Nove anni di bilancio negativo al Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina (Alpi Lombarde). Rapporti con il clima e ipotesi di estinzione

Nine years of negative balance at the Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina (Alps of Lombardy, Italy). Relationships with climate and extinction hypotesis

Abstract

The Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina is a small cirque glacier in the Ortles-Cevedale Group (Alps of Lombardy, Italy). Starting from the hydrological year 1986-87, the mass balance was performed; the results were always negative till 1994-95. Total loss was about 7,33 m w.e, corresponding to about 3 x 10 6 m³ w.e.. By correlations between mass and climatic parameters, it was calculated that the Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina has lost from 1970 to 1986 between 13 and 18 m of water equivalent (i.e. between 5.3 and 7.6 x 10 6 m³ w.e.). By means of vertical electric soundings the thickness of the glacier and its residual storage (about 11 X 10 6 m³ ) was calculated. If the climatic conditions will not change in a short time, the survival time of the glacier could be evaluated at about thirty years.