The retreat of ice shelves and glaciers over the last century provides unequivocal evidence of recent global warming. Glacierets (miniature glaciers) and ice patches are important components of the ...cryosphere that highlight the global retreat of glaciers, but knowledge of their behaviour prior to the Little Ice Age is lacking. Here, we report the uranium–thorium age of subglacial carbonate deposits from a recently exposed surface previously occupied by the disappearing Triglav Glacier (southeastern European Alps) that may elucidate the glacier's presence throughout the entire Holocene. The ages suggest the deposits' possible preservation since the Last Glacial Maximum and Younger Dryas. These thin deposits, formed by regelation, are easily eroded if exposed during previous Holocene climatic optima. The age data indicate the glacier's present unprecedented level of retreat since the Last Glacial Maximum and the potential of subglacial carbonates as additional proxies to highlight the extraordinary nature of the current global climatic changes.
Outside the main mountain ranges and high North and South regions, individual isolated very small glaciers are the only glacier remnants and exceptional high-mountain active geomorphosites, which can ...be used to represent climate change consequences first hand to the local general public. The isolated, very small Triglav glacier in Slovenia was used to represent 3D glacier area changes for the period 1829–2016, together with long-term meteorological changes. Spatio-temporal changes of the glacier were derived mainly from old images and postcards with the help of interactive orientation (monoplotting), which enables the acquisition of a 3D glacier boundary from a single image by using a modern detailed digital elevation model. Very intuitive 3D visualisation was prepared, which shows the spatio-temporal changes of the glacier area, together with changes in average annual temperature and maximum annual snow depth. The last two are presented by colour palettes, where red colours represent stages when temperatures or maximum snow depths deviate from long-term averages in a negative way, meaning accelerating the glacier area reduction. Blue colours are used for stages when these parameters deviate from long-term averages in a positive way, meaning preserving the glacier area. From this 3D visualisation, one can easily recognise which meteorological parameter is the most important for the Triglav glacier preservation; this is the maximum annual snow depth. Such kind of 3D visualisation has a great potential for promotion of other active or evolving passive geomorphosites too.
It is well known that small glaciers of mid latitudes and especially those located at low altitude respond suddenly to climate changes both on local and global scale. For this reason their monitoring ...as well as evaluation of their extension and volume is essential. We present a ground penetrating radar (GPR) dataset acquired on September 23 and 24, 2013 on the Triglav glacier to identify layers with different characteristics (snow,
firn
, ice, debris) within the glacier and to define the extension and volume of the actual ice. Computing integrated and interpolated 3D using the whole GPR dataset, we estimate that at the moment of data acquisition the ice area was 3800 m
2
and the ice volume 7400 m
3
. Its average thickness was 1.95 m while its maximum thickness was slightly more than 5 m. Here we compare the results with a previous GPR survey acquired in 2000. A critical review of the historical data to find the general trend and to forecast a possible evolution is also presented. Between 2000 and 2013, we observed relevant changes in the internal distribution of the different units (snow,
firn
, ice) and the ice volume reduced from about 35,000 m
3
to about 7400 m
3
. Such result can be achieved only using multiple GPR surveys, which allow not only to assess the volume occupied by a glacial body, but also to image its internal structure and the actual ice volume. In fact, by applying one of the widely used empirical volume-area relations to infer the geometrical parameters of the glacier, a relevant underestimation of ice-loss would be achieved.
Various geodetic and lidar measurements performed on the Triglav Glacier (Julian Alps, Slovenia) make it possible to study not only the extent of the glacier but also changes in its thickness and ...volume. These measurements also make it possible to calculate the geodetic mass balance of the glacier. Thickness and volume changes were calculated using glacier area measurements from 1952, 1975, and 1992, and annually between 1999 and 2016. The mean thickness decreased from 39.2m in 1952 to 2.45m in 2012. The maximum thickness decreased from 48.3 m in 1952 to 5.2 m in 2007. The mean specific mass balance was calculated for the area of 1 hectare that the glacier covered in 2016. From 1952 to 2016, the annual specific mass balance was −0.45m w.e.a−1.
Various ice bodies are an important source of paleoenvironmental data, and their study improves the understanding of present and future environmental conditions. Their changes are an important ...indicator of climate change. This special issue of Acta geographica Slovenica draws attention to the changing and disappearing cryosphere across the globe, with an emphasis on the southeastern Alps, and the necessity to conduct research in this field before the ice disappears forever. This paper briefly summarizes the current body of knowledge on glaciers, permafrost, cave ice, lake and river ice, and snow in the southeastern Alps, and it presents the contribution of Acta geographica Slovenica to this research and the main highlights of all five papers included in this special issue.
The Triglav Glacier in the Julian Alps and the Skuta Glacier in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps are among the south-easternmost glaciers in the Alps. Historical data show that ice masses are undergoing mass ...loss as the overall climate warms. Glacier ice and cave ice contain a wealth of paleoclimatic information, and rapid sampling is needed if any such information is to be saved before the ice is completely melted. We present the first comprehensive geochemical and water isotope data from glacier ice, meltwater, spring water, and cave ice in the Mount Triglav area and glacier ice from the Skuta Glacier. The samples primarily reflect the initial precipitation signal that has been greatly modified by the input of local CaCO3-rich dust with lesser amounts of marine aerosol and vegetation debris.
Triglav glacier is situated on the northeast side of the highest Slovenian mountain peak, Triglav; it is a glacier remnant of the Little Ice Age. Next to Triglav glacier is the Kredarica mountain hut ...with a meteorological station. At 2514 ma.s.l., it is the highSest meteorological station in Slovenia, and has been in continuous operation since 1954. In this paper, the acquisition of three-dimensional data from archived, non-metric, panoramic, Horizont images is presented. The annual variations of Triglav glacier’s area are given for the period 1976–2010, together with monthly snow variations for the years 1977 and 1998. Additionally, theoretical and empirical volumes and an empirical thickness reduction are computed. The changes to Triglav glacier are compared with the summarized meteorological data from the Kredarica meteorological station. In 1976 Triglav glacier covered an area of 15 ha; by 1992 this had shrunk to 4.3 ha, and it reached its minimum of 0.6 ha in 2003, as measured from Horizont images. Since then the glacier has been mainly conserved by the snow cover from previous winters.
The Triglav glacier is situated in the Julian Alps in the northwest of Slovenia. Presented are the results of investigations and measurements of the Triglav glacier done between the years 1999 and ...2012. It was for the first time during this period that its depth was measured by means of georadar. Its area was measured on a yearly basis by means of various land surveying methods which are stated in detail. We explained the dynamics of the glacier’s shrinking on the grounds of weather conditions of each respective year. Due to the glacier’s concave form, snow in the past few years remained all until the late summer, particularly in the central and lower sections of the glacier. If such weather conditions continue, and the amount of winter precipitation further increases, the remainder of the Triglav glacier, though small in size, will continue to exist for a few years.
Three very small Alpine glaciers in the Julian Alps are presented: the Eastern and the Western Canin glaciers in Italy and the Triglav glacier in Slovenia. The history of measurements using a ...measuring tape and via geodetic means on Canin glaciers is presented in brief; the majority of the paper deals with the acquisition of glacier boundaries from archive non-metrical images. The acquisition is based on interactive orientation method (mono-plotting) using lidar DTM. Seven archive non-metrical images of Mount Canin from 1893 to the mid-1970s and two aero-photogrametric images from periodic aerial photogrammetric surveys of Slovenia from 2000 and 2011 were used to determine the glaciers’ areas. In addition, a map of Canin glaciers from 1908 was geo-referenced. Five archive non-metrical images of Triglav glacier from 1897 to 1962 were used to determine the glacier area. Problems with obstructed areas are presented, and possible solutions are also given for deriving areas behind the obstructions. The usefulness of archival imagery for long-time monitoring of glaciers is presented, and the importance of old mountaineering publications as a source of such images is emphasized.
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