Estimating the Evolution of a Post-Little Ice Age Deglaciated Alpine Valley through the DEM of Difference (DoD)
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2023
Citazione:
Estimating the Evolution of a Post-Little Ice Age Deglaciated Alpine Valley through the DEM of Difference (DoD) / R.S. Azzoni, M. Pelfini, A. Zerboni. - In: REMOTE SENSING. - ISSN 2072-4292. - 15:12(2023), pp. 3190.1-3190.18. [10.3390/rs15123190]
Abstract:
Since the end of the Lile Ice Age (LIA, ~1830), the accelerated glaciers’ shrinkage along
mid-latitude high mountain areas promoted a quick readjustment of geomorphological processes
with the onset of the paraglacial dynamic, making proglacial areas among the most sensitive Earth’s
landscapes to ongoing climate change. A potentially useful remote-sensing method for investigating
such dynamic areas is the DEM (Digital Elevation Model) of Difference (DoD) technique, which
quantifies volumetric changes in a territory between successive topographic surveys. After a de-
tailed geomorphological analysis and comparison with historical maps of the Martello Valley (cen-
tral Italian Alps), we applied the DoD for reconstructing post-LIA deglaciation dynamics and re-
ported on the surface effects of freshly-onset paraglacial processes. The head of the valley is still
glacierized, with three main ice bodies resulting from the huge reduction of a single glacier present
at the apogee of the LIA. Aftermath: the glaciers lose 60% of their initial surface area, largely modi-
fying local landforms and expanding the surface of the proglacial areas. The DoD analysis of the
2006–2015 timeframe (based on registered DEM derived from LiDAR—Light Detection and Rang-
ing—data) highlights deep surface elevation changes ranging from +38 ± 4.01 m along the foot of
rock walls, where gravitative processes increased their intensity, to −47 ± 4.01 m where the melting
of buried ice caused collapses of the proglacial surface. This approach permits estimating the vol-
ume of sediments mobilized and reworked by paraglacial processes. Here, in less than 10 years,
−23,675 ± 1165 m3 of sediment were removed along the proglacial area and transported down valley,
highlighting the dynamicity of proglacial areas.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
proglacial landforms; paraglacial processes; remote sensing; DEM of Difference; post-LIA deglaciation; central Alps
Elenco autori:
R.S. Azzoni, M. Pelfini, A. Zerboni
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