Climate variability and Alpine glaciers evolution in Northwestern Italy from the Little Ice Age to the 2010s

Nigrelli, Guido; Lucchesi, Stefania; Bertotto, Stefania; Fioraso, Gianfranco; Chiarle, Marta

doi:10.1007/s00704-014-1313-x

Cited by 21 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…and Pennine (Valais) Alps (maximum elevation Monte Rosa, 4637 m a.s.l.) (Nigrelli et al ., ). Despite the lowering of the ELA, piedmont lobes developed only in the major catchments (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

New geomorphological and chronological constraints for glacial deposits in the Rivoli‐Avigliana end‐moraine system and the lower Susa Valley (Western Alps, NW Italy)

Ivy‐Ochs

Lucchesi

Baggio³

et al. 2018

J Quaternary Science

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Our new dataset from the Rivoli‐Avigliana end‐moraine system, the westernmost amphitheatre of the Italian Alps, provides an important step towards understanding foreland‐reaching glaciations before and during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Western Alps. 10Be data from six boulders in pre‐LGM deposits gave ages between 26.8 ± 2.1 and 41.2 ± 1.9 ka. Based on morphological and pedological data, we interpret the oldest age as a minimum age for the glacier advance(s). 10Be results suggest that the LGM occurred in two major steps. During the first at 24.0 ± 1.5 ka, several ridges were constructed demonstrating oscillation of the Dora Riparia glacier snout at the maximum position. Our data demonstrate a significantly larger LGM extent in the Rivoli‐Avigliana amphitheatre than shown on previous maps. The maximum advance was followed by a short re‐advance of the glacier at 19.6 ± 0.9 ka, as recorded by 10Be ages from boulders in lateral positions along the lower Susa Valley. The maximum ice surface during the LGM was at 1000–920 m a.s.l. in the final reach of the valley (560–620 m of elevation above the alluvial plain) and at 620–340 m a.s.l. at the continuous moraines in the amphitheatre.

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“…and Pennine (Valais) Alps (maximum elevation Monte Rosa, 4637 m a.s.l.) (Nigrelli et al ., ). Despite the lowering of the ELA, piedmont lobes developed only in the major catchments (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

New geomorphological and chronological constraints for glacial deposits in the Rivoli‐Avigliana end‐moraine system and the lower Susa Valley (Western Alps, NW Italy)

Ivy‐Ochs

Lucchesi

Baggio³

et al. 2018

J Quaternary Science

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“…Overall, seven percent of values were reconstructed for the daily maximum and 12% for the daily minimum temperature. Due to the higher number of missing values and because improper instrument management generally has a greater impact on minimum temperature recordings (Acquaotta et al, 2015, Caussinus and Mestre, 2004, Nigrelli et al, 2015, Rangwala and Miller, 2012, Trewin, 2010, Vincent et al, 2009), all subsequent analyses in this paper use the daily maximum temperature.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The association between ambient temperature and mortality in South Africa: A time-series analysis

Scovronick

Sera

Acquaotta

et al. 2018

Environmental Research

117

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BackgroundThere is an extensive literature describing temperature-mortality associations in developed regions, but research from developing countries, and Africa in particular, is limited.MethodsWe conducted a time-series analysis using daily temperature data and a national dataset of all 8.8 million recorded deaths in South Africa between 1997 and 2013. Mortality and temperature data were linked at the district municipality level and relationships were estimated with a distributed lag non-linear model with 21 days of lag, and pooled in a multivariate meta-analysis.ResultsWe found an association between daily maximum temperature and mortality. The relative risk for all-age all-cause mortality on very cold and hot days (1st and 99th percentile of the temperature distribution) was 1.14 (1.10,1.17) and 1.06 (1.03,1.09), respectively, when compared to the minimum mortality temperature. This “U” shaped relationship was evident for every age and cause group investigated, except among 25–44 year olds. The strongest associations were in the youngest (< 5) and oldest (> 64) age groups and for cardiorespiratory causes. Heat effects occurred immediately after exposure but diminished quickly whereas cold effects were delayed but persistent. Overall, 3.4% of deaths (~ 290,000) in South Africa were attributable to non-optimum temperatures over the study period. We also present results for the 52 district municipalities individually.ConclusionsAn assessment of the largest-ever dataset for analyzing temperature-mortality associations in (South) Africa indicates mortality burdens associated with cold and heat, and identifies the young and elderly as particularly vulnerable.

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“…The Mann-Kendall test is a rank-based, non-parametric test for verifying trend significance and is largely used to assess the significance of trends in hydro-meteorological time series. The advantage of this test is that it is distribution-free and does not assume any special form for the distribution function of the data, including censored and missing data (Sneyers 1990;Nigrelli et al 2015).…”

Section: Climatic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An integrated approach to investigate climate-driven rockfall occurrence in high alpine slopes: the Bessanese glacial basin, Western Italian Alps

et al. 2020

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Rockfalls are one of the most common instability processes in high mountains. They represent a relevant issue, both for the risks they represent for (infra) structures and frequentation, and for their potential role as terrestrial indicators of climate change. This study aims to contribute to the growing topic of the relationship between climate change and slope instability at the basin scale. The selected study area is the Bessanese glacial basin (Western Italian Alps) which, since 2016, has been specifically equipped, monitored and investigated for this purpose. In order to provide a broader context for the interpretation of the recent rockfall events and associated climate conditions, a cross-temporal and integrated approach has been adopted. For this purpose, geomorphological investigations (last 100 years), local climate (last 30 years) and near-surface rock/air temperatures analyses, have been carried out. First research outcomes show that rockfalls occurred in two different geomorphological positions: on rock slopes in permafrost condition, facing from NW to NE and/or along the glacier margins, on rock slopes uncovered by the ice in the last decades. Seasonal thaw of the active layer and/or glacier debutressing can be deemed responsible for slope failure preparation. With regard to timing, almost all dated rock falls occurred in summer. For the July events, initiation may have been caused by a combination of rapid snow melt and enhanced seasonal thaw of the active layer due to anomalous high temperatures, and rainfall. August events are, instead, associated with a significant positive temperature anomaly on the quarterly scale, and they can be ascribed to the rapid and/or in depth thaw of the permafrost active layer. According to our findings, we can expect that in the Bessanese glacierized basin, as in similar high mountain areas, climate change will cause an increase of slope instability in the future. To fasten knowledge deepening, we highlight the need for a growth of a network of high elevation experimental sites at the basin scale, and the definition of shared methodological and measurement standards, that would allow a more rapid and effective comparison of data.

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Climate variability and Alpine glaciers evolution in Northwestern Italy from the Little Ice Age to the 2010s

Cited by 21 publications

References 30 publications

New geomorphological and chronological constraints for glacial deposits in the Rivoli‐Avigliana end‐moraine system and the lower Susa Valley (Western Alps, NW Italy)

New geomorphological and chronological constraints for glacial deposits in the Rivoli‐Avigliana end‐moraine system and the lower Susa Valley (Western Alps, NW Italy)

The association between ambient temperature and mortality in South Africa: A time-series analysis

An integrated approach to investigate climate-driven rockfall occurrence in high alpine slopes: the Bessanese glacial basin, Western Italian Alps

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