Articles | Volume 19, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-753-2025
© 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-19-753-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 Feb 2025
Research article |
| 19 Feb 2025
| 19 Feb 2025
Reconstructed glacier area and volume changes in the European Alps since the Little Ice Age
Johannes Reinthaler
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Frank Paul
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Related authors
Michał Pętlicki, Andrés Rivera, Jonathan Oberreuter, José Uribe, Johannes Reinthaler, and Francisca Bown
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-10, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-10, 2023
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
The terminus of San Quintín glacier, the largest of the Northern Patagonia Icefield in southern Chile, is rapidly disintegrating with large tabular icebergs into a proglacial lake left behind by this retreating glacier. We show that the ongoing retreat is caused by recent detachment of a floating terminus from the glacier bed. This process may lead to the disappearance of the last existing piedmont lobe in Patagonia, and one of the few remaining glaciers of this type in the world.
Inés Dussaillant, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Etienne Berthier, Jacqueline Bannwart, Frank Paul, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1977–2006, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our research observes glacier mass changes worldwide from 1976 to 2024, revealing an alarming increase in melt, especially in the last decade and the record year of 2023. By combining field and satellite observations, we provide annual mass changes for all glaciers in the world, showing significant contributions to global sea level rise. This work underscores the need for ongoing local monitoring and global climate action to mitigate the effects of glacier loss and its broader environmental impacts.
Michał Pętlicki, Andrés Rivera, Jonathan Oberreuter, José Uribe, Johannes Reinthaler, and Francisca Bown
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-10, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-10, 2023
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
The terminus of San Quintín glacier, the largest of the Northern Patagonia Icefield in southern Chile, is rapidly disintegrating with large tabular icebergs into a proglacial lake left behind by this retreating glacier. We show that the ongoing retreat is caused by recent detachment of a floating terminus from the glacier bed. This process may lead to the disappearance of the last existing piedmont lobe in Patagonia, and one of the few remaining glaciers of this type in the world.
Frank Paul, Livia Piermattei, Désirée Treichler, Lin Gilbert, Luc Girod, Andreas Kääb, Ludivine Libert, Thomas Nagler, Tazio Strozzi, and Jan Wuite
The Cryosphere, 16, 2505–2526, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2505-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2505-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier surges are widespread in the Karakoram and have been intensely studied using satellite data and DEMs. We use time series of such datasets to study three glacier surges in the same region of the Karakoram. We found strongly contrasting advance rates and flow velocities, maximum velocities of 30 m d−1, and a change in the surge mechanism during a surge. A sensor comparison revealed good agreement, but steep terrain and the two smaller glaciers caused limitations for some of them.
Tazio Strozzi, Andreas Wiesmann, Andreas Kääb, Thomas Schellenberger, and Frank Paul
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-44, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-44, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge on surface velocity of glaciers and ice caps contributes to a better understanding of a wide range of processes related to glacier dynamics, mass change and response to climate. Based on the release of historical satellite radar data from various space agencies we compiled nearly complete mosaics of winter ice surface velocities for the 1990's over the Eastern Arctic. Compared to the present state, we observe a general increase of ice velocities along with a retreat of glacier fronts.
Levan G. Tielidze, Gennady A. Nosenko, Tatiana E. Khromova, and Frank Paul
The Cryosphere, 16, 489–504, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-489-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-489-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The new Caucasus glacier inventory derived from manual delineation of glacier outlines based on medium-resolution (Landsat, Sentinel) and high-resolution (SPOT) satellite imagery shows the accelerated glacier area loss over the last 2 decades (2000–2020). This new glacier inventory will improve our understanding of climate change impacts at a regional scale and support related modelling studies by providing high-quality validation data.
Martin Horwath, Benjamin D. Gutknecht, Anny Cazenave, Hindumathi Kulaiappan Palanisamy, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Frank Paul, Raymond Le Bris, Anna E. Hogg, Inès Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Petra Döll, Denise Cáceres, Hannes Müller Schmied, Johnny A. Johannessen, Jan Even Øie Nilsen, Roshin P. Raj, René Forsberg, Louise Sandberg Sørensen, Valentina R. Barletta, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Per Knudsen, Ole Baltazar Andersen, Heidi Ranndal, Stine K. Rose, Christopher J. Merchant, Claire R. Macintosh, Karina von Schuckmann, Kristin Novotny, Andreas Groh, Marco Restano, and Jérôme Benveniste
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 411–447, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Global mean sea-level change observed from 1993 to 2016 (mean rate of 3.05 mm yr−1) matches the combined effect of changes in water density (thermal expansion) and ocean mass. Ocean-mass change has been assessed through the contributions from glaciers, ice sheets, and land water storage or directly from satellite data since 2003. Our budget assessments of linear trends and monthly anomalies utilise new datasets and uncertainty characterisations developed within ESA's Climate Change Initiative.
Andreas Kääb, Mylène Jacquemart, Adrien Gilbert, Silvan Leinss, Luc Girod, Christian Huggel, Daniel Falaschi, Felipe Ugalde, Dmitry Petrakov, Sergey Chernomorets, Mikhail Dokukin, Frank Paul, Simon Gascoin, Etienne Berthier, and Jeffrey S. Kargel
The Cryosphere, 15, 1751–1785, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1751-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1751-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Hardly recognized so far, giant catastrophic detachments of glaciers are a rare but great potential for loss of lives and massive damage in mountain regions. Several of the events compiled in our study involve volumes (up to 100 million m3 and more), avalanche speeds (up to 300 km/h), and reaches (tens of kilometres) that are hard to imagine. We show that current climate change is able to enhance associated hazards. For the first time, we elaborate a set of factors that could cause these events.
Franz Goerlich, Tobias Bolch, and Frank Paul
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 3161–3176, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3161-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3161-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This work indicates all glaciers in the Pamir that surged between 1988 and 2018 as revealed by different remote sensing data, mainly Landsat imagery. We found ~ 200 surging glaciers for the entire mountain range and detected the minimum and maximum extents of most of them. The smallest surging glacier is ~ 0.3 km2. This inventory is important for further research on the surging behaviour of glaciers and has to be considered when processing glacier changes (mass, area) of the region.
Frank Paul, Philipp Rastner, Roberto Sergio Azzoni, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Davide Fugazza, Raymond Le Bris, Johanna Nemec, Antoine Rabatel, Mélanie Ramusovic, Gabriele Schwaizer, and Claudio Smiraglia
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 1805–1821, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1805-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1805-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We have used Sentinel-2 satellite data from 2015 and 2016 to create a new glacier inventory for the European Alps. Outlines from earlier national inventories were used to guide manual corrections (e.g. ice in shadow or under debris cover) of the automatically mapped clean ice. We mapped 4395 glaciers, covering 1806 km2, an area loss of about 14 % (or −1.2 % per year) compared to the last inventory of 2003. We conclude that glacier shrinkage in the Alps has continued unabated since the mid-1980s.
Michael Zemp, Matthias Huss, Nicolas Eckert, Emmanuel Thibert, Frank Paul, Samuel U. Nussbaumer, and Isabelle Gärtner-Roer
The Cryosphere, 14, 1043–1050, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1043-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1043-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Comprehensive assessments of global glacier mass changes have been published at multi-annual intervals, typically in IPCC reports. For the years in between, we present an approach to infer timely but preliminary estimates of global-scale glacier mass changes from glaciological observations. These ad hoc estimates for 2017/18 indicate that annual glacier contributions to sea-level rise exceeded 1 mm sea-level equivalent, which corresponds to more than a quarter of the currently observed rise.
Daniel Falaschi, Andreas Kääb, Frank Paul, Takeo Tadono, Juan Antonio Rivera, and Luis Eduardo Lenzano
The Cryosphere, 13, 997–1004, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-997-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-997-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In March 2007, the Leñas Glacier in the Central Andes of Argentina collapsed and released an ice avalanche that travelled a distance of 2 km. We analysed aerial photos, satellite images and field evidence to investigate the evolution of the glacier from the 1950s through the present day. A clear potential trigger of the collapse could not be identified from available meteorological and seismic data, nor could a significant change in glacier geometry leading to glacier instability be detected.
Nico Mölg, Tobias Bolch, Philipp Rastner, Tazio Strozzi, and Frank Paul
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1807–1827, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1807-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1807-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge about the size and location of glaciers is essential to understand impacts of climatic changes on the natural environment. Therefore, we have produced an inventory of all glaciers in some of the largest glacierized mountain regions worldwide. Many large glaciers are covered by a rock (debris) layer, which also changes their reaction to climatic changes. Thus, we have also mapped this debris layer for all glaciers. We have mapped almost 28000 glaciers covering ~35000 km2.
Christopher J. Merchant, Frank Paul, Thomas Popp, Michael Ablain, Sophie Bontemps, Pierre Defourny, Rainer Hollmann, Thomas Lavergne, Alexandra Laeng, Gerrit de Leeuw, Jonathan Mittaz, Caroline Poulsen, Adam C. Povey, Max Reuter, Shubha Sathyendranath, Stein Sandven, Viktoria F. Sofieva, and Wolfgang Wagner
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 511–527, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-511-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-511-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Climate data records (CDRs) contain data describing Earth's climate and should address uncertainty in the data to communicate what is known about climate variability or change and what range of doubt exists. This paper discusses good practice for including uncertainty information in CDRs for the essential climate variables (ECVs) derived from satellite data. Recommendations emerge from the shared experience of diverse ECV projects within the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative.
Jacqueline Huber, Alison J. Cook, Frank Paul, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 115–131, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-115-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-115-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
A glacier inventory of the AP (63°–70° S), consisting of glacier outlines accompanied by glacier-specific parameters (i.e., elevation distribution, slope, aspect, thickness and volume), was achieved by digitally combining already-existing data sets. This resulted in 1589 glaciers, covering an area of 95 273 km2. These freely available data provide new insights into AP glaciers, their behavior in response to a changing climate and their corresponding contribution to sea level rise.
F. Paul
The Cryosphere, 9, 2201–2214, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2201-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2201-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses animations of freely available Landsat images (acquired over 25 years) to reveal glacier flow and surge dynamics in the central Karakoram. The animations provide a holistic view on the timing and variability of glacier dynamics that is hard to obtain by other more quantitative methods. Among others, the study reveals that most surging glaciers are comparably small, steep and debris-free, with a wide range of advance rates and durations, overlapping with non-surge-type glaciers.
L. Carturan, R. Filippi, R. Seppi, P. Gabrielli, C. Notarnicola, L. Bertoldi, F. Paul, P. Rastner, F. Cazorzi, R. Dinale, and G. Dalla Fontana
The Cryosphere, 7, 1339–1359, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1339-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1339-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Discipline: Glaciers | Subject: Alpine Glaciers
Automated snow cover detection on mountain glaciers using spaceborne imagery and machine learning
Spectral characteristics of seismic ambient vibrations reveal changes in the subglacial environment of Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland
Recent observations and glacier modeling point towards near-complete glacier loss in western Austria (Ötztal and Stubai mountain range) if 1.5 °C is not met
The glaciers of the Dolomites: the last 40 years of melting
Separating snow and ice melt using water stable isotopes and glacio-hydrological modelling: towards improving the application of isotope analyses in highly glacierized catchments
Glacier inventories reveal an acceleration of Heard Island glacier loss over recent decades
Distributed surface mass balance of an avalanche-fed glacier
Unprecedented 21st century glacier loss on Mt. Hood, Oregon, USA
Mapping and characterization of avalanches on mountain glaciers with Sentinel-1 satellite imagery
Brief communication: Recent estimates of glacier mass loss for western North America from laser altimetry
The Aneto glacier's (Central Pyrenees) evolution from 1981 to 2022: ice loss observed from historic aerial image photogrammetry and remote sensing techniques
Modelling point mass balance for the glaciers of the Central European Alps using machine learning techniques
Consistent histories of anthropogenic western European air pollution preserved in different Alpine ice cores
Brief communication: Non-linear sensitivity of glacier mass balance to climate attested by temperature-index models
Halving of Swiss glacier volume since 1931 observed from terrestrial image photogrammetry
Land- to lake-terminating transition triggers dynamic thinning of a Bhutanese glacier
Brief communication: A framework to classify glaciers for water resource evaluation and management in the Southern Andes
Strong acceleration of glacier area loss in the Greater Caucasus between 2000 and 2020
Ice volume and basal topography estimation using geostatistical methods and ground-penetrating radar measurements: application to the Tsanfleuron and Scex Rouge glaciers, Swiss Alps
Significant mass loss in the accumulation area of the Adamello glacier indicated by the chronology of a 46 m ice core
Brief communication: Do 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 °C matter for the future evolution of Alpine glaciers?
A new automatic approach for extracting glacier centerlines based on Euclidean allocation
Spatially and temporally resolved ice loss in High Mountain Asia and the Gulf of Alaska observed by CryoSat-2 swath altimetry between 2010 and 2019
Crystallographic analysis of temperate ice on Rhonegletscher, Swiss Alps
Debris cover and the thinning of Kennicott Glacier, Alaska: in situ measurements, automated ice cliff delineation and distributed melt estimates
Small-scale spatial variability in bare-ice reflectance at Jamtalferner, Austria
Numerical modeling of the dynamics of the Mer de Glace glacier, French Alps: comparison with past observations and forecasting of near-future evolution
Monitoring the seasonal changes of an englacial conduit network using repeated ground-penetrating radar measurements
Possible biases in scaling-based estimates of glacier change: a case study in the Himalaya
Spatial and temporal variations in glacier aerodynamic surface roughness during the melting season, as estimated at the August-one ice cap, Qilian mountains, China
Strong changes in englacial temperatures despite insignificant changes in ice thickness at Dôme du Goûter glacier (Mont Blanc area)
Supra-glacial debris cover changes in the Greater Caucasus from 1986 to 2014
Glacier thickness estimations of alpine glaciers using data and modeling constraints
Unravelling the evolution of Zmuttgletscher and its debris cover since the end of the Little Ice Age
Modelling the future evolution of glaciers in the European Alps under the EURO-CORDEX RCM ensemble
Robust uncertainty assessment of the spatio-temporal transferability of glacier mass and energy balance models
Impacts of topographic shading on direct solar radiation for valley glaciers in complex topography
19th century glacier retreat in the Alps preceded the emergence of industrial black carbon deposition on high-alpine glaciers
Iron oxides in the cryoconite of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau: abundance, speciation and implications
Numerical reconstructions of the flow and basal conditions of the Rhine glacier, European Central Alps, at the Last Glacial Maximum
Rainey Aberle, Ellyn Enderlin, Shad O'Neel, Caitlyn Florentine, Louis Sass, Adam Dickson, Hans-Peter Marshall, and Alejandro Flores
The Cryosphere, 19, 1675–1693, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1675-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1675-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Tracking seasonal snow on glaciers is critical for understanding glacier health. Yet previous work has not directly compared machine learning algorithms for snow classification across satellite image products. To address this, we developed a new automated workflow for tracking seasonal snow on glaciers using several image products and machine learning models. Applying this method can help provide insights into glacier health, water resources, and the effects of climate change on snow cover.
Janneke van Ginkel, Fabian Walter, Fabian Lindner, Miroslav Hallo, Matthias Huss, and Donat Fäh
The Cryosphere, 19, 1469–1490, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study on Glacier de la Plaine Morte in Switzerland employs various passive seismic analysis methods to identify complex hydraulic behaviours at the ice–bedrock interface. In 4 months of seismic records, we detect spatio-temporal variations in the glacier's basal interface, following the drainage of an ice-marginal lake. We identify a low-velocity layer, whose properties are determined using modelling techniques. This low-velocity layer results from temporary water storage subglacially.
Lea Hartl, Patrick Schmitt, Lilian Schuster, Kay Helfricht, Jakob Abermann, and Fabien Maussion
The Cryosphere, 19, 1431–1452, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1431-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1431-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use regional observations of glacier area and volume change to inform glacier evolution modeling in the Ötztal and Stubai range (Austrian Alps) until 2100 in different climate scenarios. Glaciers in the region lost 23 % of their volume between 2006 and 2017. Under current warming trajectories, glacier loss in the region is expected to be near-total by 2075. We show that integrating regional calibration and validation data in glacier models is important to improve confidence in projections.
Andrea Securo, Costanza Del Gobbo, Giovanni Baccolo, Carlo Barbante, Michele Citterio, Fabrizio De Blasi, Marco Marcer, Mauro Valt, and Renato R. Colucci
The Cryosphere, 19, 1335–1352, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1335-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1335-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We have reconstructed the multi-decadal (1980s–2023) ice mass changes for all the current mountain glaciers in the Dolomites. We used historical aerial photographs, drone surveys, and lidar to fill the glaciological data gap for the region. We observed an alarming decline in both glacier area and volume, with some of the glaciers showing smaller losses due to local topography and debris cover feedback. We strongly recommend more specific monitoring of these glaciers.
Tom Müller, Mauro Fischer, Stuart N. Lane, and Bettina Schaefli
The Cryosphere, 19, 423–458, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-423-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-423-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Based on extensive field observations in a highly glacierized catchment in the Swiss Alps, we develop a combined isotopic and glacio-hydrological model. We show that water stable isotopes may help to better constrain model parameters, especially those linked to water transfer. However, we highlight that separating snow and ice melt for temperate glaciers based on isotope mixing models alone is not advised and should only be considered if their isotopic signatures have clearly different values.
Levan G. Tielidze, Andrew N. Mackintosh, and Weilin Yang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3811, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3811, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Heard Island is an UNESCO World Heritage site due to its outstanding physical and biological features which are being affected by significant on-going climatic changes. As one of the only sub-Antarctic islands mostly free of introduced species, its ecosystems are particularly at risk from the impact of glacier retreat. This glacier inventory will help in designing effective conservation strategies and managing protected areas to ensure the preservation of the biodiversity they support.
Marin Kneib, Amaury Dehecq, Adrien Gilbert, Auguste Basset, Evan S. Miles, Guillaume Jouvet, Bruno Jourdain, Etienne Ducasse, Luc Beraud, Antoine Rabatel, Jérémie Mouginot, Guillem Carcanade, Olivier Laarman, Fanny Brun, and Delphine Six
The Cryosphere, 18, 5965–5983, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5965-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5965-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Avalanches contribute to increasing the accumulation on mountain glaciers by redistributing snow from surrounding mountains slopes. Here we quantified the contribution of avalanches to the mass balance of Argentière Glacier in the French Alps, by combining satellite and field observations to model the glacier dynamics. We show that the contribution of avalanches locally increases the accumulation by 60–70 % and that accounting for this effect results in less ice loss by the end of the century.
Nicolas Bakken-French, Stephen J. Boyer, B. Clay Southworth, Megan Thayne, Dylan H. Rood, and Anders E. Carlson
The Cryosphere, 18, 4517–4530, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4517-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4517-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Repeat photography, field mapping, and remote sensing find that glaciers on Mt. Hood, Oregon, have lost about 25 % of their area in the first 2 decades of the 21st century and 17 % of their area in the last 7–8 years. The 21st century recession rate is more than 3 times faster than the 20th century average and 1.9 times faster than the fastest period of retreat within the 20th century. This unprecedented retreat corresponds to regional summer warming of 1.7–1.8°C relative to the early 1900s.
Marin Kneib, Amaury Dehecq, Fanny Brun, Fatima Karbou, Laurane Charrier, Silvan Leinss, Patrick Wagnon, and Fabien Maussion
The Cryosphere, 18, 2809–2830, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2809-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2809-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Avalanches are important for the mass balance of mountain glaciers, but few data exist on where and when they occur and which glaciers they affect the most. We developed an approach to map avalanches over large glaciated areas and long periods of time using satellite radar data. The application of this method to various regions in the Alps and High Mountain Asia reveals the variability of avalanches on these glaciers and provides key data to better represent these processes in glacier models.
Brian Menounos, Alex Gardner, Caitlyn Florentine, and Andrew Fountain
The Cryosphere, 18, 889–894, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-889-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-889-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in western North American outside of Alaska are often overlooked in global studies because their potential to contribute to changes in sea level is small. Nonetheless, these glaciers represent important sources of freshwater, especially during times of drought. We show that these glaciers lost mass at a rate of about 12 Gt yr-1 for about the period 2013–2021; the rate of mass loss over the period 2018–2022 was similar.
Ixeia Vidaller, Eñaut Izagirre, Luis Mariano del Rio, Esteban Alonso-González, Francisco Rojas-Heredia, Enrique Serrano, Ana Moreno, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, and Jesús Revuelto
The Cryosphere, 17, 3177–3192, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Aneto glacier, the largest glacier in the Pyrenees, has shown continuous surface and ice thickness losses in the last decades. In this study, we examine changes in its surface and ice thickness for 1981–2022 and the remaining ice thickness in 2020. During these 41 years, the glacier has shrunk by 64.7 %, and the ice thickness has decreased by 30.5 m on average. The mean ice thickness in 2022 was 11.9 m, compared to 32.9 m in 1981. The results highlight the critical situation of the glacier.
Ritu Anilkumar, Rishikesh Bharti, Dibyajyoti Chutia, and Shiv Prasad Aggarwal
The Cryosphere, 17, 2811–2828, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2811-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2811-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Our analysis demonstrates the capability of machine learning models in estimating glacier mass balance in terms of performance metrics and dataset availability. Feature importance analysis suggests that ablation features are significant. This is in agreement with the predominantly negative mass balance observations. We show that ensemble tree models typically depict the best performance. However, neural network models are preferable for biased inputs and kernel-based models for smaller datasets.
Anja Eichler, Michel Legrand, Theo M. Jenk, Susanne Preunkert, Camilla Andersson, Sabine Eckhardt, Magnuz Engardt, Andreas Plach, and Margit Schwikowski
The Cryosphere, 17, 2119–2137, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2119-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2119-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate how a 250-year history of the emission of air pollutants (major inorganic aerosol constituents, black carbon, and trace species) is preserved in ice cores from four sites in the European Alps. The observed uniform timing in species-dependent longer-term concentration changes reveals that the different ice-core records provide a consistent, spatially representative signal of the pollution history from western European countries.
Christian Vincent and Emmanuel Thibert
The Cryosphere, 17, 1989–1995, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1989-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1989-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Temperature-index models have been widely used for glacier mass projections in the future. The ability of these models to capture non-linear responses of glacier mass balance (MB) to high deviations in air temperature and solid precipitation has recently been questioned by mass balance simulations employing advanced machine-learning techniques. Here, we confirmed that temperature-index models are capable of detecting non-linear responses of glacier MB to temperature and precipitation changes.
Erik Schytt Mannerfelt, Amaury Dehecq, Romain Hugonnet, Elias Hodel, Matthias Huss, Andreas Bauder, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 16, 3249–3268, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
How glaciers have responded to climate change over the last 20 years is well-known, but earlier data are much more scarce. We change this in Switzerland by using 22 000 photographs taken from mountain tops between the world wars and find a halving of Swiss glacier volume since 1931. This was done through new automated processing techniques that we created. The data are interesting for more than just glaciers, such as mapping forest changes, landslides, and human impacts on the terrain.
Yota Sato, Koji Fujita, Hiroshi Inoue, Akiko Sakai, and Karma
The Cryosphere, 16, 2643–2654, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2643-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2643-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate fluctuations in Bhutanese lake-terminating glaciers focusing on the dynamics change before and after proglacial lake formation at Thorthormi Glacier (TG) based on photogrammetry, satellite, and GPS surveys. The thinning rate of TG became double compared to before proglacial lake formation, and the flow velocity has also sped up considerably. Those changes would be due to the reduction in longitudinal ice compression by the detachment of the glacier terminus from the end moraine.
Nicole Schaffer and Shelley MacDonell
The Cryosphere, 16, 1779–1791, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1779-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1779-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Over the last 2 decades the importance of Andean glaciers, particularly as water resources, has been recognized in both scientific literature and the public sphere. This has led to the inclusion of glaciers in environmental impact assessment and the development of glacier protection laws. We propose three categories that group glaciers based on their environmental sensitivity to hopefully help facilitate the effective application of these measures and evaluation of water resources in general.
Levan G. Tielidze, Gennady A. Nosenko, Tatiana E. Khromova, and Frank Paul
The Cryosphere, 16, 489–504, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-489-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-489-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The new Caucasus glacier inventory derived from manual delineation of glacier outlines based on medium-resolution (Landsat, Sentinel) and high-resolution (SPOT) satellite imagery shows the accelerated glacier area loss over the last 2 decades (2000–2020). This new glacier inventory will improve our understanding of climate change impacts at a regional scale and support related modelling studies by providing high-quality validation data.
Alexis Neven, Valentin Dall'Alba, Przemysław Juda, Julien Straubhaar, and Philippe Renard
The Cryosphere, 15, 5169–5186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5169-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5169-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present and compare different geostatistical methods for underglacial bedrock interpolation. Variogram-based interpolations are compared with a multipoint statistics approach on both test cases and real glaciers. Using the modeled bedrock, the ice volume for the Scex Rouge and Tsanfleuron glaciers (Swiss Alps) was estimated to be 113.9 ± 1.6 million cubic meters. Complex karstic geomorphological features are reproduced and can be used to improve the precision of underglacial flow estimation.
Daniela Festi, Margit Schwikowski, Valter Maggi, Klaus Oeggl, and Theo Manuel Jenk
The Cryosphere, 15, 4135–4143, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4135-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4135-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In our study we dated a 46 m deep ice core retrieved from the Adamello glacier (Central Italian Alps). We obtained a timescale combining the results of radionuclides 210Pb and 137Cs with annual layer counting derived from pollen and refractory black carbon concentrations. Our results indicate that the surface of the glacier is older than the drilling date of 2016 by about 20 years, therefore revealing that the glacier is at high risk of collapsing under current climate warming conditions.
Loris Compagno, Sarah Eggs, Matthias Huss, Harry Zekollari, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 15, 2593–2599, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2593-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2593-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Recently, discussions have focused on the difference in limiting the increase in global average temperatures to below 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 °C compared to preindustrial levels. Here, we assess the impacts that such different scenarios would have on both the future evolution of glaciers in the European Alps and the water resources they provide. Our results show that the different temperature targets have important implications for the changes predicted until 2100.
Dahong Zhang, Xiaojun Yao, Hongyu Duan, Shiyin Liu, Wanqin Guo, Meiping Sun, and Dazhi Li
The Cryosphere, 15, 1955–1973, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1955-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1955-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier centerlines are crucial input for many glaciological applications. We propose a new algorithm to derive glacier centerlines and implement the corresponding program in Python language. Application of this method to 48 571 glaciers in the second Chinese glacier inventory automatically yielded the corresponding glacier centerlines with an average computing time of 20.96 s, a success rate of 100 % and a comprehensive accuracy of 94.34 %.
Livia Jakob, Noel Gourmelen, Martin Ewart, and Stephen Plummer
The Cryosphere, 15, 1845–1862, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1845-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1845-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers and ice caps are currently the largest contributor to sea level rise. Global monitoring of these regions is a challenging task, and significant differences remain between current estimates. This study looks at glacier changes in High Mountain Asia and the Gulf of Alaska using a new technique, which for the first time makes the use of satellite radar altimetry for mapping ice mass loss over mountain glacier regions possible.
Sebastian Hellmann, Johanna Kerch, Ilka Weikusat, Andreas Bauder, Melchior Grab, Guillaume Jouvet, Margit Schwikowski, and Hansruedi Maurer
The Cryosphere, 15, 677–694, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-677-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-677-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We analyse the orientation of ice crystals in an Alpine glacier and compare this orientation with the ice flow direction. We found that the crystals orient in the direction of the largest stress which is in the flow direction in the upper parts of the glacier and in the vertical direction for deeper zones of the glacier. The grains cluster around this maximum stress direction, in particular four-point maxima, most likely as a result of recrystallisation under relatively warm conditions.
Leif S. Anderson, William H. Armstrong, Robert S. Anderson, and Pascal Buri
The Cryosphere, 15, 265–282, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-265-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-265-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Many glaciers are thinning rapidly beneath debris cover (loose rock) that reduces melt, including Kennicott Glacier in Alaska. This contradiction has been explained by melt hotspots, such as ice cliffs, scattered within the debris cover. However, at Kennicott Glacier declining ice flow explains the rapid thinning. Through this study, Kennicott Glacier is now the first glacier in Alaska, and the largest glacier globally, where melt across its debris-covered tongue has been rigorously quantified.
Lea Hartl, Lucia Felbauer, Gabriele Schwaizer, and Andrea Fischer
The Cryosphere, 14, 4063–4081, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4063-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4063-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
When glaciers become snow-free in summer, darker glacier ice is exposed. The ice surface is darker than snow and absorbs more radiation, which increases ice melt. We measured how much radiation is reflected at different wavelengths in the ablation zone of Jamtalferner, Austria. Due to impurities and water on the ice surface there are large variations in reflectance. Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 surface reflectance products do not capture the full range of reflectance found on the glacier.
Vincent Peyaud, Coline Bouchayer, Olivier Gagliardini, Christian Vincent, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Delphine Six, and Olivier Laarman
The Cryosphere, 14, 3979–3994, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3979-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3979-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Alpine glaciers are retreating at an accelerating rate in a warming climate. Numerical models allow us to study and anticipate these changes, but the performance of a model is difficult to evaluate. So we compared an ice flow model with the long dataset of observations obtained between 1979 and 2015 on Mer de Glace (Mont Blanc area). The model accurately reconstructs the past evolution of the glacier. We simulate the future evolution of Mer de Glace; it could retreat by 2 to 6 km by 2050.
Gregory Church, Melchior Grab, Cédric Schmelzbach, Andreas Bauder, and Hansruedi Maurer
The Cryosphere, 14, 3269–3286, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3269-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3269-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this field study, we repeated ground-penetrating radar measurements over an active englacial channel network that transports meltwater through the glacier. We successfully imaged the englacial meltwater pathway and were able to delimitate the channel's shape. Meltwater from the glacier can impact the glacier's dynamics if it reaches the ice–bed interface, and therefore monitoring these englacial drainage networks is important to understand how these networks behave throughout a season.
Argha Banerjee, Disha Patil, and Ajinkya Jadhav
The Cryosphere, 14, 3235–3247, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3235-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3235-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Simple models of glacier dynamics based on volume–area scaling underestimate climate sensitivity and response time of glaciers. Consequently, they may predict a faster response and a smaller long-term glacier loss. These biases in scaling models are established theoretically and are analysed in detail by simulating the step response of a set of 703 Himalayan glaciers separately by three different models: a scaling model, a 2-D shallow-ice approximation model, and a linear-response model.
Junfeng Liu, Rensheng Chen, and Chuntan Han
The Cryosphere, 14, 967–984, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-967-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-967-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier surface roughness during melting season was observed by manual and automatic photogrammetry. Surface roughness was larger at the snow and ice transition zone than in fully snow- or ice-covered areas. Persistent snowfall and rainfall both reduce surface roughness. High or rising turbulent heat as a component of surface energy balance tended to produce a smooth ice surface; low or decreasing turbulent heat tended to produce a rougher surface.
Christian Vincent, Adrien Gilbert, Bruno Jourdain, Luc Piard, Patrick Ginot, Vladimir Mikhalenko, Philippe Possenti, Emmanuel Le Meur, Olivier Laarman, and Delphine Six
The Cryosphere, 14, 925–934, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-925-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-925-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We observed very low glacier thickness changes over the last decades at very-high-elevation glaciated areas on Mont Blanc. Conversely, measurements performed in deep boreholes since 1994 reveal strong changes in englacial temperature reaching 1.5 °C at a depth of 50 m. We conclude that at such very high elevations, current changes in climate do not lead to visible changes in glacier thickness but cause invisible changes within the glacier in terms of englacial temperatures.
Levan G. Tielidze, Tobias Bolch, Roger D. Wheate, Stanislav S. Kutuzov, Ivan I. Lavrentiev, and Michael Zemp
The Cryosphere, 14, 585–598, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-585-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-585-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present data of supra-glacial debris cover for 659 glaciers across the Greater Caucasus based on satellite images from the years 1986, 2000 and 2014. We combined semi-automated methods for mapping the clean ice with manual digitization of debris-covered glacier parts and calculated supra-glacial debris-covered area as the residual between these two maps. The distribution of the supra-glacial debris cover differs between northern and southern and between western, central and eastern Caucasus.
Lisbeth Langhammer, Melchior Grab, Andreas Bauder, and Hansruedi Maurer
The Cryosphere, 13, 2189–2202, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2189-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2189-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We have developed a novel procedure for glacier thickness estimations that combines traditional glaciological modeling constraints with ground-truth data, for example, those obtained with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements. This procedure is very useful for determining ice volume when only limited data are available. Furthermore, we outline a strategy for acquiring GPR data on glaciers, such that the cost/benefit ratio is optimized.
Nico Mölg, Tobias Bolch, Andrea Walter, and Andreas Vieli
The Cryosphere, 13, 1889–1909, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1889-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1889-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Debris can partly protect glaciers from melting. But many debris-covered glaciers change similar to debris-free glaciers. To better understand the debris influence we investigated 150 years of evolution of Zmutt Glacier in Switzerland. We found an increase in debris extent over time and a link to glacier flow velocity changes. We also found an influence of debris on the melt locally, but only a small volume change reduction over the whole glacier, also because of the influence of ice cliffs.
Harry Zekollari, Matthias Huss, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 13, 1125–1146, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1125-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1125-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in the European Alps play an important role in the hydrological cycle, act as a source for hydroelectricity and have a large touristic importance. We model the future evolution of all glaciers in the Alps with a novel model that combines both ice flow and melt processes. We find that under a limited warming scenario about one-third of the present-day ice volume will still be present by the end of the century, while under strong warming more than 90 % of the volume will be lost by 2100.
Tobias Zolles, Fabien Maussion, Stephan Peter Galos, Wolfgang Gurgiser, and Lindsey Nicholson
The Cryosphere, 13, 469–489, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-469-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-469-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
A mass and energy balance model was subjected to sensitivity and uncertainty analysis on two different Alpine glaciers. The global sensitivity analysis allowed for a mass balance measurement independent assessment of the model sensitivity and functioned as a reduction of the model free parameter space. A novel approach of a multi-objective optimization estimates the uncertainty of the simulated mass balance and the energy fluxes. The final model uncertainty is up to 1300 kg m−3 per year.
Matthew Olson and Summer Rupper
The Cryosphere, 13, 29–40, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-29-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-29-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Solar radiation is the largest energy input for most alpine glaciers. However, many models oversimplify the influence of topographic shading. Also, no systematic studies have explored the variable impact of shading on glacier ice. We find that shading can significantly impact modeled solar radiation, particularly at low elevations, at high latitudes, and for glaciers with a north/south orientation. Excluding the effects of shading will overestimate modeled solar radiation for alpine glaciers.
Michael Sigl, Nerilie J. Abram, Jacopo Gabrieli, Theo M. Jenk, Dimitri Osmont, and Margit Schwikowski
The Cryosphere, 12, 3311–3331, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3311-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3311-2018, 2018
Short summary
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.
Zhiyuan Cong, Shaopeng Gao, Wancang Zhao, Xin Wang, Guangming Wu, Yulan Zhang, Shichang Kang, Yongqin Liu, and Junfeng Ji
The Cryosphere, 12, 3177–3186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3177-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3177-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Cryoconites from glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding area were studied for iron oxides. We found that goethite is the predominant iron oxide form. Using the abundance, speciation and optical properties of iron oxides, the total light absorption was quantitatively attributed to goethite, hematite, black carbon and organic matter. Such findings are essential to understand the relative significance of anthropogenic and natural impacts.
Denis Cohen, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Wilfried Haeberli, Horst Machguth, and Urs H. Fischer
The Cryosphere, 12, 2515–2544, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2515-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2515-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
As part of an integrative study about the safety of repositories for radioactive waste under ice age conditions in Switzerland, we modeled the flow of ice of the Rhine glacier at the Last Glacial Maximum to determine conditions at the ice–bed interface. Results indicate that portions of the ice lobes were at the melting temperature and ice was sliding, two conditions necessary for erosion by glacier. Conditions at the bed of the ice lobes were affected by climate and also by topography.
Cited articles
Abermann, J., Lambrecht, A., Fischer, A., and Kuhn, M.: Quantifying changes and trends in glacier area and volume in the Austrian Ötztal Alps (1969-1997-2006), The Cryosphere, 3, 205–215, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-3-205-2009, 2009.
Auer, I., Böhm, R., Jurkovic, A., Lipa, W., Orlik, A., Potzmann, R., Schöner, W., Ungersböck, M., Matulla, C., Briffa, K., Jones, P., Efthymiadis, D., Brunetti, M., Nanni, T., Maugeri, M., Mercalli, L., Mestre, O., Moisselin, J. M., Begert, M., Müller-Westermeier, G., Kveton, V., Bochnicek, O., Stastny, P., Lapin, M., Szalai, S., Szentimrey, T., Cegnar, T., Dolinar, M., Gajic-Capka, M., Zaninovic, K., Majstorovic, Z., and Nieplova, E.: HISTALP – Historical instrumental climatological surface time series of the Greater Alpine Region, Int. J. Climatol., 27, 17–46, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.1377, 2007.
Begert, M. and Frei, C.: Long-term area-mean temperature series for Switzerland – Combining homogenized station data and high resolution grid data, Int. J. Climatol., 38, 2792–2807, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5460, 2018.
Braithwaite, R. J. and Raper, S. C. B.: Estimating equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) from glacier inventory data, Ann. Glaciol, 50, 127–132, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756410790595930, 2009.
Brunner, M. I., Farinotti, D., Zekollari, H., Huss, M., and Zappa, M.: Future shifts in extreme flow regimes in Alpine regions, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4471–4489, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4471-2019, 2019.
Cannone, N., Diolaiuti, G., Guglielmin, M., and Smiraglia, C.: Accelerating climate change impacts on alpine glacier forefield ecosystems in the European Alps, Ecol. Appl., 18, 637–648, https://doi.org/10.1890/07-1188.1, 2008.
Carrivick, J. L., James, W. H. M., Grimes, M., Sutherland, J. L., and Lorrey, A. M.: Ice thickness and volume changes across the Southern Alps, New Zealand, from the Little Ice Age to present, Sci. Rep., 10, 13392, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70276-8, 2020.
Carrivick, J. L., Boston, C. M., Sutherland, J. L., Pearce, D., Armstrong, H., Bjørk, A., Kjeldsen, K. K., Abermann, J., Oien, R. P., Grimes, M., James, W. H. M., and Smith, M. W.: Mass Loss of Glaciers and Ice Caps Across Greenland Since the Little Ice Age, Geophys. Res. Lett., 50, e2023GL103950, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103950, 2023.
Colucci, R. R. and Žebre, M.: Late Holocene evolution of glaciers in the southeastern Alps, J. Maps, 12, 289–299, https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2016.1203216, 2016.
Dehecq, A., Millan, R., Berthier, E., Gourmelen, N., Trouvé, E., and Vionnet, V.: Elevation Changes Inferred from TanDEM-X Data over the Mont-Blanc Area: Impact of the X-Band Interferometric Bias, IEEE J. Sel. Top. Appl., 9, 3870–3882, https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2016.2581482, 2016.
ESA: Copernicus DEM EEA-10, ESA [data set], https://doi.org/10.5270/ESA-c5d3d65, 2019.
ESRI: World Topographic Map, ESRI [data set], https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=30e5fe3149c34df1ba922e6f5bbf808f (last access: 1 May 2024), 2023a.
ESRI: World imagery vivid, ESRI [data set], https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=10df2279f9684e4a9f6a7f08febac2a9(last access: 1 May 2024), 2023b.
Fischer, M., Huss, M., and Hoelzle, M.: Surface elevation and mass changes of all Swiss glaciers 1980–2010, The Cryosphere, 9, 525–540, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-525-2015, 2015.
Gardent, M.: Inventaire et retrait des glaciers dans les Alpes françaises depuis la fin du Petit Age Glaciaire, Université de Savoie, 444 pp., https://theses.hal.science/tel-01062226 (last access: 1 May 2024), 2014.
GLAMOS: Swiss Glacier Volume Change, https://doi.glamos.ch/data/volumechange/volumechange_2022_r2022.html (last access: 1 May 2024), 2022.
Glasser, N. F., Harrison, S., Jansson, K. N., Anderson, K., and Cowley, A.: Global sea-level contribution from the Patagonian Icefields since the Little Ice Age maximum, Nat. Geosci., 4, 303–307, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1122, 2011.
GLIMS: Global Land Ice Measurements from Space Monitoring the World's Changing Glaciers, https://www.glims.org/, last access: 1 May 2024.
Grab, M., Mattea, E., Bauder, A., Huss, M., Rabenstein, L., Hodel, E., Linsbauer, A., Langhammer, L., Schmid, L., Church, G., Hellmann, S., Deleze, K., Schaer, P., Lathion, P., Farinotti, D., and Maurer, H.: Ice thickness distribution of all Swiss glaciers based on extended ground-penetrating radar data and glaciological modeling, J. Glaciol., 67, 1074–1092, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.55, 2021.
Grove, A. T.: The “Little Ice Age” and its geomorphological consequences in Mediterranean Europe, Climatic Change, 48, 121–136, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005610804390, 2001.
Haeberli, W. and Hoelzle, M.: Application of inventory data for estimating characteristics of and regional climate-change effects on mountain glaciers: a pilot study with the European Alps, Ann. Glaciol., 21, 206–212, https://doi.org/10.3189/s0260305500015834, 1995.
Haeberli, W., Hoelzle, M., Paul, F., and Zemp, M.: Integrated monitoring of mountain glacier as key indicators of global climate change: The European Alps, J. Glaciol., 46, 150–160, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756407782871512, 2007.
Haeberli, W., Oerlemans, J., and Zemp, M.: The Future of Alpine Glaciers and Beyond, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.769, 2019.
Hagg, W., Scotti, R., Villa, F., Mayer, E., Heilig, A., Mayer, C., Tamm, W., and Hock, T.: Evolution of two cirque glaciers in lombardy and their relation to climatic factors (1962-2016), Geogr. Ann. A, 99, 371–386, https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.2017.1368834, 2017.
Helfricht, K., Huss, M., Fischer, A., and Otto, J. C.: Calibrated ice thickness estimate for all glaciers in Austria, Front Earth Sci (Lausanne), 7, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00068, 2019.
Hirtlreiter, G.: Spät- und postglaziale Gletscherschwankungen im Wettersteingebirge und seiner Umgebung, Münchner Geographische Abhandlungen B, 15, Munich, 153 pp., ISBN 392530875X, 1992.
Hoelzle, M., Haeberli, W., Dischl, M., and Peschke, W.: Secular glacier mass balances derived from cumulative glacier length changes, Global Planet. Change, 36, 295–306, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8181(02)00223-0, 2003.
Hugonnet, R., McNabb, R., Berthier, E., Menounos, B., Nuth, C., Girod, L., Farinotti, D., Huss, M., Dussaillant, I., Brun, F., and Kääb, A.: Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century, Nature, 592, 726–731, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03436-z, 2021.
Huss, M. and Hock, R.: Global-scale hydrological response to future glacier mass loss, Nat. Clim. Change, 8, 135–140, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0049-x, 2018.
Huss, M., Farinotti, D., Bauder, A., and Funk, M.: Modelling runoff from highly glacierized alpine drainage basins in a changing climate, Hydrol. Process., 22, 3888–3902, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7055 Modelling, 2008.
Hutchinson, M. F.: A new procedure for gridding elevation and stream line data with automatic removal of spurious pits, J. Hydrol., 106, 211–232, https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1694(89)90073-5, 1989.
Ivy-Ochs, S., Kerschner, H., Maisch, M., Christl, M., Kubik, P. W., and Schlüchter, C.: Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacier variations in the European Alps, Quat. Sci. Rev., 28, 2137–2149, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.03.009, 2009.
Knoll, C., Kerschner, H., Heller, A., and Rastner, P.: A GIS-based reconstruction of little ice age glacier maximum extents for South Tyrol, Italy, T. GIS, 13, 449–463, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9671.2009.01173.x, 2009.
Kuhn, M.: The Response of the Equilibrium Line Altitude to Climate Fluctuations: Theory and Observations, in: Glacier fluctuations and climatic change, edited by: Oerlemans, J., Kluwer, Dodreach, 407–417, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7823-3_26, 1989.
Lee, E., Carrivick, J. L., Quincey, D. J., Cook, S. J., James, W. H. M., and Brown, L. E.: Accelerated mass loss of Himalayan glaciers since the Little Ice Age, Sci. Rep., 11, 24284, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03805-8, 2021.
Le Roy, M., Ivy-Ochs, S., Nicolussi, K., Monegato, G., Reitner, J. M., Colucci, R. R., Ribolini, A., Spagnolo, M., and Stoffel, M.: Holocene glacier variations in the Alps, in: European Glacial Landscapes – The Holocene, edited by: Palacios, D., Hughes, P. D., Jomelli, V., and Tanarro, L. M., Elsevier, 367–418, https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-99712-6.00018-0, 2024.
Lucchesi, S., Fioraso, G., Bertotto, S., and Chiarle, M.: Little Ice Age and contemporary glacier extent in the Western and South-Western Piedmont Alps (North-Western Italy), J. Maps, 10, 409–423, https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2014.880226, 2014.
Lüthi, M. P., Bauder, A., and Funk, M.: Volume change reconstruction of Swiss glaciers from length change data, J. Geophys. Res., 115, F04022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JF001695, 2010.
Maisch, M., Wipf, A., Denneler, B., Battaglia, J., and Benz, C.: Die Gletscher der Schweizer Alpen: Gletscherhochstand 1850, aktuelle Vergletscherung, Gletscherschwundszenarien, in: Schlussbericht NFP 31, second edn., Hochschulverlag ETH Zurich, Zurich, 373 pp., ISBN 3728127337, 2000.
Mannerfelt, E. S., Dehecq, A., Hugonnet, R., Hodel, E., Huss, M., Bauder, A., and Farinotti, D.: Halving of Swiss glacier volume since 1931 observed from terrestrial image photogrammetry, The Cryosphere, 16, 3249–3268, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022, 2022.
Marazzi, S.: Die Orographischen Einteilungen der Alpen und die “IVOEA”. Ein konkreter Vorschlag für die Standardisierung., in: Die Gebirgsgruppen der Alpen. Ansichten, Systematiken und Methoden zur Einteilung der Alpen, Herausgeber:innnen: Grimm, P. und Mattmüller, C. R., München, Wissenschaftliche Alpenvereinshefte, Nr. 39, 69–96, ISBN 3-937530-06-1, 2004.
Martín-Español, A., Lapazaran, J. J., Otero, J., and Navarro, F. J.: On the errors involved in ice-thickness estimates III: Error in volume, J. Glaciol., 62, 1030–1036, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.95, 2016.
Millan, R., Mouginot, J., Rabatel, A., and Morlighem, M.: Ice velocity and thickness of the world's glaciers, Nat. Geosci., 15, 124–129, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00885-z, 2022.
NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM): Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Global, Open Topography [data set], https://doi.org/10.5069/G9445JDF, 2013.
Nicolussi, K., Roy, M. Le, Schlüchter, C., Stoffel, M., and Wacker, L.: The glacier advance at the onset of the Little Ice Age in the Alps: New evidence from Mont Miné and Morteratsch glaciers, Holocene, 32, 624–638, https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836221088247, 2022.
Nigrelli, G., Lucchesi, S., Bertotto, S., Fioraso, G., and Chiarle, M.: Climate variability and Alpine glaciers evolution in Northwestern Italy from the Little Ice Age to the 2010s, Theor. Appl. Climatol., 122, 595–608, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-014-1313-x, 2015.
Nussbaumer, S. U., Steinhilber, F., Trachsel, M., Breitenmoser, P., Beer, J., Blass, A., Grosjean, M., Hafner, A., Holzhauser, H., Wanner, H., and Zumbühl, H. J.: Alpine climate during the Holocene: A comparison between records of glaciers, lake sediments and solar activity, J. Quaternary Sci., 26, 703–713, https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1495, 2011.
Oppikofer, T., Jaboyedoff, M., and Keusen, H. R.: Collapse at the eastern Eiger flank in the Swiss Alps, Nat. Geosci., 1, 531–535, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo258, 2008.
Parkes, D. and Marzeion, B.: Twentieth-century contribution to sea-level rise from uncharted glaciers, Nature, 563, 551–554, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0687-9, 2018.
Paul, F.: The influence of changes in glacier extent and surface elevation on modeled mass balance, The Cryosphere, 4, 569–581, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-569-2010, 2010.
Paul, F. and Bolch, T.: Glacier changes since the Little Ice Age. in: Geomorphology of Proglacial Systems, Geography of the Physical Environment, edited by: Heckmann, T. and Morche, D., Springer Nature, 23–42, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94184-4_2, 2019.
Paul, F., Frey, H., and Bris, R. Le: A new glacier inventory for the European Alps from Landsat TM scenes of 2003: Challenges and results, Ann. Glaciol., 52, 144–152, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411799096295, 2011.
Paul, F., Barrand, N. E., Baumann, S., Berthier, E., Bolch, T., Casey, K., Frey, H., Joshi, S. P., Konovalov, V., Le Bris, R., Mölg, N., Nosenko, G., Nuth, C., Pope, A., Racoviteanu, A., Rastner, P., Raup, B., Scharrer, K., Steffen, S., and Winsvold, S.: On the accuracy of glacier outlines derived from remote-sensing data, Ann. Glaciol., 54, 171–182, https://doi.org/10.3189/2013AoG63A296, 2013.
Paul, F., Rastner, P., Azzoni, R. S., Diolaiuti, G., Fugazza, D., Le Bris, R., Nemec, J., Rabatel, A., Ramusovic, M., Schwaizer, G., and Smiraglia, C.: Glacier shrinkage in the Alps continues unabated as revealed by a new glacier inventory from Sentinel-2, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 1805–1821, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1805-2020, 2020.
Raup, B. H., Racoviteanu, A., Khalsa, S. J. S., Helm, C., Armstrong, R., and Arnaud, Y.: The GLIMS geospatial glacier database: A new tool for studying glacier change, Global Planet. Change, 56, 101–110, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.07.018, 2007.
Reinthaler, J. and Paul, F.: Using a Web Map Service to map Little Ice Age glacier extents at regional scales, Ann. Glaciol., 64, 206–224, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.39, 2023.
Reinthaler, J.: Reconstructed glacier area and volume changes in the European Alps since the Little Ice Age, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14336826, 2024.
Reinthaler, J. and Paul, F.: Assessment of methods for reconstructing Little Ice Age glacier surfaces on the examples of Novaya Zemlya and the Swiss Alps, Geomorphology, 461, 109321, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109321, 2024.
RGI Consortium: Randolph Glacier Inventory – A Dataset of Global Glacier Outlines, Version 7.0, RGI Consortium [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/f6jmovy5navz, 2023.
Rolland, C.: Spatial and seasonal variations of air temperature lapse rates in alpine regions, J. Climate, 16, 1032–1046, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<1032:SASVOA>2.0.CO;2, 2003.
Scotti, R. and Brardinoni, F.: Evaluating millennial to contemporary time scales of glacier change in Val Viola, Central Italian Alps, Geogr. Ann. A, 100, 319–339, https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.2018.1491312, 2018.
Scotti, R., Brardinoni, F., and Crosta, G. B.: Post-LIA glacier changes along a latitudinal transect in the Central Italian Alps, The Cryosphere, 8, 2235–2252, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2235-2014, 2014.
Solomina, O. N., Bradley, R. S., Hodgson, D. A., Ivy-Ochs, S., Jomelli, V., Mackintosh, A. N., Nesje, A., Owen, L. A., Wanner, H., Wiles, G. C., and Young, N. E.: Holocene glacier fluctuations, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 111, 9–34, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.11.018, 2015.
Sommer, C., Malz, P., Seehaus, T. C., Lippl, S., Zemp, M., and Braun, M. H.: Rapid glacier retreat and downwasting throughout the European Alps in the early 21st century, Nat. Commun., 11, 3209, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16818-0, 2020.
Vivian, R.: Les glacier des Alpes occidentales, Thése, Université Joseph Fourier-Grenoble, éd. Imprimerie Allier, Grenoble, 513 pp., 1975.
Zanoner, T., Carton, A., Seppi, R., Carturan, L., Baroni, C., Salvatore, M. C., and Zumiani, M.: Little Ice Age mapping as a tool for identifying hazard in the paraglacial environment: The case study of Trentino (Eastern Italian Alps), Geomorphology, 295, 551–562, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.08.014, 2017.
Zemp, M., Hoelzle, M., and Haeberli, W.: Distributed modelling of the regional climatic equilibrium line altitude of glaciers in the European Alps, Global Planet. Change, 56, 83–100, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.07.002, 2007.
Zemp, M., Paul, F., Hoelzle, M., and Haeberli, W.: Glacier Fluctuations in the European Alps 1850–2000: an overview and spatio-temporal analysis of available data, in: Darkening Peaks: Glacier Retreat, Science, and Society, edited by: Orlove, B., Wiegandt, E., and Luckman, B., University of California Press, Berkeley, 152–167, ISBN 978-0-520-25305-6, 2008.
Zumbühl, H. J. and Holzhauser, H.: Alpengletscher in der Kleinen Eiszeit, Die Alpen, Sonderheft zum 125 jährigen Jubiläum des SAC, 65, 129–322, 1988.
Zumbühl, H. J. and Nussbaumer, S. U.: Little ice age glacier history of the central and western Alps from pictorial documents, Geographical Research Letters, 44, 115–136, https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.3363, 2018.
Short summary
Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) around 1850, glaciers in the European Alps have melted considerably. We collected LIA glacier extents, calculated changes using geoinformatics, and found a 57 % decrease in area (4244 km² to 1806 km²) and a 64 % decrease in volume (280 km³ to 100 km³) by 2015. The average glacier surface lowering was 44 m. After 2000, elevation change rates tripled. Over 1938 glaciers melted away completely, impacting entire regions.
Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) around 1850, glaciers in the European Alps have melted...
