep 2018) by Becky Alexander
AR by Michael Sigl on behalf of the Authors (17 Sep 2018)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (19 Sep 2018) by Becky Alexander
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Short summary
The fast retreat of Alpine glaciers since the mid-19th century documented in photographs is used as a symbol for the human impact on global climate, yet the key driving forces remain elusive. Here we argue that not industrial soot but volcanic eruptions were responsible for an apparently accelerated deglaciation starting in the 1850s. Our findings support a negligible role of human activity in forcing glacier recession at the end of the Little Ice Age, highlighting the role of natural drivers.