A full Stokes ice-flow model to assist the interpretation of millennial-scale ice cores at the high-Alpine drilling site Colle Gnifetti, Swiss/Italian Alps

Licciulli, Carlo; Bohleber, Pascal; Lier, Josef; Gagliardini, Olivier; Hoelzle, Martin; Eisen, Olaf

doi:10.1017/jog.2019.82

Cited by 30 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(129 reference statements)

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“…Given the high variability in the accumulation rate, three ice cores may not be enough to fully represent the site, besides, ice core data are biased due to the fact they are drilled preferentially in the north flank, where accumulation and radiation are lower. While the modelled average annual accumulation is in the range of the ones estimated for the north flank of CG (Licciulli et al, 2020), the model is not able to reproduce the observed spatial variability. This would require to consider the effect of topography on wind speed and the spatial variation in solar radiation.…”

Section: Snow Accumulationcontrasting

confidence: 68%

“…Even though the site is characterized by high precipitation totals, accumulation in the saddle is considerably lower and highly variable over the glacier surface due to wind erosion, with values ranging from about 0.15 • 10 3 kg m −2 y −1 to 1.2 • 10 3 kg m −2 y −1 depending on the wind exposure (Alean et al, 1983;Lüthi and Funk, 2000;Licciulli et al, 2020). Alean et al (1983) measured the accumulation at CG between 17 August 1980 and 23 July 1982 with a network of 30 stakes.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snow accumulation at CG is characterized by a high spatial variability (Keck, 2001;Licciulli et al, 2020 +0.41 • 10 3 kg m −2 y −1 and −0.15 • 10 3 kg m −2 y −1 . The accumulation is strongly affected by surface topography that in turn is influenced by wind; this results in a quasi random spatial variation and a systematic temporal variation at a given location (Keck, 2001).…”

Section: Snow Accumulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A local model of snow-firn dynamics and application to Colle Gnifetti site

Banfi

Michele

2021

Preprint

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Abstract. The regulating role of glaciers on catchment run-off is of fundamental importance in sustaining people living in low lying areas. The reduction in glacierized areas under the effect of climate change disrupts the distribution and amount of run-off, threatening water supply, agriculture and hydropower. The prediction of these changes requires models that integrate hydrological, nivological and glaciological processes. In this work we propose a local model that combines the nivological and glaciological scales, developed with the aim of a subsequent integration in hydrological distributed models. The model was derived from mass balance, momentum balance and rheological equations and describes the formation and evolution of the snowpack and the firn below it. The model was applied at the site of Colle Gnifetti (Monte Rosa massif, 4400–4550 m a.s.l.). We obtained an average net accumulation of 0.26 · 103 kg m−2 y−1 to be compared with the observed net annual accumulation that increases from about 0.15 · 103 kg m−2 y−1 to about 1.2 · 103 kg m−2 y−1 moving from the north facing to the south facing slope. The model results confirm the strong influence of wind on snow accumulation and densification, observed also from ice cores. The conserved precipitation is made up mainly of snow deposited between May and September, when temperatures above melting point are also observed. Even tough the variability of annual snow accumulation is not well reproduced by the model, the modelled and observed firn densities show a good agreement up to the depth reached by the model with the available input data.

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Section: Snow Accumulationcontrasting

confidence: 68%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Snow Accumulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A local model of snow-firn dynamics and application to Colle Gnifetti site

Banfi

Michele

2021

Preprint

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“…Two examples are given based on ice originating from 1960 and 1950. tion area of glaciers have been used to infer the depth-age relationship of ice cores (e.g., Lüthi and Funk, 2000;Schwerzmann, 2006;Winski et al, 2017). Recently, Licciulli et al (2019) improved this approach by implementing a full ice flow model.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping the age of ice of Gauligletscher combining surface radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling

et al. 2020

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Abstract. In the 1950s and 1960s, specific radionuclides were released into the atmosphere as a result of nuclear weapons testing. This radioactive fallout left its signature on the accumulated layers of glaciers worldwide, thus providing a tracer for ice particles traveling within the gravitational ice flow and being released into the ablation zone. For surface ice dating purposes, we analyze here the activity of 239Pu, 240Pu and 236U radionuclides derived from more than 200 ice samples collected along five flowlines at the surface of Gauligletscher, Switzerland. It was found that contaminations appear band-wise along most of the sampled lines, revealing a V-shaped profile consistent with the ice flow field already observed. Similarities to activities found in ice cores permit the isochronal lines at the glacier from 1960 and 1963 to be identified. Hence this information is used to fine-tune an ice flow/mass balance model, and to accurately map the age of the entire glacier ice. Our results indicate the strong potential for combining radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling in two different ways. First, such tracers provide unique information on the long-term ice motion of the entire glacier (and not only at its surface), and on the long-term mass balance, and therefore offer an extremely valuable data tool for calibrating ice flows within a model. Second, the dating of surface ice is highly relevant when conducting “horizontal ice core sampling”, i.e., when taking chronological samples of surface ice from the distant past, without having to perform expensive and logistically complex deep ice-core drilling. In conclusion, our results show that an airplane which crash-landed on the Gauligletscher in 1946 will likely soon be released from the ice close to the place where pieces have emerged in recent years, thus permitting the prognosis given in an earlier model to be revised considerably.

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“…Lüthi and Funk, 2000;Schwerzmann, 2006;Winski et al, 2017). Recently, Licciulli et al (2019) improved this approach by combining to an ice flow model. 2 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-142 Preprint.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dating the ice of Gauligletscher, Switzerland, based on surface radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling

Jouvet

Röllin

Sahli

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. In the 1950s and '60s, specific radionuclides were released into the atmosphere as a result of nuclear weapons testing. This radioactive fallout left its signature on the accumulated layers of glaciers worldwide, thus providing a tracer for ice particles traveling within the gravitational ice flow and being released into the ablation zone. For surface ice dating purposes, we analyze here the activity of 239Pu, 240Pu and 236U radionuclides derived from more than 200 ice samples collected along five flowlines at the surface of Gauligletscher, Switzerland. It was found that contaminations appear band-wise along most of the sampled lines, revealing a V-shaped profile consistent with the ice flow field already observed. Similarities to activities found in ice cores permit the isochronal lines at the glacier from 1960 and 1963 to be identified. Hence this information is used to fine-tune an ice flow/mass balance model, and to accurately map the age of the entire glacier ice. Our results indicate the strong potential for combining radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling in two different ways. First, such tracers provide unique information on the long-term ice motion of the entire glacier (and not only at its surface), and on the long-term mass balance, and therefore offer an extremely valuable data tool for calibrating ice flows within a model. Second, the dating of surface ice is highly relevant when conducting "horizontal ice core sampling", i.e., when taking chronological samples of surface ice from the distant past, without having to perform expensive and logistically complex deep ice-core drilling. In conclusion, our results show that an airplane which crash-landed on the Gauligletscher in 1946 will likely soon be released from the ice close to the place where pieces have emerged in recent years, thus permitting the prognosis given in an earlier model to be revised considerably.

show abstract

A full Stokes ice-flow model to assist the interpretation of millennial-scale ice cores at the high-Alpine drilling site Colle Gnifetti, Swiss/Italian Alps

Cited by 30 publications

References 62 publications

A local model of snow-firn dynamics and application to Colle Gnifetti site

A local model of snow-firn dynamics and application to Colle Gnifetti site

Mapping the age of ice of Gauligletscher combining surface radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling

Dating the ice of Gauligletscher, Switzerland, based on surface radionuclide contamination and ice flow modeling

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