Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps

International audience Ice aprons are defined as very small ice bodies covering steep rock slopes. They have only been the subject of increased scientific interest for a few years, despite the fact that they are a condition for mountaineering and obvious elements in the high-alpine landscapes. Howev...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Authors: Ravanel, Ludovic, Guillet, Grégoire, Kaushik, Suvrat, Preunkert, Susanne, Malet, Emmanuel, Magnin, Florence, Trouvé, Emmanuel, Montagnat, Maurine, Yan, Yajing, Deline, Philip
Other Authors: Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de Montagne (EDYTEM), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of St Andrews Scotland, Laboratoire d'Informatique, Systèmes, Traitement de l'Information et de la Connaissance (LISTIC), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry ), Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP ), Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2023
Subjects:
Ice
Online Access:https://hal.science/hal-04172099
https://hal.science/hal-04172099/document
https://hal.science/hal-04172099/file/ice-aprons-on-steep-high-alpine-slopes-insights-from-the-mont-blanc-massif-western-alps.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.15
id ftunigrenoble:oai:HAL:hal-04172099v1
record_format openpolar
institution Open Polar
collection Université Grenoble Alpes: HAL
op_collection_id ftunigrenoble
language English
topic Cold ice
glacial heritage
ice aprons
ice melting
Mont-Blanc massif
[SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology
[SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography
spellingShingle Cold ice
glacial heritage
ice aprons
ice melting
Mont-Blanc massif
[SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology
[SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography
Ravanel, Ludovic
Guillet, Grégoire
Kaushik, Suvrat
Preunkert, Susanne
Malet, Emmanuel
Magnin, Florence
Trouvé, Emmanuel
Montagnat, Maurine
Yan, Yajing
Deline, Philip
Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps
topic_facet Cold ice
glacial heritage
ice aprons
ice melting
Mont-Blanc massif
[SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology
[SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography
description International audience Ice aprons are defined as very small ice bodies covering steep rock slopes. They have only been the subject of increased scientific interest for a few years, despite the fact that they are a condition for mountaineering and obvious elements in the high-alpine landscapes. However, very little is known about their distribution, evolution and physical characteristics. In this paper, we review the existing knowledge on ice aprons, which have almost exclusively been investigated in the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps. We supplement this review with novel results from recent surveys of ice aprons. We used a wide array of methodologies, from remote sensing (multi-source imagery) to in situ (stakes and thermal monitoring) and laboratory (radiocarbon dating and texture analysis) glaciological investigations. In the Mont-Blanc massif, ice aprons occupy 4.2 km 2 within the alpine permafrost zone. Temperature measured at the ice–rock interface is indeed largely negative. Thinness of ice aprons coupled with the cold context implies a quasi-stationary shear regime without basal Sliding. Only ice at the surface can possibly melt in warm periods. After a shrinking period from the end of the Little Ice Age to the mid-to-late-1960s, ice aprons experienced a short period of expansion, followed by an accelerated shrinkage since the beginning of the 21st century. This shrinkage now favours rockfall triggering and poses a serious threat to a glaciological heritage since ice aprons host several-thousand-year-old ice. Finally, we synthesize this information to assess the existing definition of ice aprons, and propose some future research directions.
author2 Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de Montagne (EDYTEM)
Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
University of St Andrews Scotland
Laboratoire d'Informatique, Systèmes, Traitement de l'Information et de la Connaissance (LISTIC)
Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )
Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE)
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )
Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Ravanel, Ludovic
Guillet, Grégoire
Kaushik, Suvrat
Preunkert, Susanne
Malet, Emmanuel
Magnin, Florence
Trouvé, Emmanuel
Montagnat, Maurine
Yan, Yajing
Deline, Philip
author_facet Ravanel, Ludovic
Guillet, Grégoire
Kaushik, Suvrat
Preunkert, Susanne
Malet, Emmanuel
Magnin, Florence
Trouvé, Emmanuel
Montagnat, Maurine
Yan, Yajing
Deline, Philip
author_sort Ravanel, Ludovic
title Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps
title_short Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps
title_full Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps
title_fullStr Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps
title_full_unstemmed Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps
title_sort ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the mont-blanc massif, western alps
publisher HAL CCSD
publishDate 2023
url https://hal.science/hal-04172099
https://hal.science/hal-04172099/document
https://hal.science/hal-04172099/file/ice-aprons-on-steep-high-alpine-slopes-insights-from-the-mont-blanc-massif-western-alps.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.15
long_lat ENVELOPE(69.468,69.468,-49.461,-49.461)
geographic Mont Blanc
geographic_facet Mont Blanc
genre Ice
Journal of Glaciology
permafrost
genre_facet Ice
Journal of Glaciology
permafrost
op_source ISSN: 0022-1430
EISSN: 1727-5652
Journal of Glaciology
https://hal.science/hal-04172099
Journal of Glaciology, 2023, 69 (277), ⟨10.1017/jog.2023.15⟩
op_relation info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1017/jog.2023.15
hal-04172099
https://hal.science/hal-04172099
https://hal.science/hal-04172099/document
https://hal.science/hal-04172099/file/ice-aprons-on-steep-high-alpine-slopes-insights-from-the-mont-blanc-massif-western-alps.pdf
doi:10.1017/jog.2023.15
op_rights info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.15
container_title Journal of Glaciology
container_start_page 1
op_container_end_page 17
_version_ 1796310787637116928
spelling ftunigrenoble:oai:HAL:hal-04172099v1 2024-04-14T08:12:56+00:00 Ice aprons on steep high-alpine slopes: insights from the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps Ravanel, Ludovic Guillet, Grégoire Kaushik, Suvrat Preunkert, Susanne Malet, Emmanuel Magnin, Florence Trouvé, Emmanuel Montagnat, Maurine Yan, Yajing Deline, Philip Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de Montagne (EDYTEM) Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) University of St Andrews Scotland Laboratoire d'Informatique, Systèmes, Traitement de l'Information et de la Connaissance (LISTIC) Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry ) Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (IGE) Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP ) Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) 2023-05-09 https://hal.science/hal-04172099 https://hal.science/hal-04172099/document https://hal.science/hal-04172099/file/ice-aprons-on-steep-high-alpine-slopes-insights-from-the-mont-blanc-massif-western-alps.pdf https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.15 en eng HAL CCSD International Glaciological Society info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1017/jog.2023.15 hal-04172099 https://hal.science/hal-04172099 https://hal.science/hal-04172099/document https://hal.science/hal-04172099/file/ice-aprons-on-steep-high-alpine-slopes-insights-from-the-mont-blanc-massif-western-alps.pdf doi:10.1017/jog.2023.15 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0022-1430 EISSN: 1727-5652 Journal of Glaciology https://hal.science/hal-04172099 Journal of Glaciology, 2023, 69 (277), ⟨10.1017/jog.2023.15⟩ Cold ice glacial heritage ice aprons ice melting Mont-Blanc massif [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2023 ftunigrenoble https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.15 2024-03-21T16:10:47Z International audience Ice aprons are defined as very small ice bodies covering steep rock slopes. They have only been the subject of increased scientific interest for a few years, despite the fact that they are a condition for mountaineering and obvious elements in the high-alpine landscapes. However, very little is known about their distribution, evolution and physical characteristics. In this paper, we review the existing knowledge on ice aprons, which have almost exclusively been investigated in the Mont-Blanc massif, Western Alps. We supplement this review with novel results from recent surveys of ice aprons. We used a wide array of methodologies, from remote sensing (multi-source imagery) to in situ (stakes and thermal monitoring) and laboratory (radiocarbon dating and texture analysis) glaciological investigations. In the Mont-Blanc massif, ice aprons occupy 4.2 km 2 within the alpine permafrost zone. Temperature measured at the ice–rock interface is indeed largely negative. Thinness of ice aprons coupled with the cold context implies a quasi-stationary shear regime without basal Sliding. Only ice at the surface can possibly melt in warm periods. After a shrinking period from the end of the Little Ice Age to the mid-to-late-1960s, ice aprons experienced a short period of expansion, followed by an accelerated shrinkage since the beginning of the 21st century. This shrinkage now favours rockfall triggering and poses a serious threat to a glaciological heritage since ice aprons host several-thousand-year-old ice. Finally, we synthesize this information to assess the existing definition of ice aprons, and propose some future research directions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Journal of Glaciology permafrost Université Grenoble Alpes: HAL Mont Blanc ENVELOPE(69.468,69.468,-49.461,-49.461) Journal of Glaciology 1 17