Brief communication: Tritium concentration and age of firn accumulation in an ice cave of Mount Olympus (Greece)

Researchers analyzing firn from an ice cave on Mount Olympus, Greece's highest peak, found that the absence of a tritium concentration spike—expected due to nuclear testing—suggests the ice plug is less than 50 years old. This indicates rapid melting is erasing older firn layers, potentially disrupting long-term climate records preserved in such environments. The study used tritium analysis to estimate accumulation rates and date the ice, providing insights into the dynamics of high-altitude cave ice systems under current climatic conditions.

Lazaridis, G., Stamoulis, K., Dora, D., Kalogeropoulos, I., & Trimmis, K. P. (2023). Brief communication: Tritium concentration and age of firn accumulation in an ice cave of Mount Olympus (Greece). The Cryosphere, 17(2), 883–887. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-883-2023