On 8.7.2022, we made the following observations on the Rhone glacier, among others:
Rhone glacier largely free of snow on 8.7.2022.
Like many glaciers in the Swiss Alps, the Rhone Glacier was practically completely free of snow up to high altitudes on 8 July 2022.
Glacial lake and Rhone glacier on 8.7.2022.
Ice floes on the glacial lake in front of the Rhone Glacier on 8.7.2022.
Various smaller and larger ice floes floated on the glacial lake. The colour of the ice floes tells us something about their origin and formation:
- The ice floes with a 'dirty' surface were part of the flat glacier tongue. The slightly heated lake water probably melted ice on the underside of the glacier until a flat piece of the glacier tongue detached and drifted out onto the lake.
- The 'clean' ice floes broke off from the front of the glacier and fell into the lake (so-called calving) or a piece of an ice floe with a 'dirty' surface broke off and turned so that the dirty surface came to rest under water.
Outflow Rhone glacier on 8.7.2022.
After a cool night (approx. 6° at 8 a.m.), the runoff volumes on the morning of 8.7.2022 were not extremely large.
Outflow Rhone glacier on 8.7.2022.
On the small plateau about 3m below the outflow (see 1 on photo above) we observed green stripes, which probably indicate the existence of algae.
The drawing of the glacier's polish gives an idea of the masses of water that left the glacier lake in the days before and during the hot spell.
Covers on the Rhone glacier on 8.7.2022. View from the lake side.
The photo shows that the
glacier covers have slowed down the melting of the ice. However, the covers cannot prevent the melting of the ice.
Covers on the Rhone glacier on 8.7.2022. View from above.
Legend:
1) The ice grotto is located in this area. It probably extends in direction 2 to the beginning of the glacial lake. The
glacier covers in the area to the right of the lake have various holes and cracks. Water is partly visible through the holes and cracks.
2) Large ice floe that has detached from the glacier tongue.
3) Indications of the development of a collapse structure. See next section.
Indications collapse structure on 8.7.2022.
The circular cracks (possibly small crevasses) and the small depression indicate the formation of a
collapse structure.
Rhone glacier snow cover on 9.7.2022.
The photo above shows the Rhone Glacier from a distance on 9.7.2022. The ice is already directly exposed to the sun's rays and heat up to great heights due to the absence of the protective snow layer.