The physical evolution of and the anthropic impact on a glacier subjected to a high influx of tourists:Vedretta Piana Glacier (Italian Alps)

Abstract

Vedretta Piana Glacier is situated in Valle di Trafoi, near Stelvio Pass (Italian Alps). Summer skiing has been a popular sport on this glacier for over seventy years. On this glacier a study for determining its recent evolution was carried out by means of a quantitative, detailed analysis (GPS and GPR surveys) carried out in 1999 and in 2000. The data elaboration shows that the loss of ice and snow during the September 1999 - September 2000 period was equal to 938.920 m³. The specific net mass balance for the 1999/2000 hydrological year thus amounts to –2.138 mm. The glacier’s mean thickness proved to be equal to 71 m. The glacier volume proved to be equal to 72.500.000 m³ over a surface area of about 1 km². The survival time of the glacier is valued of about 35 years.