Discovery of cold ice in a new drilling site in the Eastern European Alps

Authors

  • Paolo Gabrielli School of Earth Sciences, 275 Mendenhall Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA; Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA Author
  • Carlo Barbante Istituto per la Dinamica dei Processi Ambientali-CNR and Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, University Ca’Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy; Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome, Italy Author
  • Luca Carturan Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-forestali, Agripolis, University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy Author
  • Giulio Cozzi Istituto per la Dinamica dei Processi Ambientali-CNR and Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, University Ca’Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy Author
  • Giancarlo Dalla Fontana Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-forestali, Agripolis, University of Padua, Legnaro, Italy Author
  • Roberto Dinale Ufficio Idrografico - Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy Author
  • Gianfranco Dragà Waterstones geomonitoring, Varna, Italy Author
  • Jacopo Gabrieli Istituto per la Dinamica dei Processi Ambientali-CNR and Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, University Ca’Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy Author
  • Natalie Kerhwald Istituto per la Dinamica dei Processi Ambientali-CNR and Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, University Ca’Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy Author
  • Volkmar Mair Ufficio Geologia e Prove materiali, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano-Alto Adige, Cardano, Italy Author
  • Vladimir Mikhalenko Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia Author
  • Gianni Piffer Waterstones geomonitoring, Varna, Italy Author
  • Mirko Rinaldi Waterstones geomonitoring, Varna, Italy Author
  • Roberto Seppi Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy Author
  • Andrea Spoalor Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, University of Siena, Siena, Italy Author
  • Lonnie G. Thompson School of Earth Sciences, 275 Mendenhall Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA; Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA Author
  • David Tonidandel Ufficio Geologia e Prove materiali, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano-Alto Adige, Cardano, Italy Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4461/GFDQ.2012.35.10

Keywords:

Ortles, Ice cores, Eastern Alps

Abstract

During autumn 2011 we extracted the first ice cores drilled to bedrock in the eastern European Alps from a new drilling site on the glacier Alto dell’Ortles (3859 m, South Tyrol, Italy). Direct ice core observations and englacial temperature measurements provide evidence of the concomitant presence of shallow temperate firn and deep cold ice layers (ice below the pressure melting point). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cold ice observed within a glacier of the eastern European Alps. These ice layers probably represent a unique remnant from the colder climate occurring before ~1980 AD. We conclude that the glacier Alto dell’Ortles is now changing from a cold to a temperate state. The occurrence of cold ice layers in this glacier enhances the probability that a climatic and environmental record is fully preserved in the recovered ice cores. 

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Published

2024-06-12

Issue

Section

Short communication

How to Cite

Gabrielli, P., Barbante, C., Carturan, L., Cozzi, G., Dalla Fontana, G., Dinale, R., Dragà, G., Gabrieli, J., Kerhwald, N., Mair, V., Mikhalenko, V., Piffer, G., Rinaldi, M., Seppi, R., Spoalor, A., Thompson, L. G., & Tonidandel, D. (2024). Discovery of cold ice in a new drilling site in the Eastern European Alps. Geografia Fisica E Dinamica Quaternaria, 35(1), 101-105. https://doi.org/10.4461/GFDQ.2012.35.10

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