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 and volume loss, variable patterns of precipitation distribution also play a role, though these are not as well understood. Furthermore, while the response of surface glaciers (from large polar ice sheets to small alpine glaciers) to climatic changes is well documented and continuously monitored, little to nothing is known about how cave glaciers (perennial ice accumulations in rock-hosted caves) react to atmospheric warming. In this context, we present here the response of cave and surface glaciers in SE Europe to the extreme precipitation events occurring between May and July 2019 in SE Europe. Surface glaciers in the northern Balkan Peninsula lost between 17 % and 19 % of their total area, while cave glaciers in Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia lost ice at levels higher than any recorded by instrumental observations during the past decades. The melting was likely the result of large amounts of warm water delivered directly to the surface of the glaciers, leading to rapid reduction in the area of surface glaciers and the thickness of cave glaciers. 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.
V članku je predstavljena su�a dolina Mali dol, ki je ena izmed su�i� dolin, ki prečkajo 45 km dolgo in do 15 km široko uravnavo Krasa. Mali dol je 10 km dolga in med 50 in 75 metrov globoka su�a dolina, ki meandrira po Komenskem Krasu v prečnodinarski smeri prečno na vse reliefne in geološke strukture. Zaradi sedimenta in debelejše odeje prsti so se v dno dolinaste oblike poglobile globoke in velike korozijske vrtače. Te vrtače so večje in globlje od vrtač na sosednjem, uravnanem kraškem površju. Lokalno pretrte cone, komenski ploščati apnenci z roženci in debela odeja sedimenta dovoljujejo površinsko odtekanje vode s pobočij v dno doline. Na nekateri� mesti� so se zato oblikovali globoki in strmi erozijski jarki. Geomorfološke značilnosti, starost dolinske oblike in debelina sedimenta govorijo o poligenetskem nastanku su�e doline. Oblika je nastala med uravnavanjem platoja v višini piezometričnega nivoja.
Patterned ground is a characteristic periglacial landform in polar and alpine environments but has not been systematically studied in karst caves. Here we characterize the periglacial environment and sorted stripes within the Ledenica pod Hrušico ice cave, western Slovenia. The stripes were mapped, sediment depth and grain size were measured, and cave and outside air temperatures were monitored together with ground temperatures. Eleven sorted stripes of coarse limestone debris had developed on 1 m thick silt‐rich sediment, underlain by limestone bedrock. Silt‐rich cave sediments can accumulate as insoluble carbonate residue or during flood events, whereas coarse debris may result from frost shattering. Cold winter air entered the ice cave, but little air exchange occurred during summer, when the cave air temperature slowly rose to a maximum of 5°C. Winter temperature oscillations propagated efficiently to the snow‐free cave floor. Fourteen freeze‐thaw cycles were observed at the patterned‐ground surface during winter 2015/2016 and may cause the differential frost heaving necessary for sediment sorting. Such periglacial conditions and mixtures of silty and coarse sediments can produce sorted patterns in karst caves.
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.
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