Articles | Volume 19, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3329-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3329-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
27 Aug 2025
Research article |
| 27 Aug 2025
| 27 Aug 2025
Loss of accumulation zone exposes dark ice and drives increased ablation at Weißseespitze, Austria
Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innrain 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Alaska Climate Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2156 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
Federico Covi
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
Martin Stocker-Waldhuber
Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innrain 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Anna Baldo
Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innrain 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, Milan 20126, Italy
Davide Fugazza
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 2, Milan 20133, Italy
Biagio Di Mauro
Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, Milan 20126, Italy
Kathrin Naegeli
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Short summary
Glacier albedo determines how much solar radiation is absorbed by the glacier surface and is a key driver of glacier melt. Alpine glaciers are losing their snow and firn cover, and the underlying darker ice is becoming exposed. This means that more solar radiation is absorbed by the ice, which leads to increased melt. To quantify these processes, we explore data from a high-elevation, on-ice weather station that measures albedo and combine this information with satellite imagery.
Glacier albedo determines how much solar radiation is absorbed by the glacier surface and is a...
