Glaciological observations in the Grandes Rousses Massif (France)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/BP/1962/11/32Keywords:
ice ablation, thermal probe, the Massif Central, the Sarennes GlacierAbstract
Article in French.
ORIGINAL TITLE: Observations glaciologiques dans le Massif des Grandes Rousses (France)
The interest in the glaciers studied in this area stems from: (a) the existence of a relatively old baseline study (a 1:10,000 scale map, prepared in 1905 and 1906); (b) their proximity to the university city of Grenoble and the relatively easy access to individual glaciers. In recent years, studies have been conducted on two glaciers in the Massif Central: the Sarennes Glacier, facing south on the Dauphiné side, and the Saint-Sorlin Glacier, facing north on the Savoie side. The former has been monitored by the French Water and Forestry Service since 1948, whereas the Saint-Sorlin Glacier was the subject of in-depth study in 1957 by a French interuniversity research team.
The snow cover was measured using a weighing probe. Ice ablation is measured using a system of deep radio beacons embedded in the Pf Kasser thermal probe. The overall assessment of mass loss appears negative for both glaciers, with significantly greater material loss for the Sarennes Glacier than for the Saint-Sorlin Glacier: the average topographic subsidence over the last half-century is about one metre per year for the former and only 50 to 60 cm for the latter. The fronts of each of these two glaciers are the subject of detailed topographic studies. A very profound transformation-the cessation of flow-has occurred since 1906 in the case of the Saint-Sorlin Glacier. A new set of markers, installed in September 1959 on the Saint-Sorlin Glacier, will allow for continued studies for the next three years.
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