Glaciers of Grandes Jorasses: an Open-Air Laboratory for Glacier Monitoring Systems Development

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Glaciers of Grandes Jorasses: an Open-Air Laboratory for Glacier Monitoring Systems Development EGU2020-9814 https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-9814 EGU General Assembly 2020 © Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Glaciers of Grandes Jorasses: an open-air laboratory for glacier monitoring systems development Niccolò Dematteis1, Daniele Giordan1, and Fabrizio Troilo2 1Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection, National Reasearch Council of Italy, Torino, Italy ([email protected]) 2Safe Mountain Foundation, Courmayeur, Italy Glaciological phenomena can have a strong impact on human activities in terms of hazards and freshwater supply. Therefore, a scientific observation is fundamental to investigate their current state and recent evolution. To this aim, experimenting innovative scientific survey methodologies and equipment is of primary importance. Strong efforts in this field have been spent in the glacial complex of the Grandes Jorasses massif (Mont Blanc area), where several ice break-offs glacial outburst triggered from the Planpincieux Glacier snout and the Whymper Serac and threatened the underling Planpincieux valley in the past. From 2009, the glacial complex has become an open filed laboratory where a wide set of close-range remote sensing survey systems have been developed and applied to investigate the glacial state and dynamics. Two continuous monoscopic time-lapse cameras observe the Planpincieux Glacier since 2013. Digital image correlation is applied to the photographs to measure the surface kinematics at different level of detail. During the monitoring, image analysis techniques allowed at classifying the instability processes of the terminus and at estimating the volume of the break-off events. Such investigation revealed the presence of possible break-off precursors and a monotonic relationship between glacier velocity and break-off volume, which might help for risk evaluation. A robotised total station (RTS) is active since 2009 to monitor the Whymper Serac velocity (Grandes Jorasses Glacier). The operative distance between the total station and targets is approximately 5000 m. A network of several prisms is installed onto the serac, but the extreme conditions related to the high-mountain environment force to replace periodically the stakes that are lost. Besides the RTS, a monoscopic camera acquires hourly images of the serac for surface velocity measurements. In addition to the permanent monitoring systems, surveys with four different terrestrial interferometric radars have been conducted in the Planpincieux Glacier between 2013 and 2019. Helicopter-borne LiDAR and terrestrial laser scanner provided the DEM of the Planpincieux Glacier in 2014 and 2015 respectively. A sequence of six DEMs has been also produced by aerial and UAV structure from motion in the time span 2017-2019. Finally, a helicopter ground penetrating radar campaign was conducted in 2013 to evaluate the thickness of the Planpincieux Glacier and Whymper Serac. For what concerns the mountain glaciers, the survey activity conducted in the Grandes Jorasses massif since 2009 is probably one the most intensive and variegated in European Alps. This makes such an environment an open-air laboratory for experimenting close-range remote sensing monitoring systems that it is ready for new research activities and monitoring solutions development. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).
Recommended publications
  • Mountain Permafrost and Associated Geomorphological Processes: Recent Changes in the French Alps
    Journal of Alpine Research | Revue de géographie alpine 103-2 | 2015 Impact du changement climatique sur les dynamiques des milieux montagnards Mountain permafrost and associated geomorphological processes: recent changes in the French Alps Xavier Bodin, Philippe Schoeneich, Philip Deline, Ludovic Ravanel, Florence Magnin, Jean-Michel Krysiecki and Thomas Echelard Publisher Association pour la diffusion de la recherche alpine Electronic version URL: http://rga.revues.org/2885 DOI: 10.4000/rga.2885 ISSN: 1760-7426 Electronic reference Xavier Bodin, Philippe Schoeneich, Philip Deline, Ludovic Ravanel, Florence Magnin, Jean-Michel Krysiecki and Thomas Echelard, « Mountain permafrost and associated geomorphological processes: recent changes in the French Alps », Journal of Alpine Research | Revue de géographie alpine [Online], 103-2 | 2015, Online since 02 September 2015, connection on 30 September 2016. URL : http:// rga.revues.org/2885 ; DOI : 10.4000/rga.2885 This text was automatically generated on 30 septembre 2016. La Revue de Géographie Alpine est mise à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International. Mountain permafrost and associated geomorphological processes: recent changes... 1 Mountain permafrost and associated geomorphological processes: recent changes in the French Alps Xavier Bodin, Philippe Schoeneich, Philip Deline, Ludovic Ravanel, Florence Magnin, Jean-Michel Krysiecki and Thomas Echelard AUTHOR'S NOTE Acknowledgments This work is a synthesis of over 10 years of research on the mountain permafrost issue in the French Alps. It has been made possible thanks to the support of several research funds (MAIF, INTERREG and Alpine Space programmes, LabEx OSUG@2020, ZA Alps, Rhône-Alpes region) to whom we are grateful.
    [Show full text]
  • Val Ferret Pilot Action Region Grandes Jorasses
    Chapter Val Ferret Pilot Action Region: Grandes Jorasses Glaciers - An Open-Air Laboratory for the Development of Close-Range Remote Sensing Monitoring Systems Paolo Perret, Jean Pierre Fosson, Luca Mondardini and Valerio Segor Abstract The Val Ferret valley (Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy) was included as a Pilot Action Region (PAR) of the GreenRisk4Alps project since it is both a famous tourist location and a high-risk area for all types of mass movement processes. Typical natural hazards that endanger this PAR are debris flows and avalanches, sometimes connected to ice collapses from the glaciers of the Mont Blanc massif. Thanks to the steep sides of the valley and widespread alluvial channels, these events can reach the valley floor, where public roads, villages and touristic attractions are located. This article presents the main challenges of natural hazard management in the Val Ferret PAR, as well as the role of forestry and protective forests in the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region. As an example of good practice, the monitoring systems of the Planpincieux and Grandes Jorasses glaciers are presented. Recently, these glaciers have become an open-air laboratory for glacial monitoring techniques. Many close- range surveys have been conducted here, and a permanent network of monitoring systems that measure the surface deformation of the glaciers is currently active. Keywords: Val Ferret, protective forest, Mont Blanc, Aosta Valley, monitoring, glacial hazards, remote sensing 1. Introduction Courmayeur (1,224 m asl) is a small mountain town located in the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region, in northwestern Italy. It is a famous tourist destination whose fame and history are largely related to the presence of the Mont Blanc massif, which is one of the most renowned attractions in the Alps.
    [Show full text]
  • Korean Direct
    AAC Publications Korean Direct The First Ascent Of Gasherbrum V Insignificant against the blinding white backdrop of Gasherbrum V’s south face, we stood like silhouettes atop a moraine, the wall before us in full view. The complex glacier leading up to the face reminded me of scaly dragon’s tail. We had spotted a snaking line that would lead us to the jagged bergschrund at the foot of the wall. Once on the face, we would have to keep left to avoid a menacing serac, then move right in the upper mixed section before finishing with a direct line to the top. Seong Nak-jong and I had never really considered a route on the south side of unclimbed Gasherbrum V until we were denied passage up the northeast face. We had started our first attempt on the 7,147- meter peak from Camp 1 on the South Gasherbrum Glacier, along the normal routes to Gasherbrums I and II. We trudged through thigh-deep snow to reach the northeast face, which was covered in loose ice and snow, and was nearly impossible to protect. Falling ice and spindrift poured down from above. We finally had no choice but to evacuate from our high point of 6,400 meters. This unsuccessful attempt quashed our desire to climb. As the leader of our small team, the quandaries of a second attempt weighed heavily on my mind. Not only were we physically weakened and our confidence shot, it was already mid-July and more snow was laying siege to the camps. We had been away from home for more than a month.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes 1971 the Alps Colin Taytor
    Notes 1971 The Alps Colin Taytor Summary The summer season of 1971 must be one of the best on record. In the Western Alps the winter snowfall was late and less than usual, so the big classic faces came into condition early and remained in good condition for much of the season, in spite of several quite big storms in late July and August. A solo first ascent and half a dozen solo ascents of major routes were made by British climbers. British parties also made ascents of important routes such as the North-west faces of the Olan and the Ailefroide in the Dauphine, the Brouillard Pillars, the Grand Pilier d'Angle, the Central Pillar of Freney and the Droites North face in the Mont Blanc region, and of the Eiger and the Matterhorn North faces. Many other British parties made notable ascents and the notes below, while not complete, are confined mainly to their achievements. Details of ascents by continental climbers can be found in Alpine Climbing and in the continental journals, particularly La Montagne and Alpinismus. I am grateful particularly to Doug Scott, the Editor of Alpine Climbing and to Ken Wilson, the Editor of Mountain for collecting much of the information on which these notes are based, and also to many others who sent in information about their routes. DAUPHINE Probably more English parties climbed in the Dauphine in the summer of 1971 than ever before. Weather conditions were good, particularly during July, although several big storms occurred in August. As a result, many of the big routes were in condition.
    [Show full text]
  • Reconciling Drivers of Seasonal Terminus Advance and Retreat at 13
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface RESEARCH ARTICLE Reconciling Drivers of Seasonal Terminus Advance 10.1029/2018JF004628 and Retreat at 13 Central West Greenland Key Points: Tidewater Glaciers • We evaluate the correlation of seasonal terminus advance/retreat to M. J. Fried1,2 , G. A. Catania1,2 , L. A. Stearns3 , D. A. Sutherland4 , T. C. Bartholomaus5 , glacial runoff, ice mélange, and 6 6 ocean temperature E. Shroyer , and J. Nash • Runoff is the strongest predictor at 1 2 glaciers that calve via serac failures Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, Department of Geosciences, University of Texas at where subglacial melt plumes locally Austin, Austin, TX, USA, 3Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, 4Department of Earth Sciences, enhance retreat University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA, 5Department of Geology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA, 6College of Earth, • Glaciers with sporadic, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA buoyancy-induced full-thickness calving and the largest ice fluxes are less sensitive to environmental forcings Abstract The majority of Greenland tidewater glaciers undergo a seasonal cycle in terminus position, characterized by wintertime advance and summertime retreat. Understanding mechanisms that control seasonal cycles can help elucidate how tidewater glaciers regulate dynamic ice loss on longer timescales. Supporting Information: • Supporting Information S1 However, controls on terminus position are numerous and complex. To address this, we compare time series • Movie S1 of satellite-derived terminus positions for tidewater glaciers in central west Greenland with observations of • Movie S2 environmental forcings, including runoff at the grounding line, mélange presence, and, where available, • Movie S3 ocean temperature in the proglacial fjord.
    [Show full text]
  • Energy and Air Pollution
    Copyright © 2006, United Nations Environment Programme ISBN: 92-807-2668-4 UNEP/GCSS.IX/INF/2 UNEP Job No. DEW/0773/NA Disclaimers The content and views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the contributory organizations or the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and neither do they imply any endorsement. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. Mention of a commercial company or product in this publication does not imply the endorsement of UNEP. © Maps, photos and illustrations as specified. Reproduction This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNEP would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or any other commercial purpose whatsoever without prior permission in writing from UNEP. Applications for such permission, with a statement of purpose and intent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Division of Communications and Public Information (DCPI), UNEP, P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi 00100, Kenya. The use of information from this publication concerning proprietary products for publicity or advertising is not permitted. Produced by Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) United Nations Environment Programme P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • On June 13, 5:00 Pm : Debate on the Future of the Mont-Blanc to Get
    • On June 13, 5:00 p.m : Debate on the future of the Mont-Blanc To get a status and initiate pragmatic ways forward for the territory.A Public debate with representatives of political and socio-economic authorities from the 3 Mont Blanc countries on the topics: "Mont Blanc nature", "Can we do anything to Mont-Blanc? "And" Mont Blanc tomorrow. " Venue: Salle du Bicentenaire, Chamonix (see location map below) debate organized by Mountain Wilderness, proMONT BLANC and Coordination Mountain • On June 14 : MWI General Assembly Venue : ATC Routes du Monde, Argentière Schedule : 8:45-19:00 (details here) Reservations and access: see below proMONT-BLANC General Assembly Venue :ATC Routes du Monde, Argentière Schedule :8:30-12:00 • On June14 : 20:30 pm Conference/debate : the wilderness made me. Venue : Le Majestic, Chamonix They are mountaineers. They will testify on the importance of living a nature experience for the construction and balance of the human being. In the tradition of the "Call for our mountains", this debate is organized by Mountain Wilderness and Coordination mountagne. • June 15, 11 am : Rally for Silence in the mountain Venue: Les Moulins de la Mer de Glace Schedule: 11am at “les Moulins” on “the Mer de Glace”. (Details Here) Mont Blanc deserves calm and serenity. Motorized recreation vehicles affect the range and those who come to relax. On June 15, 2014, join us in Chamonix for a rally in the Mont-Blanc area to seek for "SILENCE! ". The rally is organized by Mountain Wilderness, under its Silence campaign framework. More on facebook and on the page dedicated to the event It is an easy hike on the Mer de Glace glacier (a ballad) which will put you in the middle of a magnificent landscape, surrounded by mythical summits (Grandes Jorasses, the Dru, Chamonix needles, the Vallée Blanche , etc ..
    [Show full text]
  • Mountaineering Ventures
    70fcvSs )UNTAINEERING Presented to the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY by the ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY 1980 v Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of Toronto http://www.archive.org/details/mountaineeringveOObens 1 £1. =3 ^ '3 Kg V- * g-a 1 O o « IV* ^ MOUNTAINEERING VENTURES BY CLAUDE E. BENSON Ltd. LONDON : T. C. & E. C. JACK, 35 & 36 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. AND EDINBURGH PREFATORY NOTE This book of Mountaineering Ventures is written primarily not for the man of the peaks, but for the man of the level pavement. Certain technicalities and commonplaces of the sport have therefore been explained not once, but once and again as they occur in the various chapters. The intent is that any reader who may elect to cull the chapters as he lists may not find himself unpleasantly confronted with unfamiliar phraseology whereof there is no elucidation save through the exasperating medium of a glossary or a cross-reference. It must be noted that the percentage of fatal accidents recorded in the following pages far exceeds the actual average in proportion to ascents made, which indeed can only be reckoned in many places of decimals. The explanation is that this volume treats not of regular routes, tariffed and catalogued, but of Ventures—an entirely different matter. Were it within his powers, the compiler would wish ade- quately to express his thanks to the many kind friends who have assisted him with loans of books, photographs, good advice, and, more than all, by encouraging countenance. Failing this, he must resort to the miserably insufficient re- source of cataloguing their names alphabetically.
    [Show full text]
  • 1976 Bicentennial Mckinley South Buttress Expedition
    THE MOUNTAINEER • Cover:Mowich Glacier Art Wolfe The Mountaineer EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Verna Ness, Editor; Herb Belanger, Don Brooks, Garth Ferber. Trudi Ferber, Bill French, Jr., Christa Lewis, Mariann Schmitt, Paul Seeman, Loretta Slater, Roseanne Stukel, Mary Jane Ware. Writing, graphics and photographs should be submitted to the Annual Editor, The Mountaineer, at the address below, before January 15, 1978 for consideration. Photographs should be black and white prints, at least 5 x 7 inches, with caption and photo­ grapher's name on back. Manuscripts should be typed double· spaced, with at least 1 Y:z inch margins, and include writer's name, address and phone number. Graphics should have caption and artist's name on back. Manuscripts cannot be returned. Properly identified photographs and graphics will be returnedabout June. Copyright © 1977, The Mountaineers. Entered as second·class matter April8, 1922, at Post Office, Seattle, Washington, under the act of March 3, 1879. Published monthly, except July, when semi-monthly, by The Mountaineers, 719 Pike Street,Seattle, Washington 98101. Subscription price, monthly bulletin and annual, $6.00 per year. ISBN 0-916890-52-X 2 THE MOUNTAINEERS PURPOSES To explore and study the mountains, forests, and watercourses of the Northwest; To gather into permanentform the history and tra­ ditions of thisregion; To preserve by the encouragement of protective legislation or otherwise the natural beauty of NorthwestAmerica; To make expeditions into these regions in fulfill­ ment of the above purposes; To encourage a spirit of good fellowship among all loversof outdoor life. 0 � . �·' ' :···_I·:_ Red Heather ' J BJ. Packard 3 The Mountaineer At FerryBasin B.
    [Show full text]
  • Christophe Dumarest
    THE CLIMB INTERVIEW Lucia Prosino talks to CHRISTOPHE DUMAREST France is renowned as a country of exceptional climbers and outstanding mountaineers. Christophe Dumarest is no exception. Behind this highly skilled athlete, however, lies an inventive and attentive person, always ready to crack a joke and eager to share his experiences with others. He’s climbed extensively in the Greater Ranges and opened many new routes in the Alps, such as Tifenn (V6 A1 M8+, 1100 m) on the Aiguille Sans Nom, Destruction Massive (M7/IV, 400m) on the north face of the Tournier Spur on the Droites, and Jean-Chri (7a+, A1, 800 m) on the, Hidden Pillar of Freney. He’s also repeated some of the famous hard modern classics in the range, such as the Lesueur Route (ED3, M8+, 900 m) on the north face of the Dru, and the Gousseault/Desmaison (M7+, 1100m) route with a direct variation. But he prefers to spend his time devising his next enchainments, with a keen eye on the aesthetics of the mountain range in question, and the historical aspects of the routes he chooses to link up. Lucia Prosino recently spoke to Christophe about his life and climbs, the role of ethics in the sport, and the enduring respect he has for British climbers and mountaineers. Mont Blanc is your home and your playground. (Largo’s Route, ED1, W16, M5 X 5c). Why are a lot of Can you still write history there? strong alpinists going to China these days? Well I started going to the mountains aged four, and before ten I China is an immense country, rich in history and traditions, had already gone up a 4000 metre peak in the Mont Blanc area, all still pretty much unknown.
    [Show full text]
  • Grandes Jorasses, Pointe Croz
    After suffering the acrimony of the climbing 97 [ GRANDES JORASSES, community, this way of climbing, as old as alpin- ism, has rapidly become widespread and is now an integral part of the mountaineer’s arsenal. Isn’t POINTE CROZ [4110m] it more comfortable to have one’s hands in warm LESCHAUX BASIN gloves round the handles of ice axes than to crimp on the edge of a snowy crack in -5° temperatures? Just like training on sports crags, practicing dry No Siesta tooling on bolted cliffs allows climbers to quickly become at home with these techniques. In recent years, the number of dry-tooling crags has increased greatly and, thanks to the ‘reasonableness’ of new Difficulty: VI 5 M7 A1 ‘No Siesta: just the name worries a lot of alpinists. The north face and the first people to repeat the routers, there have never been any conflicts with Vertical height: 1000m route, François Marsigny and Olivier Larios in September 1997, have forged for it a solid reputation. ‘bare-hand’ climbers. Like many alpinists, I came to Time: 3 hrs 30 min for the approach/2 to 3 days for the Statistically, the greatest chances of success are for an assault at the beginning of autumn: quite long mountaineering from rock climbing. I have retained route/5 hrs for the descent days, potentially clement temperatures, snow that sticks on the first 20 and final few metres… if the a deep respect for the rock, and obviously I wouldn’t Gear: 2 sets of Aliens, 2 sets of Camalots up to blue 3, wires, preceding months have been rainy.
    [Show full text]
  • Time Forecast of a Break-Off Event from a Hanging Glacier
    The Cryosphere, 10, 1191–1200, 2016 www.the-cryosphere.net/10/1191/2016/ doi:10.5194/tc-10-1191-2016 © Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Time forecast of a break-off event from a hanging glacier Jérome Faillettaz1, Martin Funk2, and Marco Vagliasindi3 13G, UZH, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland 2VAW, ETHZ, Zürich, Switzerland 3Fondazione Montagna Sicura, Courmayeur, Aosta Valley, Italy Correspondence to: Jérome Faillettaz ([email protected]) Received: 5 August 2015 – Published in The Cryosphere Discuss.: 17 September 2015 Revised: 3 May 2016 – Accepted: 12 May 2016 – Published: 3 June 2016 Abstract. A cold hanging glacier located on the south face cated in a remote high-mountain environment, avalanching of the Grandes Jorasses (Mont Blanc, Italy) broke off on the glacier instabilities offer an interesting starting point for in- 23 and 29 September 2014 with a total estimated ice vol- vestigating early-warning perspectives of break-off events, as ume of 105 000 m3. Thanks to accurate surface displacement a glacier consists of a single material (ice) lying on well- measurements taken up to the final break-off, this event was defined bedrock. This relative simplicity of the system al- successfully predicted 10 days in advance, enabling local au- lows the focus to be placed on the rupture processes leading thorities to take the necessary safety measures. The break- to the initiation of the instability. Recently, considerable ef- off event also confirmed that surface displacements expe- forts in monitoring, analyzing and modeling such phenom- rienced a power law acceleration along with superimposed ena have led to significant advances in understanding the log-periodic oscillations prior to the final rupture.
    [Show full text]