Toward an Ice-Free Mountain Range: Demise of Pyrenean Glaciers During 2011-2020

[EN]Pyrenean glaciers are the largest in southern Europe. Their survival is threatened by climate change, highlighting the significance of their study. This research presents an assessment of changes in the glacierized area and thickness of Pyrenean glaciers from 2011 to 2020, using high-resolution...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Vidaller Gayán, Ixeia, Revuelto, Jesús, Izagirre Estibaritz, Eñaut, Rojas Heredia, Francisco, Alonso González, Esteban, Gascoin, Simon, René, Pierre, Berthier, Etienne, Rico Lozano, Ibai, Moreno, Ana, Serrano, Enrique, Serreta, A., López Moreno, Juan Ignacio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/53801
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/53801
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:lidar
Pyrenees
remote sensing
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
very small glaciers
Descripción
Sumario:[EN]Pyrenean glaciers are the largest in southern Europe. Their survival is threatened by climate change, highlighting the significance of their study. This research presents an assessment of changes in the glacierized area and thickness of Pyrenean glaciers from 2011 to 2020, using high-resolution optical satellite, airborne lidar and UAV images. The total glacierized area has shrunk by 23.2% and thickness has decreased on average by 6.3 m. These two variables show no correlation for individual glaciers. Although climatic conditions do not vary much among glaciers, their evolution was heterogeneous during the study period. The smaller glaciers (<10 ha) show a higher variability in their area decrease and thickness loss whereas the four largest glaciers (>10 ha) have a more homogeneous response. This can be attributed to the generally larger influence of local topography on the response of the smaller Pyrenean glaciers. There is no sign of slowdown in glacier shrinkage respect to previous decades.