26 Oct 2020
26 Oct 2020
Unprecedented loss of surface and cave ice in SE Europe related to record summer rains in 2019
- 1Emil Racoviță Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Cluj Napoca, 400006, Romania
- 2Stable Isotope Laboratory, Ștefan cel Mare University, Suceava, 720229, Romania
- 3Romanian Institute of Science and Technology, Cluj Napoca, 400022, Romania
- 4Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
- 5Department of Geography, West University, Timișoara, 300223, Romania
- 6Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, 5020, Norway
- 7Department of Geography, Aegean University, Mytilene, 81100, Greece
- 8Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, 27515, Germany
- 9Department of History and Archeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54636, Greece
- 10École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- 11University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, 5000, Slovenia
- 12Department of History and Archaeology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus
- Authors with equal contribution
- 1Emil Racoviță Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Cluj Napoca, 400006, Romania
- 2Stable Isotope Laboratory, Ștefan cel Mare University, Suceava, 720229, Romania
- 3Romanian Institute of Science and Technology, Cluj Napoca, 400022, Romania
- 4Department of Geography, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
- 5Department of Geography, West University, Timișoara, 300223, Romania
- 6Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, 5020, Norway
- 7Department of Geography, Aegean University, Mytilene, 81100, Greece
- 8Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, 27515, Germany
- 9Department of History and Archeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, 54636, Greece
- 10École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
- 11University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, 5000, Slovenia
- 12Department of History and Archaeology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, 1678, Cyprus
- Authors with equal contribution
Abstract. Glaciers worldwide are shrinking at an accelerated rate as the climate changes in response to anthropogenic influence. While increasing air temperature is the main factor behind glacier mass loss, changing atmospheric circulation patterns and the distribution of precipitation also plays a role, though these are not as well understood. Furthermore, while the mass balance of surface glaciers (from large polar ice sheets to small alpine glaciers) is relatively well documented and continuously monitored, little to nothing is known about the response of cave glaciers (perennial ice accumulations in rock-hosted caves) to atmospheric warming. In this context, we present the response of cave and surface glaciers in SE Europe to synoptic conditions in summer 2019. Our investigation shows that extreme precipitation events occurring between May and July 2019 led to catastrophic loss of ice at levels unprecedented during the last century. As climate models predict that such extreme precipitation events are set to increase in frequency and intensity, the presence of cave glaciers in SE Europe and the paleoclimatic information they host may be lost in the near future. Moreover, the same projected continuous warming and increase in precipitation extremes could pose an additional threat to the Alpine glaciers in southern Europe, resulting in faster than predicted melting.
Aurel Persoiu et al.
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RC1: 'Review: “Unprecedented loss of surface and cave ice in SE Europe related to record summer rains in 2019”', Anonymous Referee #1, 24 Nov 2020
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Aurel Perşoiu, 03 Jan 2021
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Aurel Perşoiu, 03 Jan 2021
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RC2: 'Review_Unprecedented loss of surface and cave ice in SE Europe related to record summer rains in 2019_Aurel Persoiu et al.', Anonymous Referee #2, 06 Dec 2020
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AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Aurel Perşoiu, 03 Jan 2021
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AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Aurel Perşoiu, 03 Jan 2021
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RC3: 'tc-2020-287-review', Zoltán Kern, 07 Dec 2020
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AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Aurel Perşoiu, 03 Jan 2021
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AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Aurel Perşoiu, 03 Jan 2021
Aurel Persoiu et al.
Aurel Persoiu et al.
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