Glaciology
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Most glaciers in the world are shrinking due to climate warming. Knowing how they evolve is crucial for planning hydroelectric infrastructure, projecting long-term water availability, and assessing natural hazards. We investigate glaciological processes in computer models, laboratory experiments, and field work.
Glacier retreat is one of the most prominent and visible consequences of ongoing climatic change. The resulting changes do not only alter our landscape, but are also linked to a series of implications such as water shortages, and natural hazards such as glacier lake outburst floods.
In laboratory tests we contribute to a better understanding of fundamental processes controlling glacier motion and glacier hydrology. We also study glacier accumulation and melt, glacier flow, and glacial erosion in field experiments. We use these data to simulate past glacier extensions and to predict future water availability in computer models.
We target not only potentially negative aspects of shrinking glaciers, but also highlight new possibilities such as the hydropower potential in retreating glacier areas. In addition, we analyze how improved meteorological forecasts can increase the short- and long-term predictability of runoff from glaciered catchments.
Glacier research in pictures
Glacier researcher in Antarctica. (Photo: Daniel Farinotti)
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey in Antarctica. (Foto: Daniel Farinotti)
Ak Shiirak Plateau in Kyrgyzstan. (Photo: Daniel Farinotti)
Snow probing in Kyrgyzstan. (Photo: Daniel Farinotti)
Unnamed glaciers in Kyrgyzstan. (Photo: Daniel Farinotti)
Stockhorngrat, Valais, Swjtzerland (Photo: Daniel Farinotti)
Glacier forefield of the Findelengletscher, Switzerland. (Photo: Daniel Farinotti)
Surface streams on the Findelengletscher, Switzerland. (Photo: Daniel Farinotti)
FURTHER INFORMATION
Projects
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Publications
Zekollari, H.; Huss, M.; Farinotti, D., 2019: Modelling the future evolution of glaciers in the European Alps under the EURO-CORDEX RCM ensemble. Cryosphere, 13, 4: 1125-1146. doi: 10.5194/tc-13-1125-2019
Maussion, F.; Butenko, A.; Champollion, N.; Dusch, M.; Eis, J.; Fourteau, K.; Gregor, P.; Jarosch, A.H.; Landmann, J.; Oesterle, F.; Recinos, B.; Rothenpieler, T.; Vlug, A.; Wild, C.T.; Marzeion, B., 2019: The open global glacier model (OGGM) v1.1. Geoscientific Model Development, 12, 3: 909-931. doi: 10.5194/gmd-12-909-2019
Farinotti, D.; Huss, M.; Fürst, J.J.; Landmann, J.; Machguth, H.; Maussion, F.; Pandit, A., 2019: A consensus estimate for the ice thickness distribution of all glaciers on Earth. Nature Geoscience, 12, 3: 168-173. doi: 10.1038/s41561-019-0300-3
Brunner, M.I.; Björnsen Gurung, A.; Zappa, M.; Zekollari, H.; Farinotti, D.; Stähli, M., 2019: Present and future water scarcity in Switzerland: potential for alleviation through reservoirs and lakes. Science of the Total Environment, 666: 1033-1047. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.169
Zekollari, H.; Goderis, S.; Debaille, V.; Van Ginneken, M.; Gattacceca, J.; Aster Team; Timothy Jull, A.J.; Lenaerts, J.T.M.; Yamaguchi, A.; Huybrechts, P.; Claeys, P., 2019: Unravelling the high-altitude Nansen blue ice field meteorite trap (East Antarctica) and implications for regional palaeo-conditions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 248: 289-310. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2018.12.035
Schaefli, B.; Manso, P.; Fischer, M.; Huss, M.; Farinotti, D., 2019: The role of glacier retreat for Swiss hydropower production. Renewable Energy, 132: 615-627. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2018.07.104
Delaney, I.; Bauder, A.; Werder, M.A.; Farinotti, D., 2018: Regional and annual variability in subglacial sediment transport by water for two glaciers in the Swiss Alps. Frontiers in Earth Science, 6: 175 (17 pp.). doi: 10.3389/feart.2018.00175
Duethmann, D.; Vorogushyn, S.; Farinotti, D.; Menz, C.; Merz, B.; Kriegel, D.; Bolch, T.; Pieczonka, T.; Jiang, T.; Su, B.; Güntner, A., 2018: ГИДРОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ В ЛЕДНИКОВЫХ БАССЕЙНАХ Р.ТАРИМ, ЦЕНТРАЛЬНАЯ АЗИЯ: НАБЛЮДАЕМЫЕ ИЗМЕНЕНИЯ РАСХОДОВ ВОДЫ И ОЦЕНКА БУДУЩИХ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ. Hydrological change in glacier covered headwater catchments of the tarim river, Central Asia: observed streamflow c. In: Sychev, V.G.; Mueller, L. (eds), 2018: Understanding and monitoring processes in soils and water bodies. Moscow, Publishing House FSBSI (Pryanishnikov Institute of Agrochemistry). 410-414. doi: 10.25680/3139.2018.68.11.002
Pruessner, L.; Phillips, M.; Farinotti, D.; Hoelzle, M.; Lehning, M., 2018: Near-surface ventilation as a key for modeling the thermal regime of coarse blocky rock glaciers. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 29, 3: 152-163. doi: 10.1002/ppp.1978
Gindraux, S.; Farinotti, D., 2018: Skill transfer from meteorological to runoff forecasts in glacierized catchments. Hydrology, 5, 2: 26 (14 pp.). doi: 10.3390/hydrology5020026
Zekollari, H.; Huybrechts, P., 2018: Statistical modelling of the surface mass-balance variability of the Morteratsch glacier, Switzerland: strong control of early melting season meteorological conditions. Journal of Glaciology, 64, 244: 275-288. doi: 10.1017/jog.2018.18
Beniston, M.; Farinotti, D.; Stoffel, M.; Andreassen, L.M.; Coppola, E.; Eckert, N.; Fantini, A.; Giacona, F.; Hauck, C.; Huss, M.; Huwald, H.; Lehning, M.; López-Moreno, J.; Magnusson, J.; Marty, C.; Morán-Tejéda, E.; Morin, S.; Naaim, M.; Provenzale, A.; ... Vincent, C., 2018: The European mountain cryosphere: a review of its current state, trends, and future challenges. Cryosphere, 12, 2: 759-794. doi: 10.5194/tc-12-759-2018
Kääb, A.; Leinss, S.; Gilbert, A.; Bühler, Y.; Gascoin, S.; Evans, S.G.; Bartelt, P.; Berthier, E.; Brun, F.; Chao, W.; Farinotti, D.; Gimbert, F.; Guo, W.; Huggel, C.; Kargel, J.S.; Leonard, G.J.; Tian, L.; Treichler, D.; Yao, T., 2018: Massive collapse of two glaciers in western Tibet in 2016 after surge-like instability. Nature Geoscience, 11, 2: 114-120. doi: 10.1038/s41561-017-0039-7
Feiger, N.; Huss, M.; Leinss, S.; Sold, L.; Farinotti, D., 2018: The bedrock topography of Gries- and Findelengletscher. Geographica Helvetica, 73, 1: 1-9. doi: 10.5194/gh-73-1-2018
Farinotti, D., 2017: Glacier modeling. In: Richardson, D. (eds), 2017: The international encyclopedia of geography: people, the earth, environment, and technology. Chichester, Wiley. 1-4. doi: 10.1002/9781118786352.wbieg0038
Zekollari, H., 2017: TopoZeko: A MATLAB function for 3-D and 4-D topographical visualization in geosciences. SoftwareX, 6: 285-292. doi: 10.1016/j.softx.2017.10.004
Farinotti, D., 2017: Asia’s glacier changes. Nature Geoscience, 10, 9: 621-622. doi: 10.1038/ngeo2995
Hoelzle, M.; Azisov, E.; Barandun, M.; Huss, M.; Farinotti, D.; Gafurov, A.; Hagg, W.; Kenzhebaev, R.; Kronenberg, M.; MacHguth, H.; Merkushkin, A.; Moldobekov, B.; Petrov, M.; Saks, T.; Salzmannöne, N.; Schöne, T.; Tarasov, Y.; Usubaliev, R.; Vorogushyn, S.; ... Zemp, M., 2017: Re-establishing glacier monitoring in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia. Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems, 6, 2: 397-418. doi: 10.5194/gi-6-397-2017
Schmale, J.; Flanner, M.; Kang, S.; Sprenger, M.; Zhang, Q.; Guo, J.; Li, Y.; Schwikowski, M.; Farinotti, D., 2017: Modulation of snow reflectance and snowmelt from Central Asian glaciers by anthropogenic black carbon. Scientific Reports, 7: 40501 (10 pp.). doi: 10.1038/srep40501
Gindraux, S.; Boesch, R.; Farinotti, D., 2017: Accuracy assessment of digital surface models from unmanned aerial vehicles' imagery on glaciers. Remote Sensing, 9, 2: 186 (15 pp.). doi: 10.3390/rs9020186
Farinotti, D.; Brinkerhoff, D.J.; Clarke, G.K.C.; Fürst, J.J.; Frey, H.; Gantayat, P.; Gillet-Chaulet, F.; Girard, C.; Huss, M.; Leclercq, P.W.; Linsbauer, A.; Machguth, H.; Martin, C.; Maussion, F.; Morlinghem, M.; Mosbeux, C.; Pandit, A.; Portmann, A.; Rabatel, A.; ... Andreassen, L.M., 2017: How accurate are estimates of glacier ice thickness? Results from ITMIX, the Ice Thickness Models Intercomparison eXperiment. Cryosphere, 11, 2: 949-970. doi: 10.5194/tc-11-949-2017
Parrella, G.; Farinotti, D.; Hajnsek, I.; Papathanassiou, K.P., 2016: Monitoring the Subsurface of an Alpine Glacier Using Polarimetric SAR Observations at L-Band. In: 2016: EUSAR 2016. 11th European Conference on Synthetic Aperture Radar. Electronic proceedings. 11th European conference on synthetic aperture radar, Hamburg, June 6-9, 2016. 800-805.
Farinotti, D.; Pistocchi, A.; Huss, M., 2016: From dwindling ice to headwater lakes: could dams replace glaciers in the European Alps?. Environmental Research Letters, 11, 5: 054022 (9 pp.). doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/054022
Parrella, G.; Farinotti, D.; Hajnsek, I.; Papathanassiou, K.P., 2016: Monitoring the subsurface of an alpine glacier using polarimetric SAR observations at L-band. In: 2016: Proceedings of EUSAR 2016: 11th European conference on synthetic aperture radar. 11th European conference on synthetic aperture radar (EUSAR), Hamburg, Germany, June 6-9, 2016. 800-805.
Kronenberg, M.; Barandun, M.; Hoelzle, M.; Huss, M.; Farinotti, D.; Azisov, E.; Usubaliev, R.; Gafurov, A.; Petrakov, D.; Kääb, A., 2016: Mass-balance reconstruction for Glacier No. 354, Tien Shan, from 2003 to 2014. Annals of Glaciology, 57, 71: 92-102. doi: 10.3189/2016AoG71A032
Gafurov, A.; Vorogushyn, S.; Farinotti, D.; Duethmann, D.; Merkushkin, A.; Merz, B., 2015: Snow-cover reconstruction methodology for mountainous regions based on historic in situ observations and recent remote sensing data. Cryosphere, 9, 2: 451-463. doi: 10.5194/tc-9-451-2015
Farinotti, D.; Longuevergne, L.; Moholdt, G.; Duethmann, D.; Mölg, T.; Bolch, T.; Vorogushyn, S.; Güntner, A., 2015: Substantial glacier mass loss in the Tien Shan over the past 50 years. Nature Geoscience, 8, 9: 716-722. doi: 10.1038/ngeo2513
Duethmann, D.; Bolch, T.; Farinotti, D.; Kriegel, D.; Vorogushyn, S.; Merz, B.; Pieczonka, T.; Jiang, T.; Su, B.; Güntner, A., 2015: Attribution of streamflow trends in snow and glacier melt-dominated catchments of the Tarim River, Central Asia. Water Resources Research, 51, 6: 4727-4750. doi: 10.1002/2014WR016716
Barandun, M.; Huss, M.; Sold, L.; Farinotti, D.; Azisov, E.; Salzmann, N.; Usubaliev, R.; Merkushkin, A.; Hoelzle, M., 2015: Re-analysis of seasonal mass balance at Abramov glacier 1968-2014. Journal of Glaciology, 61, 230: 1103-1117. doi: 10.3189/2015JoG14J239
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Glaciology
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