Deuterium, Tritium, and β activity in a snow core taken on the summit of mont blanc (french alps). Determination of the accumulation rate

Abstract Deuterium, tritium, and gross β activity measurements have been performed to a depth of 16 m on a snow core taken on Mont Blanc (French Alps) to establish a chronology of its formation and then deduce the annual accumulation. These three independent methods show that the core was formed over a three-year period. This corresponds to a mean annual accumulation of 2.8 m water equivalent In addition, the isotopic measurements indicate the existence of an altitude effect in the distribution of deuterium and tritium in the precipitation in the Mont Blanc area.