The case of a southern European glacier which survived Roman and medieval warm periods but is disappearing under recent warming

Moreno, A. ; Bartolomé, M. ; López-Moreno, J.I. ; Pey, J. ; Corella, J.P. ; García-Orellana, J. ; Sancho, C. ; Leunda, M. ; Gil-Romera, G. ; González-Sampériz, P. ; Pérez-Mejías, C. ; Navarro, F. ; Otero-García, J. ; Lapazaran, J. ; Alonso-González, E. ; Cid, C. ; López-Martínez, J. ; Oliva-Urcia, B. ; Faria, S.H. ; Sierra, M.J. ; Millán, R. ; Querol, X. ; Alastuey, A. ; García-Ruíz, J.M.

Resumen: Mountain glaciers have generally experienced an accelerated retreat over the last 3 decades as a rapid response to current global warming. However, the response to previous warm periods in the Holocene is not well-described for glaciers of the southern Europe mountain ranges, such as the Pyrenees. The situation during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (900-1300 CE) is particularly relevant since it is not certain whether the southern European glaciers just experienced significant ice loss or whether they actually disappeared. We present here the first chronological study of a glacier located in the Central Pyrenees (NE Spain), Monte Perdido Glacier (MPG), carried out by different radiochronological techniques and a comparison with geochemical proxies from neighbouring palaeoclimate records. The chronological model evidences that the glacier persisted during the Roman period and the Medieval Climate Anomaly. The apparent absence of ice in the past ~ 600 years suggests that any ice accumulated during the Little Ice Age has since ablated. This interpretation is supported by measured concentrations of anthropogenic metals, including Zn, Se, Cd, Hg and Pb, which have concentrations well below those typical of industrial-age ice measured at other glaciers in Europe. This study strengthens the general understanding that warming of the past few decades has been exceptional for the past 2 millennia.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.5194/tc-15-1157-2021

Año: 2021

Publicado en: The cryosphere 15, 2 (2021), 1157-1172
ISSN: 1994-0416

Factor impacto JCR: 5.805 (2021)

Categ. JCR: GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY rank: 22 / 203 = 0.108 (2021) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: GEOGRAPHY, PHYSICAL rank: 5 / 50 = 0.1 (2021) - Q1 - T1

Factor impacto CITESCORE: 9.1 - Earth and Planetary Sciences (Q1) - Environmental Science (Q1)

Factor impacto SCIMAGO: 2.378 - Water Science and Technology (Q1) - Earth-Surface Processes (Q1)

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/CEX2019-000940-M
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/CTM2017-84441-R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/MDM-2017-0714
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/RTI2018-100696-B-I00
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/E02-20R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/2017/MERS-SGR-1588
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN/FJCI-2017-34235063753
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/CGL2015-68993-R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/CGL2015-69160-R
Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MINECO/CGL2015-72167-EXP

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)