Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry
Abstract The spatial and temporal distribution of Alpine snow is a sensitive gauge of environmental change. While understanding past snow dynamics is essential for reconstructing past climate and forecasting future trends, reliable snowpack data prior to the instrumental record are scarce. We presen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107385 |
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| author | Benny Guralnik Marissa M. Tremblay Marcia Phillips Elaine L. Sellwood Natacha Gribenski Robert Presl Anna Haberkorn Reza Sohbati David L. Shuster Pierre G. Valla Mayank Jain Konrad Schindler Jakob Wallinga Kristina Hippe |
| author_facet | Benny Guralnik Marissa M. Tremblay Marcia Phillips Elaine L. Sellwood Natacha Gribenski Robert Presl Anna Haberkorn Reza Sohbati David L. Shuster Pierre G. Valla Mayank Jain Konrad Schindler Jakob Wallinga Kristina Hippe |
| author_sort | Benny Guralnik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The spatial and temporal distribution of Alpine snow is a sensitive gauge of environmental change. While understanding past snow dynamics is essential for reconstructing past climate and forecasting future trends, reliable snowpack data prior to the instrumental record are scarce. We present a novel pairing of cosmogenic paleothermometry and luminescence photochronometry which constrain the temperature and insolation history of bedrock outcrops at the Gotthard Pass, Switzerland, over the last ∼15,000 years. By coupling these results with cosmogenic 14C‐10Be chronology and modern in situ rock thermometry, we infer a ∼70‐day reduction of snowpack at the topographic mid‐slope. Our data indicate stable environmental conditions throughout the Holocene, followed by a 6.6 ± 2.9°C increase of ground surface temperature, coeval with an order‐of‐magnitude or more increase in ground surface insolation. Bracketing the onset of these changes between 1504 and 1807 CE, our findings tie the snowpack decline with the onset of human industrialization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e29886ef1fec4009bf3eeb79e5151bf3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-e29886ef1fec4009bf3eeb79e5151bf32025-08-20T01:48:16ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-01-01512n/an/a10.1029/2023GL107385Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence PhotochronometryBenny Guralnik0Marissa M. Tremblay1Marcia Phillips2Elaine L. Sellwood3Natacha Gribenski4Robert Presl5Anna Haberkorn6Reza Sohbati7David L. Shuster8Pierre G. Valla9Mayank Jain10Konrad Schindler11Jakob Wallinga12Kristina Hippe13Soil Geography & Landscape Group and Netherlands Centre for Luminescence Dating Wageningen University Wageningen The NetherlandsDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette IN USAWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF Davos Dorf SwitzerlandSoil Geography & Landscape Group and Netherlands Centre for Luminescence Dating Wageningen University Wageningen The NetherlandsInstitute of Geological Sciences University of Bern Bern SwitzerlandInstitute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry ETH Zürich Zürich SwitzerlandWSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF Davos Dorf SwitzerlandDTU Physics Technical University of Denmark Roskilde DenmarkDepartment of Earth and Planetary Science University of California Berkeley CA USAUniversity Grenoble Alpes University Savoie Mont Blanc CNRS IRD IFSTTAR ISTerre Grenoble FranceDTU Physics Technical University of Denmark Roskilde DenmarkInstitute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry ETH Zürich Zürich SwitzerlandSoil Geography & Landscape Group and Netherlands Centre for Luminescence Dating Wageningen University Wageningen The NetherlandsLaboratory of Ion Beam Physics ETH Zürich Zürich SwitzerlandAbstract The spatial and temporal distribution of Alpine snow is a sensitive gauge of environmental change. While understanding past snow dynamics is essential for reconstructing past climate and forecasting future trends, reliable snowpack data prior to the instrumental record are scarce. We present a novel pairing of cosmogenic paleothermometry and luminescence photochronometry which constrain the temperature and insolation history of bedrock outcrops at the Gotthard Pass, Switzerland, over the last ∼15,000 years. By coupling these results with cosmogenic 14C‐10Be chronology and modern in situ rock thermometry, we infer a ∼70‐day reduction of snowpack at the topographic mid‐slope. Our data indicate stable environmental conditions throughout the Holocene, followed by a 6.6 ± 2.9°C increase of ground surface temperature, coeval with an order‐of‐magnitude or more increase in ground surface insolation. Bracketing the onset of these changes between 1504 and 1807 CE, our findings tie the snowpack decline with the onset of human industrialization.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107385snow covercosmogenicluminescenceAlpine |
| spellingShingle | Benny Guralnik Marissa M. Tremblay Marcia Phillips Elaine L. Sellwood Natacha Gribenski Robert Presl Anna Haberkorn Reza Sohbati David L. Shuster Pierre G. Valla Mayank Jain Konrad Schindler Jakob Wallinga Kristina Hippe Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry Geophysical Research Letters snow cover cosmogenic luminescence Alpine |
| title | Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry |
| title_full | Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry |
| title_fullStr | Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry |
| title_short | Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry |
| title_sort | three centuries of snowpack decline at an alpine pass revealed by cosmogenic paleothermometry and luminescence photochronometry |
| topic | snow cover cosmogenic luminescence Alpine |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107385 |
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