Three Centuries of Snowpack Decline at an Alpine Pass Revealed by Cosmogenic Paleothermometry and Luminescence Photochronometry

Abstract

The spatial and temporal distribution of Alpine snow is a sensitive gauge of environmental change. While understanding past snow dynamics is essential for reconstructing past climate and forecasting future trends, reliable snowpack data prior to the instrumental record are scarce. We present a novel pairing of cosmogenic paleothermometry and luminescence photochronometry which constrain the temperature and insolation history of bedrock outcrops at the Gotthard Pass, Switzerland, over the last ∼15,000 years. By coupling these results with cosmogenic 14C-10Be chronology and modern in situ rock thermometry, we infer a ∼70-day reduction of snowpack at the topographic mid-slope. Our data indicate stable environmental conditions throughout the Holocene, followed by a 6.6 ± 2.9°C increase of ground surface temperature, coeval with an order-of-magnitude or more increase in ground surface insolation. Bracketing the onset of these changes between 1504 and 1807 CE, our findings tie the snowpack decline with the onset of human industrialization.