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September 24, 2015
Bionnassay Glacier Terminus Tongue Detaches, Mont Blanc, France
Bionnassay Glacier drains west from Dôme du Goûter and Aiguille de Bionnassay of the Mont Blanc Massif in France. The glacier has a heavily debris covered terminus and has experienced less retreat from 1980-2010 then other Mont Blance glaciers. Bionnassay retreated 200 m (Moreau et al , 2012), while Mer de Glace retreated 500 m in the interval 1998 to 2008. Gardent et al (2014) observed a 25% decline in …
June 30, 2015
Disintegration of Pramecou Glacier, France
Pramecou Glacier is on the Dome de Pramecou above the Grande Motte Glacier, which is a key portion of the Tignes Ski area in France. The Grande Motte area is open for summer skiing this year from June 27th to Aug. 9th. The glaciated landscape in this area is changing dramatically, Gardent and Deline, (2011) noted a 33% loss in glacier area since the 1960’s. The Tignes Ski area has responded by …
April 22, 2014
Portillon Glacier, French Pyrenees- Retreating and Disappearing
Portillon Glacier is in the Luchon-Bagneres region of the French Pyrenees, just north of the border with Spain. This currently small, and becoming smaller glacier drains into Lac du Portillon, which has a dam impounding it for hydroelectric generation. Like the nearby Aneto Glacier, Portillon Glacier has been thinning, retreating and separating. First a comparison of photographs from 1900 and 2013. In 1900 the glacier fills most of the cirque …
January 3, 2013
Glacier de la Girose Retreat, France
Glacier de la Grirose (Girose) is one of the most traveled glaciers in the Alps. It is part of the Les 2 Alpes ski resort, used primarily for summer skiing. The warm summer of 2015 has led to skiing issues at Les2Alpes. The main glacier serviced by a lift is Glacier Mantel just to the west of Girose. In 2017 Les2Alpes they are upgrading snowmaking on the glacier, utilizing six snow cannons …
November 27, 2011
Saint Sorlin Glacier Retreat, France
The Saint Sorlin glacier above the resort of Saint-Sorlin d’Arves has lost over 50% of its surface area since 1870. The mass balance of the glacier is measured and reported annually to the World Glacier Monitoring Service, since 1980 the glacier’s cumulative mass balance is -28 meters water equivalent, equivalent to an average loss of over 30 meters in thickness The glacier is measured as part of the GLACIOCLIM program …
Dean of Academic Affairs at Nichols College and Professor of Environmental Science at Nichols College in Massachusetts since 1989. Glaciologist directing the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project since 1984. This project monitors the mass balance and behavior of more glaciers than any other in North America.