Suretta Sud Glacier - Servizio Glaciologico Lombardo

mass balance
Alpe Sud Glacier at Monte Sobretta (Ortles - Cevedale)
10 years of mass balance and monthly snow cover investigations
Just below the Monte Sobretta peak, on the small Alpe Sud Glacier, the Bormio Snow - Meteorological
Centre operators, coordinated by SGL, have been conducting monthly snow investigations
and evaluation of the ice thickness since October 1997. The readings are taken at 2 stakes
located at 3170 m and 3220 m a.s.l. Having reached 10 years of uninterrupted investigations, it
is now possible to produce some additional summary data (stake 2, at 3170 m a.s.l.). The average
accumulation value was + 0,97 m w.e., the average ablation value - 2,24 m w.e., and the
net mass balance - 1,46 m w.e. The total loss from 1997/1998 to 2007/2008 has reached - 16,0
m w.e.
Fig. 8: Alpe Sud Glacier at Monte Sobretta: the specific mass balance at stake 2 (3170 m a.s.l.) in m w.e. The
2008 year saw a net balance of – 1,3 m w.e.; in the historical series, only the 2000/2001 season has seen a
positive net balance, thanks to the huge accumulation. The most negative ablation balance (-3,3 m w.e.) occurred
in the 2002/2003 season, while the worst net balance was reached in the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006
seasons. ARPA Lombardy data (Bormio Snow-Meteorological Centre).
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Fig. 7: The small Alpe Sud
Glacier at Monte Sobretta
has been hosting the main
SGL snow site since 1997.
In the picture taken on
August 30, 2008, the glacier
is once again without
residual snow, a common
sight since 2001 (photo by
P. Pagliardi).