Climate Change-Induced Changes in the Chemistry of a High-Altitude Mountain Lake in the Central Alps ...

• Main Authors: Steingruber, Sandra M., Bernasconi, Stefano M., Valenti, Giorgio
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2021
• Subjects: Climate change; Mountain lake; Alps; Permafrost; Rock glacier; Water chemistry; Ice; permafrost
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000438687; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/438687

Mountains are among the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change, and one of the most evident signs of climate-related effect is the continuous net loss of ice from the cryosphere. Several studies showed that meltwater from glaciated and perennially frozen areas can profoundly affect alpine aquatic ecosystems. Here, we present the impressive temporal increase in solutes in Lake Leit, a mountain lake in the Central Alps that is impacted by an active rock glacier. During the last 30 years, concentrations of sulfate and base cations increased by factors of 4 and 3, respectively. Atmospheric deposition, the only catchment external source, could be excluded as possible cause. The inlets have sulfate and base cations concentrations that were up to double the concentrations of the lake outlet confirming the presence of catchment internal sources. The highest concentrations were measured in the springs at the bottom of the rock glacier. Ground surface temperatures of the rock glacier indicated a high probability ... : Aquatic Geochemistry, 27 (2) ...