Manja Žebre

Late Holocene evolution of glaciers in the southeastern Alps

ABSTRACT The Julian Alps (in the southeastern European Alps, Italy and Slovenia) represent an important case study area for the study of small and very small maritime glaciers. High mean annual precipitation results in great snow accumulation during the winter, permitting the presence of ice bodies with the lowest Equilibrium Line Altitudes in the Alps. During the Little Ice Age (LIA) 19 small glaciers (<1 km2) existed, covering a total area of 2.4 km2. By 2012, the glacierized area had shrunk by 84% and only isolated glacierets and ice patches survived, each having a total area less than 0.5 km2. We present here a geomorphological and palaeoglaciological map of 8 sections of the Julian Alps related to the late Holocene distribution of glaciers, at a scale of 1:6000. Glacier topography during the LIA maximum was reconstructed on the basis of well-expressed geomorphological features together with historical archive data. The present-day distribution of ice bodies was inferred from orthophotos and 1 m resolution digital terrain models derived from airborne laser scanning. The past and present areal extent and surface morphology of glaciers permits calculation of volume loss since the LIA, which is estimated at 96%.

Geomorphology of Blidinje, Dinaric Alps (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

ABSTRACT Blidinje is tectonically derived lowland in the Dinaric Alps within Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is surrounded by Vran, Čvrsnica and Čabulja Mountains. The Blidinje study area is predominantly built of carbonates, where karst, fluvial and glacial geomorphological systems interact. We present a 1:25,000 geomorphological map covering a 100 km2 with an elevation range of 1200–1900 m. The map results from a combination of a fieldwork mapping, interpretation of orthophotos and an analysis of a digital elevation model. This map presents a distribution of landforms and sediments associated with the past and present karst, glacial and fluvial processes, such as different varieties of karst depressions, conical hills, erosional gullies, alluvial fans and large amphitheatre-like moraines. The focus of the presented map is to assist ongoing studies in this part of the Dinaric Alps that seek to understand the dynamics of former glaciers and associated palaeoclimate.