Multitemporal Monitoring of the Miage Glacier (Mont Blanc) Through the Use of Historical Cartography

In the context of glacial monitoring, it is very important to understand and analyze the volumetric changes of individual glacial bodies more than just the more traditional measurement of forehead retreat. In glacial monitoring, the Italian Glaciological Committee (CGI) has been carrying out monitoring activities on all Italian glaciers since the early 1900s. In the last years many surveys were developed, by the members of the CGI, on the Miage Glacier thanks to different techniques: Terrestrial Laser Scanner, photogrammetry by drone and helicopter, cartography comparisons and traditional photogrammetry. In this study, historical topographic maps were used to reconstruct the glacier surface as of 1957/1958 and compared to the 2008 DTM produced by the Valle d’Aosta region. The results obtained allowed us to appreciate a volume loss on the order of 9,4x107 m3 of ice from 1957 to 2008.