Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8906555 | Cold Regions Science and Technology | 2018 | 42 Pages |
Abstract
We found large glacier reduction, with an area change of â25.41% during 1991-2007, and â30.5% during 1981-2007. Volume change during 1981-2007 was â1353â¯Ãâ¯106â¯m3â¯Â±â¯27%. The mean thickness change was â14.91â¯m. The mean annual volume change of the Sondrio glaciers was about â52â¯Ãâ¯106â¯m3â¯yâ1 of ice, or ca. â47â¯Ãâ¯106â¯m3â¯yâ1 of water. We then computed the glaciers' contribution to 25 hydropower plants located in the studied area. For this purpose we divided the study region into two zones. While in the first, Eastern most region (R1) a large share of hydropower is provided by liquid precipitation, in the second Western region (R2) ca. 1/2 of the total water for hydropower is provided by solid water, i.e. snowfall and ice melt. Our results display that in areas like Region R2, where a large share of hydropower production depends upon ice melt, the expected future lack of water under glaciers' down wasting may affect energy production, and requires adaptation strategies.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Earth and Planetary Sciences (General)
Authors
Carlo D'Agata, Daniele Bocchiola, Andrea Soncini, Davide Maragno, Claudio Smiraglia, Guglielmina Adele Diolaiuti,