Evolution of the Maladeta Glacier (Central Pyrenees) since the Little Ice Age

Maladeta Glacier, one of the largest glaciers of the Pyrenees, is located on the Maladeta Massif (Central Pyrenees), close to the highest point of the range, the Aneto peak (42° 37' 52 N, 0° 39' 24 E; 3,404 m a.s.l.).  Maladeta Glacier is one of the most meridional ice masses in Europe, and is considered a very good proxy indicator to study the impact of climatic changes on mediterranean mountains.

This glacier is 650 meters long, occupy an area of 24.8 ha and their maximum altitude is ~3,200 meters. At the end of the last century, due to the retreat, the glacier split into two smaller bodies. The main aim of this research is to present an analysis of the evolution of the glacier since the LIA and examine their shrinking. Based on morphological features, the extent of the glacier, their Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) and the temperatures in the study were calculated for the following periods: LIA, 1957, 1983, 2006, 2012 and 2018. To estimate the glacier extension during the LIA, the moraines were mapped by using photo interpretation techniques. For the recent phases digital aerial photographs and satellite images were used.

The preliminary results of the research reveal a retreat of the Maladeta Glacier since the LIA. The length of the glacier has been severely reduced, and its area decreased from 128 ha during the LIA to 24.8 ha in 2018. During this period, the ELA has increased from ~2,894 to ~3,108 m a.s.l. These data reveal a huge retreat of the glacier since the LIA, showing an increase of the temperature in the study area of 1.11-1.39°C from LIA to 2018.