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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-384
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-384
07 Feb 2025
 | 07 Feb 2025

Loss of accumulation zone exposes dark ice and drives increased ablation at Weißseespitze, Austria

Lea Hartl, Federico Covi, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Anna Baldo, Davide Fugazza, Biagio Di Mauro, and Kathrin Naegeli

Abstract. In recent years, firn and summer snow cover has decreased on Alpine glaciers, exposing larger areas of ice at higher elevations. This reduces albedo and leads to increased melt. To understand mass loss in former accumulation areas under conditions of rapid glacier recession, it is important to constrain the possible range of ice albedo in newly firn free regions, the duration of ice exposure, and the albedo-ablation connection. We combine data from an on-ice weather station (3492 m.a.s.l.), ablation stakes, and remote sensing derived albedo to provide an overview of albedo and ablation in the summit region of Weißseespitze, the high-point of Gepatschferner (Austria), from 2018 to 2024. Before 2022, low albedo (<0.4) occurred on 3 to 8 days per year. In 2022, 37 days of low albedo conditions were recorded and albedo dropped below previously observed minima of around 0.30 to values similar to those of the surrounding rock. Albedo remained very low in 2023 and 2024. Ice ablation at the stakes generally increased with the duration of ice exposure, reaching up to -1.6 m w.e. in high-melt years. Sensitivity experiments indicate that a five day period of very low albedo conditions (<0.20) results in 31 % more modeled surface melt if it occurs in late July compared to early September, highlighting temporal variability in the impact of ice exposure. The unique Weißseespitze dataset provides a starting point for further studies linking causes and effects of albedo changes in former accumulation zones.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

27 Aug 2025
Loss of accumulation zone exposes dark ice and drives increased ablation at Weißseespitze, Austria
Lea Hartl, Federico Covi, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Anna Baldo, Davide Fugazza, Biagio Di Mauro, and Kathrin Naegeli
The Cryosphere, 19, 3329–3353, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3329-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3329-2025, 2025
Short summary
Lea Hartl, Federico Covi, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Anna Baldo, Davide Fugazza, Biagio Di Mauro, and Kathrin Naegeli

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-384', Anonymous Referee #1, 21 Mar 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-384', Anonymous Referee #2, 24 Mar 2025

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-384', Anonymous Referee #1, 21 Mar 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-384', Anonymous Referee #2, 24 Mar 2025

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload
ED: Publish subject to revisions (further review by editor and referees) (23 Apr 2025) by Etienne Berthier
AR by Lea Hartl on behalf of the Authors (28 Apr 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (28 Apr 2025) by Etienne Berthier
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (12 May 2025)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (20 May 2025)
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (21 May 2025) by Etienne Berthier
AR by Lea Hartl on behalf of the Authors (24 May 2025)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (04 Jun 2025) by Etienne Berthier
AR by Lea Hartl on behalf of the Authors (10 Jun 2025)  Author's response   Manuscript 

Journal article(s) based on this preprint

27 Aug 2025
Loss of accumulation zone exposes dark ice and drives increased ablation at Weißseespitze, Austria
Lea Hartl, Federico Covi, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Anna Baldo, Davide Fugazza, Biagio Di Mauro, and Kathrin Naegeli
The Cryosphere, 19, 3329–3353, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3329-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3329-2025, 2025
Short summary
Lea Hartl, Federico Covi, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Anna Baldo, Davide Fugazza, Biagio Di Mauro, and Kathrin Naegeli
Lea Hartl, Federico Covi, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Anna Baldo, Davide Fugazza, Biagio Di Mauro, and Kathrin Naegeli

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Short summary
Glacier albedo determines how much solar radiation is absorbed by the glacier surface and is a key driver of glacier melt. Alpine glaciers are losing their snow and firn cover and the underlying, darker ice is becoming exposed. This means that more solar radiation is absorbed by the ice, which leads to increased melt. To quantify these processes, we explore data from a high elevation, on-ice weather station that measures albedo and combine this information with satellite imagery.
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