The kinematic wave theory: a priority of the Italian Glaciology (De Marchi, 1895)

Abstract

The Italian priority of the kinematic wave theory, developed by Luigi De Marchi as early as 1895 and 1911, is duly recognized. The theory interprets the relation existing between climatic factors and fluctuations of glacier terminus. The theory had been developed disregarding the glacier mechanics, which, at that time, was scarcely understood. After the developments of the theoretical glaciology, starting from 1948, carried out by English physicists and metallurgists, the kinematic wave theory has been rediscovered by English researchers and used to investigate the flood waves along rivers and the road traffic flow perturbations. Tn an improved physical and technical frame, English and American physicists exploited the new kinematic wave theory in glaciology and, since then, the theory is considered fundamental in the physical and mathematical investigation of the glacier fluctuations, with special regard to the evaluation of the response time of glaciers to climate oscillations. It is exactly the evolution of glaciology that, leaving unaltered De Marchi’s concepts, confirms the present validity of the kinematic wave theory.