Common climatic signal from glaciers in the European Alps over the last 50 years

Vincent, C.; Fischer, A.; Mayer, C.; Bauder, Andreas; Galos, S. P.; Funk, Martin; Thibert, E.; Six, D.; Braun, L.; Huss, Matthias

doi:10.1002/2016GL072094

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Common climatic signal from glaciers in the European Alps over the last 50 years

Vincent, C. Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble, France
Fischer, A. Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary, Innsbruck, Austria
Mayer, C. Commission for Geodesy and Glaciology, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich, Germany
Bauder, Andreas Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Galos, S. P. Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Funk, Martin Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Thibert, E. IRSTEA, Université Grenoble Alpes, St-Martin d'Hères, France
Six, D. Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble, France
Braun, L. Commission for Geodesy and Glaciology, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich, Germany
Huss, Matthias Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Switzerland - Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

16.02.2017

Published in:

Geophysical Research Letters. - 2017, vol. 44, no. 3, p. 1376–1383

English Conventional glacier-wide mass balances are commonly used to study the effect of climate forcing on glacier melt. Unfortunately, the glacier-wide mass balances are also influenced by the glacier's dynamic response. Investigations on the effects of climate forcing on glaciers can be largely improved by analyzing point mass balances. Using a statistical model, we have found that 52% of the year-to-year deviations in the point mass balances of six glaciers distributed across the entire European Alps can be attributed to a common variability. Point mass balance changes reveal remarkable regional consistencies reaching 80% for glaciers less than 10 km apart. Compared to the steady state conditions of the 1962–1982 period, the surface mass balance changes are −0.85 m water equivalent (w.e.) a⁻¹ for 1983–2002 and −1.63 m w.e. a⁻¹ for 2003–2013. This indicates a clear and regionally consistent acceleration of mass loss over recent decades over the entire European Alps.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Géosciences

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