Weathering and the mobility of phosphorus in the catchments and forefields of the Rhone and Oberaar glaciers, central Switzerland: Implications for the global phosphorus cycle on glacial-interglacial timescales

In this study we evaluate the dynamics of the biophile element phosphorus (P) in the catchment and proglacial areas of the Rhone and Oberaar glaciers (central Switzerland). We analysed erosion and dissolution rates of P-containing minerals in the subglacial environment by sampling water and suspended sediment in glacier outlets during three ablation and two accumulation seasons. We also quantified biogeochemical weathering rates of detrital P in proglacial sedimentary deposits using two chronosequences of samples of fresh, suspended, material obtained from the Oberaar and Rhone water outlets, Little-Ice-Age (LIA) moraines and Younger Dryas (YD) tills in each catchment. Subglacial P weathering is mainly a physical process and detrital P represents more than 99%, of the precipitation-corrected total P denudation flux (234 and 540 kg km(-2) yr(-1) for the Rhone and Oberaar catchments, respectively). The calculated detrital P flux rates are three to almost five times higher than the world average flux. The precipitation-corrected soluble reactive P (SRP) flux corresponds to 1.88-1.99 kg km(-2) yr(-1) (Rhone) and 2.12-2.44 kg km(-2) yr(-1) (Oberaar), respectively. These fluxes are comparable to those of tropical rivers draining transport-limited, tectonically inactive weathering areas. In order to evaluate the efficiency of detrital P weathering in the Rhone and Oberaar proglacial areas, we systematically graded apatite grains extracted from the chronosequence in each catchment relative to weathering-induced changes in their surface morphologies (grades 1-4). Fresh apatite grains are heavily indented and dissolution rounded (grade 1). LIA grains from two 0-10 cm deep moraine samples show extensive dissolution etching, similar to surface grains from the YD profile (mean grades 2.7, 3.5 and 3.5, respectively). In these proglacial deposits, the weathering front deepens progressively as a function of time due to biocorrosion in the evolving acidic pedosphere, with mechanical indentations on grains acting as sites of preferential dissolution. We also measured iron-bound, organic and detrital P concentrations in the chronosequence and show that organic and iron-bound P has almost completely replaced detrital P in the top layers of the YD profiles. Detrital P weathering rates are calculated as 3 10 and 280 kg km(-2) yr(-1) for LIA moraines and 10 kg km(-2) yr(-1) for YD tills. During the first 300 years of glacial sediment exposure P dissolution rates are shown to be approximately 70 times higher than the mean global dissolved P flux from ice-free continents. After 11.6 kyr the flux is 2.5 times the global mean. These data strengthen the argument for substantial changes in the global dissolved P flux on glacial-interglacial timescales. A crude extrapolation from the data described here suggests that the global dissolved P flux may increase by 40-45% during the first few hundred years of a deglaciation phase

Géopatrimoines des trois Chablais. Identification et valorisation des témoins glaciaires

Cette recherche s'applique aux témoins glaciaires des Chablais dans quatre de leurs dimensions : géopatrimoine, connaissance objective, inventaire de géosites et valorisation. Elle est organisée sur le canevas d'un processus de patrimonialisation auquel elle participe et qu'elle interroge à la fois. En 2009, débutait le projet 123 Chablais, pour une durée de quatre ans. Il concernait l'ensemble du territoire chablaisien, réparti sur deux pays (France et Suisse) et trois entités administratives (département de la Haute-Savoie, cantons de Vaud et du Valais). Ce projet, élaboré dans le cadre du programme Interreg IV France-Suisse, avait pour but de dynamiser le développement économique local en s'appuyant sur les patrimoines régionaux. Le géopatrimoine, identifié comme une de ces ressources, faisait donc l'objet de plusieurs actions, dont cette recherche. En parallèle, le Chablais haut-savoyard préparait sa candidature pour rejoindre l'European Geopark Network (EGN). Son intégration, effective dès 2012, a fait de ce territoire le cinquième géoparc français du réseau. Le Geopark du Chablais fonde son identité géologique sur l'eau et la glace, deux thématiques intimement liées aux témoins glaciaires. Dans ce contexte d'intérêt pour le géopatrimoine local et en particulier pour le patrimoine glaciaire, plusieurs missions ont été assignées à cette recherche qui devait à la fois améliorer la connaissance objective des témoins glaciaires, inventorier les géosites glaciaires et valoriser le patrimoine glaciaire. Le premier objectif de ce travail était d'acquérir une vision synthétique des témoins glaciaires. Il a nécessité une étape de synthèse bibliographique ainsi que sa spatialisation, afin d'identifier les lacunes de connaissance et la façon dont ce travail pouvait contribuer à les combler. Sur cette base, plusieurs méthodes ont été mises en oeuvre : cartographie géomorphologique, reconstitution des lignes d'équilibre glaciaires et datations de blocs erratiques à l'aide des isotopes cosmogéniques produits in situ. Les cartes géomorphologiques ont été élaborées en particulier dans les cirques et vallons glaciaires. Les datations cosmogéniques ont été concentrées sur deux stades du glacier du Rhône : le Last Local Glacial Maximum (LLGM) et le stade de Monthey. Au terme de cette étape, les spécificités du patrimoine glaciaire régional se sont révélées être 1) une grande diversité de formes et des liens étroits avec différents autres processus géomorphologiques ; 2) une appartenance des témoins glaciaires à dix grandes étapes de la déglaciation du bassin lémanique. Le second objectif était centré sur le processus d'inventaire des géosites glaciaires. Nous avons mis l'accent sur la sélection du géopatrimoine en développant une approche basée sur deux axes (temps et espace) identifiés dans le volet précédent et avons ainsi réalisé un inventaire à thèmes, composé de 32 géosites. La structure de l'inventaire a également été explorée de façon à intégrer des critères d'usage de ces géosites. Cette démarche, soutenue par une réflexion sur les valeurs attribuées au géopatrimoine et sur la façon d'évaluer ces valeurs, nous a permis de mettre en évidence le point de vue anthropo - et scientifico - centré qui prévaut nettement dans la recherche européenne sur le géopatrimoine. L'analyse des résultats de l'inventaire a fait apparaître quelques caractéristiques du patrimoine glaciaire chablaisien, discret, diversifié, et comportant deux spécificités exploitables dans le cadre d'une médiation scientifique : son statut de « berceau de la théorie glaciaire » et ses liens étroits avec des activités de la vie quotidienne, en tant que matière première, support de loisir ou facteur de risque. Cette recherche a débouché sur l'élaboration d'une exposition itinérante sur le patrimoine glaciaire des Chablais. Ce produit de valorisation géotouristique a été conçu pour sensibiliser la population locale à l'impact des glaciers sur son territoire. Il présente une série de sept cartes de stades glaciaires, encadrées par les deux mêmes thématiques, l'histoire de la connaissance glaciaire d'une part, les témoins glaciaires et la société, d'autre part. -- This research focuses on glacial witnesses in the Chablais area according to four dimensions : geoheritage, objective knowledge, inventory and promotion of geosites. It is organized on the model of an heritage's process which it participates and that it questions both. In 2009, the project 123 Chablais started for a period of four years. It covered the entire chablaisien territory spread over two countries and three administrative entities (département of Haute-Savoie, canton of Vaud, canton of Valais). This project, developed in the framework of the Interreg IV France-Switzerland program, aimed to boost the local development through regional heritage. The geoheritage identified as one of these resources, was therefore the subject of several actions, including this research. In parallel, the French Chablais was preparing its application to join the European Geopark Network (EGN). Its integration, effective since 2012, made of this area the fifth French Geopark of the network. The Chablais Geopark geological identity was based on water and ice, two themes closely linked to the glacial witnesses. In this context of interest for the regional geoheritage and especially for the glacial heritage, several missions have been assigned to this research which should improve objective knowledge of glacial witnesses, inventory and assess glacial geosites. The objective knowledge's component was to acquire a synthetic vision of the glacial witnesses. It required a first bibliography synthesis step in order to identify gaps in knowledge and how this work could help to fill them. On this basis, several methods have been implemented: geomorphological mapping, reconstruction of the equilibrium-line altitude and dating of glacial erratic blocks using cosmogenic isotopes produced in situ. Geomorphological maps have been developed especially in glacial cirques and valleys. Cosmogenic datings were concentrated on two stages of the Rhone glacier: the Last Local Glacial Maximum (LLGM) and « the stage of Monthey ». After this step, the specificities of the regional glacial heritage have emerged to us as 1) a wide variety of forms and links to various other geomorphological processes; 2) belonging of glacial witnesses to ten major glacial stages of Léman Lake's deglaciation. In the inventory of glacial geosites component we focused on the selection of geoheritage. We developed an approach based on two axes (time and space) identified in the preceding components. We obtained a thematic inventory, consisting of 32 geosites. The structure of the inventory was also explored in the aim to integrate use criteria of geosites. This approach, supported by a thought on the values attributed to the geoheritage and how to assess these values allowed us to highlight the point of view much anthropological - and scientific -centered prevailing in the European research on geoheritage. The analysis of the inventory's results revealed some characteristics of chablaisien glacial heritage, discrete, diverse, and with two features exploitable in the context of a scientific mediation: its status as « cradle of the glacial theory » and its close links with activities of daily life, as raw material, leisure support and risk factor. This research leads to the development of a traveling exhibition on the glacial heritage of the Chablais area. It presents a series of seven glacial stage's cards, framed by the two themes mentioned above: « history of glacial knowledge » and « glacial witnesses and society ».

Lateglacial evolution of the Brenno glacier (Southern Swiss Alps) : preliminary results

The Lateglacial evolution of the Ticino glacier and tributaries is poorly known because of the lack of research by Quaternary geomorphologists during the last decades. In spite of the interest for the cryosphere reactions during the Lateglacial climate warming, only few scientific studies were carried out about the history of the northern valleys of the Ticino Alps during the deglaciation (e.g. Seiffert 1953, Renner 1982, Hantke 1983). Within the framework of geomorphological investigations on the Lateglacial and Holocene glacier/permafrost evolution in the Ticino Alps, the history of the Brenno glacier (Blenio Valley, Eastern Ticino Alps) during the end of the Pleistocene has been studied. The deglaciation sequence of the Blenio Valley is still not complete (Scapozza et al. 2009). Only the first glacial stadial of the Brenno glacier and the last Lateglacial stadials of the Greina region (northern Blenio valley, see Fontana et al. 2008) and of the upper Malvaglia Valley (eastern Blenio Valley, see Scapozza et al. 2008) have been unequivocally defined. For every stadial, the surface of the palaeoglacier and the depression of the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) have been reconstructed on the base of geomorphological mapping. The first individual glacial stadial of the Brenno glacier corresponds to the Biasca stadial of the Ticino glacier defined by Hantke (1983). The ELA depression of 1100-1200 meters and its morphological and glaciological characteristics allow us to correlate this stadial with the Weissbad stadial defined by Keller (1988). In the Greina region, three stadials corresponding to the end of the Lateglacial have been identified, with an ELA depression of 110, 210 and 310-350 meters (Fontana et al. 2008). In the upper Malvaglia Valley, three stadials corresponding to the end of the Oldest Dryas and the Younger Dryas have been identified for the Orino glacier, with an ELA depression of 290, 400-420 and 470-560 meters (Scapozza et al. 2008). If we consider the other (fragmentary) glacial deposits of the Blenio Valley, it is possible to define a regression sequence of the Brenno glacier with 8 stadials, from the Biasca stadial to the end of the Younger Dryas. An attempt of correlation with the model "Gothard" developed by Renner (1982) and Hantke (1983) and with the model "Eastern Swiss Alps" developed by Maisch (1982) is proposed in Table 1. The following chronological conclusions are, therefore, proposed: (1) the Biasca stadial is probably the first stadial after the transition Pleniglacial - Lateglacial; (2) the stadials BRE 7 to BRE 3 are positioned between the beginning of the Lateglacial and the Bølling-Allerød interstadial; (3) the stadials BRE 2 and BRE 1 are assumed to be related to the Younger Dryas event.

Elemental (C/N ratios) and isotopic (δ15N(org), δ13C(org)) compositions of sedimentary organic matter from a high-altitude mountain lake (Meidsee, 2661 m a.s.l., Switzerland): Implications for Lateglacial and Holocene Alpine landscape evolution

The deposition of Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments in the high-altitude lake Meidsee (located at an altitude of 2661 m a.s.l. in the Southwestern Alps) strikingly coincided with global ice-sheet and mountain-glacier decay in the Alpine forelands and the formation of perialpine lakes. Radiocarbon ages of bottom-core sediments point out (pre-) Holocene ice retreat below 2700 m a.s.l., at about 16, 13, 10, and 9 cal. kyr BP. The Meidsee sedimentary record therefore provides information about the high-altitude Alpine landscape evolution since the Late Pleistocene/Holocene deglaciation in the Swiss Southwestern Alps. Prior to 5 cal. kyr BP, the C/N ratio and the isotopic composition of sedimentary organic matter (delta N-15(org), delta C-13(org)) indicate the deposition of algal-derived organic matter with limited input of terrestrial organic matter. The early Holocene and the Holocene climatic optimum (between 7.0 and 5.5 cal. kyr BP) were characterized by low erosion (decreasing magnetic susceptibility, chi) and high content of organic matter (C-org > 13 wt.%), enriched in C-13(org) (>-18 parts per thousand) with a low C/N (similar to 10) ratio, typical of modern algal matter derived from in situ production. During the late Holocene, there was a long-term increasing contribution of terrestrial organic matter into the lake (C/N > 11), with maxima between 2.4 and 0.9 cal. kyr BP. A major environmental change took place 800 years ago, with an abrupt decrease in the relative contribution of terrestrial organic material into the lake compared with aquatic organic material which subsequently largely dominated (C/N drop from 16 to 10). Nonetheless, this event was marked by a rise in soil erosion (chi), in nutrients input (N and P contents) and in anthropogenic lead deposition, suggesting a human disturbance of Alpine ecosystems 800 years ago. Indeed, this time period coincided with the migration of the Walser Alemannic people in the region, who settled at relatively high altitude in the Southwestern Alps for farming and maintaining Alpine passes.