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Aufgrund der Klimaerwärmung schrumpft weltweit ein Grossteil der Gletscher. Nur wenn bekannt ist, wie sich die Gletscher entwickeln, ist es möglich, hydroelektrische Infrastruktur zu planen, die langfristige Wasserverfügbarkeit zu prognostizieren und möglichen Naturkatastrophen vorzubeugen. Wir erforschen glaziologische Prozesse mit Computermodellen, in Laborexperimenten und direkt vor Ort.

Eine Forscherin kauert vor einem Computer und anderen Utensilien auf dem Griesgletscher. — Saskia Gindraux macht Beobachtungen mit einer Drohne auf dem Griesgletscher, Wallis, Schweiz. Foto: Gottardo Pestalozzi, WSL

Eine der auffälligsten und sichtbarsten Folgen des derzeit stattfindenden Klimawandels ist der Gletscherrückgang. Diese Veränderungen haben nicht nur Auswirkungen auf unsere Landschaft, sondern sie stehen auch im Zusammenhang mit einer Reihe von Folgen wie Wassermangel und von Naturkatastrophen wie Gletscherseeausbrüchen.

In Labortests tragen wir zum besseren Verständnis der grundlegenden Prozesse bei, denen Gletscherbewegung und -hydrologie unterliegen. Ausserdem studieren wir in Experimenten vor Ort Akkumulation und Schmelze, Gletscherdynamik und glaziale Erosion. Anhand dieser Daten simulieren wir in Computermodellen die Gletscherausdehnung in der Vergangenheit und prognostizieren die zukünftige Wasserverfügbarkeit.

Dabei konzentrieren wir uns nicht nur aufdie negativen Aspekte des Gletscherschwunds, sondern wir zeigen auch neue Chancen auf wie zum Beispiel das hydroelektrische Potential in den Gletscherrückzugsgebieten. Ausserdem analysieren wir, wie genauere meteorologische Prognosen die kurz- und langfristige Vorhersagbarkeit des Wasserablaufs aus Gletscherreservoirs verbessern.

Gletscherforschung in Bildern

WEITERFÜHRENDE INFORMATIONEN

Projekte

Discovering forgotten glacier images in a new glance (DEFOGGING)

This project sets out to guarantee long-term accessibility to a unique record of glacier photographs that have been collected over the years. Starting from a pool of over 50,000 images available at the project's host institution, the aim is to integrate these historic documents in the Image Archive

Hundred years of Swiss glacier changes from historical terrestrial images

The aim of this project is to process a unique archive of several thousand historical terrestrial images that have been acquired in the 1920s until 1940s by the Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo). A 3D-representation of the largest Swiss glaciers will be reconstructed from stereoscopic image pairs and using modern photogrammetric techniques. These will then be compared to modern topography and yield an estimate of the total ice volume change.

Experimental investigation of channelised subglacial flow and till dynamics (LEAD)

The goal of this project is to overcome these shortcomings by investigating the hydrological and mechanical conditions beneath a till-bedded glacier with physical experiments.

Projecting Sea-Level Rise: from Ice Sheets to Local Implications (PROTECT)

The overarching scientific objective of PROTECT is to assess and project changes in the land-based cryosphere with quantified uncertainties, to produce robust global, regional and local projections of SLR on a wide range of timescales.

Process-based modelling of global glacier changes (PROGGRES)

This project sets out to revise both the basis upon which global glacier changes estimates are computed, and the way these estimates can be interpreted. This will be done by harnessing recent advances in obtaining globally-complete glaciological data, and by including some hitherto unaccounted processes into global glacier projections.

4D-Antarctica

The 4D-Antarctica project focuses on creating and consolidating an unprecedented dataset composed of ice-sheet wide hydrology and lithospheric products, Earth Observation datasets, and state of the art ice-sheet and hydrology models for the whole of Antarctica.

Glacier lake outburst floods and englacial water flow

Glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a natural hazard characteristic of high alpine environments. This project sets out to take advantage of a unique situation emerging at Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland: With the aim of mitigating an annually-occurring GLOF, the local authorities have

Rescue, documentation and re-analysis of glacier monitoring data

Long-term glacier monitoring in Switzerland has resulted in some of the longest and most complete data series at the global scale. The direct observations of mass balance date back until the late 19th century and, at some sites, have been continued until today. The present project sets out to significantly advance the documentation of long-term glacier data within Swiss glacier monitoring activities.

Towards automated monitoring of alpine mass movements

This project aims at setting up an interactive network of autonomously communicating instruments to capture processes happening during and directly after alpine mass movements.

Rock sediment disposition

Recently, rock-ice deposits have come into focus for their potential to provide sources of secondary hazards and as an alternative water resource in a changing climate. The aim of this project is to model the evolution of the thermal regime of rock-ice deposits under future climate scenarios.

A seismological study of mass movements

The aim of this project is to better understand the dynamics and triggering mechanisms of mass movements in a changing climate.

HYDRO-CH2018 "Forhycs-Ice"

In the project FORHYCS-ICE, ("Forest, Glacier and Hydrology Change in Switzerland"), we aim at providing the first holistic simulations of climate impacts (CH2018 scenarios) on water resources, glaciers and forests.

CRAMPON - Cryospheric Monitoring and Prediction Online

How much are Swiss glaciers melting right now? In the CRAMPON project we develop an operational modeling tool to nowcast and predict mass balance and runoff of all Swiss glaciers.

Exploring the Hydropower potential of future ice-free basins on a global scale

In this project we analyze new landscapes which are emerging though glacier retreat, and identify locations which may be suitable for potential new water storages and hydropower production once glaciers have retreated.

The potential of UAV photogrammetry for hydro-glaciological forecasts

This study investigates (a) the impact of weather forecasts on the resulting runoff predictions and (b) the potential of the UAV photogrammetry to generate high-resolution digital elevation models, ice flow velocities, and snow heights.

Dekadische Vorhersagen

Das Projekt erforscht in welchem Ausmass dekadische Vorhersagen für Mittelfristprognosen im hydro-glaziologische Kontext verwendet werden können. Dies soll dazu beitragen, die in der Energiestrategie 2050 festgehaltenen Ziele zu erreichen.

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Publikationen

Huss, M.; Bauder, A.; Linsbauer, A.; Gabbi, J.; Kappenberger, G.; Steinegger, U.; Farinotti, D., 2021: More than a century of direct glacier mass-balance observations on Claridenfirn, Switzerland. Journal of Glaciology, 67, 264: 697-713. doi: 10.1017/jog.2021.22

Compagno, L.; Zekollari, H.; Huss, M.; Farinotti, D., 2021: Limited impact of climate forcing products on future glacier evolution in Scandinavia and Iceland. Journal of Glaciology, 67, 264: 727-743. doi: 10.1017/jog.2021.24

Compagno, L.; Eggs, S.; Huss, M.; Zekollari, H.; Farinotti, D., 2021: Brief communication: Do 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0° C matter for the future evolution of Alpine glaciers?. Cryosphere, 15, 6: 2593-2599. doi: 10.5194/tc-15-2593-2021

Barandun, M.; Pohl, E.; Naegeli, K.; McNabb, R.; Huss, M.; Berthier, E.; Saks, T.; Hoelzle, M., 2021: Hot spots of glacier mass balance variability in Central Asia. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, 11: e2020GL092084 (14 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2020GL092084

Swift, D.A.; Tallentire, G.D.; Farinotti, D.; Cook, S.J.; Higson, W.J.; Bryant, R.G., 2021: The hydrology of glacier-bed overdeepenings: sediment transport mechanics, drainage system morphology, and geomorphological implications. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, doi: 10.1002/esp.5173

Grab, M.; Mattea, E.; Bauder, A.; Huss, M.; Rabenstein, L.; Hodel, E.; Linsbauer, A.; Langhammer, L.; Schmid, L.; Church, G.; Hellmann, S.; Délèze, K.; Schaer, P.; Lathion, P.; Farinotti, D.; Maurer, H., 2021: Ice thickness distribution of all Swiss glaciers based on extended ground-penetrating radar data and glaciological modeling. Journal of Glaciology, doi: 10.1017/jog.2021.55

Noetzli, J.; Arenson, L.U.; Bast, A.; Beutel, J.; Delaloye, R.; Farinotti, D.; Gruber, S.; Gubler, H.; Haeberli, W.; Hasler, A.; Hauck, C.; Hiller, M.; Hoelzle, M.; Lambiel, C.; Pellet, C.; Springman, S.M.; Vonder Muehll, D.; Phillips, M., 2021: Best practice for measuring permafrost temperature in boreholes based on the experience in the Swiss Alps. Frontiers in Earth Science, 9: 607875 (20 pp.). doi: 10.3389/feart.2021.607875

Zheng, G.; Allen, S.K.; Bao, A.; Ballesteros-Cánovas, J.A.; Huss, M.; Zhang, G.; Li, J.; Yuan, Y.; Jiang, L.; Yu, T.; Chen, W.; Stoffel, M., 2021: Increasing risk of glacial lake outburst floods from future Third Pole deglaciation. Nature Climate Change, 11, 5: 411-417. doi: 10.1038/s41558-021-01028-3

Trewin, B.; Cazenave, A.; Howell, S.; Huss, M.; Isensee, K.; Palmer, M.D.; Tarasova, O.; Vermeulen, A., 2021: Headline indicators for global climate monitoring. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 102, 1: E20-E37. doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0196.1

Hugonnet, R.; McNabb, R.; Berthier, E.; Menounos, B.; Nuth, C.; Girod, L.; Farinotti, D.; Huss, M.; Dussaillant, I.; Brun, F.; Kääb, A., 2021: Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century. Nature, 592: 726-731. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03436-z

Irarrazaval, I.; Werder, M.A.; Huss, M.; Herman, F.; Mariethoz, G., 2021: Determining the evolution of an alpine glacier drainage system by solving inverse problems. Journal of Glaciology, 67, 263: 421-434. doi: 10.1017/jog.2020.116

Edwards, T.L.; Nowicki, S.; Marzeion, B.; Hock, R.; Goelzer, H.; Seroussi, H.; Jourdain, N.C.; Slater, D.A.; Turner, F.E.; Smith, C.J.; Huss, M.; Zekollari, H.; Zwinger, T., 2021: Projected land ice contributions to twenty-first-century sea level rise. Nature, 593, 7857: 74-82. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03302-y

Pruessner, L.; Huss, M.; Phillips, M.; Farinotti, D., 2021: A framework for modeling rock glaciers and permafrost at the basin-scale in high Alpine catchments. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, 13, 4: e2020MS002361 (19 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2020MS002361

Pritchard, H.D.; Farinotti, D.; Colwell, S., 2021: Measuring changes in snowpack SWE continuously on a landscape scale using lake water pressure. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 22, 4: 795-811. doi: 10.1175/JHM-D-20-0206.1

Gugerli, R.; Guidicelli, M.; Gabella, M.; Huss, M.; Salzmann, N., 2021: Multi-sensor analysis of monthly gridded snow precipitation on alpine glaciers. Advances in Science and Research, 18: 7-20. doi: 10.5194/asr-18-7-2021

Holmlund, E.S., 2021: Aldegondabreen glacier change since 1910 from structure-from-motion photogrammetry of archived terrestrial and aerial photographs: utility of a historic archive to obtain century-scale Svalbard glacier mass losses. Journal of Glaciology, 67, 261: 107-116. doi: 10.1017/jog.2020.89

Zhang, Z.; Walter, F.; McArdell, B.W.; Wenner, M.; Chmiel, M.; De Haas, T.; He, S., 2021: Insights Frfom the particle impact model into the high-frequency seismic signature of debris flows. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, 1: e2020GL088994 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2020GL088994

Wenner, M.; Hibert, C.; Van Herwijnen, A.; Meier, L.; Walter, F., 2021: Near-real-time automated classification of seismic signals of slope failures with continuous random forests. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science, 21, 1: 339-361. doi: 10.5194/nhess-21-339-2021

Chmiel, M.; Walter, F.; Wenner, M.; Zhang, Z.; McArdell, B.W.; Hibert, C., 2021: Machine learning improves debris flow warning. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, 3: e2020GL090874 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1029/2020GL090874

Farinotti, D.; Brinkerhoff, D.J.; Fürst, J.J.; Gantayat, P.; Gillet-Chaulet, F.; Huss, M.; Leclercq, P.W.; Maurer, H.; Morlighem, M.; Pandit, A.; Rabatel, A.; Ramsankaran, R.A.A.J.; Reerink, T.J.; Robo, E.; Rouges, E.; Tamre, E.; Van Pelt, W.J.J.; Werder, M.A.; Azam, M.F.; ... Andreassen, L.M., 2021: Results from the Ice Thickness Models Intercomparison eXperiment Phase 2 (ITMIX2). Frontiers in Earth Science, 8: 571923 (21 pp.). doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.571923

20 von 66 Publikationen

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Mitarbeitende

Glaziologie

Prof. Dr. Daniel Farinotti	Gruppenleiter, Joint Professorship
Dr. Andreas Bauder	Gastwissenschafter
Loris Compagno	Gastwissenschafter
Lea Geibel	Gastwissenschafterin
Elias Hodel	Gastwissenschafter
Erik Holmlund	Gastwissenschafter
Romain Hugonnet	Gastwissenschafter
Dr. Matthias Huss	Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Johannes Marian Landmann	Gastwissenschafter
Raphael Moser	Gastwissenschafter
Christophe Ogier	Gastwissenschafter
Luisa Pruessner	Gastdoktorandin
Dr. Ludovic Gustave Räss	Gastwissenschafter
Bermann Steinmacher	Gastwissenschafter
Michaela Wenner	Doktorandin
Dr. Mauro Werder	Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter

Multimedia

Wie lange noch bleibt die Schweiz das Wasserschloss Europas?

An der WSL erforschen wir die anstehenden Veränderungen im Schnee- und Eishaushalt, und wie wir uns vor zu viel und zu wenig davon schützen können. Videoprojekt der Eidg. Forschungsanstalt WSL unter der Leitung von Gottardo Pestalozzi, umgesetzt von VJii Productions und präsentiert von Daniel Farinotti.

Climate change: "It doesn't look good for our glaciers."

On this hike, glaciologists Prof. Daniel Farinotti, Loris Compagno and Jane Walden from ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL reflect on the effects of this development - for example on water resources, natural hazards, energy production or even tourism. And they agree: we should think about what future we want. Ideally now.

Melting power

This short film was made by Saskia Gindraux and Sonia Meller, two PhD students at the Swiss federal institute for forest, snow and landscape research WSL, as they participated in the Filmmaking Marathon 2017

Gletscher erforschen mit einer Drohne

As part of her doctoral project, glaciologist Saskia Gindraux is studying three glaciers in Switzerland. She is creating 3D models of the glacier volume by georeferencing aerial photographs.

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Wie lange noch bleibt die Schweiz das Wasserschloss Europas?

Climate change: "It doesn't look good for our glaciers."

Melting power

Gletscher erforschen mit einer Drohne