Nine years of negative balance at the Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina (Alps of Lombardy, Italy). Relationships with climate and extinction hypotesis [Nove anni di bilancio negativo al Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina (Alpi Lombarde). Rapporti con il clima e ipotesi di estinzione]

The Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina is a small cirque glacier in the Ortles-Cevedale Group (Alps of Lombardy, Italy). Starting from the hydrological year 1986-87, the mass balance was performed; the results were always negative till 1994-95. Total loss was about 7.33 m w.e., corresponding to about 3 × 106 m3 w.e.. By correlations between mass balances and climatic parameters, it was calculated that the Ghiacciaio della Sforzellina has lost from 1970 to 1986 between 13 and 18 m of water equivalent. By means of vertical electric soundings the thickness of the glacier and its residual storage was calculated. If the climatic conditions will not change in a short time, the survival time of the glacier could be evaluated at about thirty years.