Morphodynamic evolution in recent deglaciated high mountain areas: The case of the Veleta Cirque, Sierra Nevada. Consequence of climate change?

Abstract

Dead ice and alpine permafrost in the Veleta cirque are remnants of the environmental conditions during the Little Ice Age (15th to 19th century). Topographic control and thermal monitoring of the Veleta cirque rock glacier indicate the degradation of dead ice and discontinuous permafrost since 2001. This degradation triggers the subsidence of the overlying detritus cover. Snow cover, thawing water and propagation of external radiation are the main factors of the subsidence of the detritus and may be related to climate variability, especially to the global warming after the Little Ice Age.