Dr. Marcia Phillips

Function

teamleader

Snow and Permafrost

Permafrost

Contact

phillips(at)slfto make life hard for spam bots.ch

+41 81 417 02 18+41 81 417 02 18

WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Flüelastrasse 11
7260 Davos Dorf

Site

Davos Da C 1 55

FURTHER INFORMATION

Projects

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.

Rock slope failures 2015

There was intense rock slope failure activity during the summer 2015 heat wave, particularly above 2500 m asl in mountain permafrost regions. The dimensions of these events varied from a few hundred to several tens of thousands of cubic metres.

Rock slope failure Piz Kesch

A recently published study shows that the occurrence of a major rock slope failure, such as the one that took place on Piz Kesch in February 2014, depends not only on the conditions prevailing at the time, but also on the long term interaction of geology and climate over millennia.

Permafrost rock walls

How does snow influence the temperature of frozen rock walls? A novel combination of measurement and modelling techniques is being used to determine snow distribution and its impacts on the underlying rock in extremely steep terrain.

Berg- und Felsstürze

Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft Alpenländer (Arge-Alp) untersucht im Rahmen des Projektes „Einfluss von Permafrost auf Berg- und Felsstürze“ die Auslösemechanismen von Massenbewegungen in Permafrostfelsen am Pizzo Cengalo im Bergell (GR).

Publications WSL

Scientific publication article peer reviewed

Walter, F.; Amann, F.; Kos, A.; Kenner, R.; Phillips, M.; De Preux, A.; Huss, M.; Tognacca, C.; Clinton, J.; Diehl, T.; Bonanomi, Y., 2020: Direct observations of a three million cubic meter rock-slope collapse with almost immediate initiation of ensuing debris flows. Geomorphology, 351: 106933 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.106933

Kenner, R.; Pruessner, L.; Beutel, J.; Limpach, P.; Phillips, M., 2019: How rock glacier hydrology, deformation velocities and ground temperatures interact: examples from the Swiss Alps. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, doi: 10.1002/ppp.2023

Kenner, R.; Noetzli, J.; Hoelzle, M.; Raetzo, H.; Phillips, M., 2019: Distinguishing ice-rich and ice-poor permafrost to map ground temperatures and ground ice occurrence in the Swiss Alps. Cryosphere, 13, 7: 1925-1941. doi: 10.5194/tc-13-1925-2019

Biskaborn, B.K.; Smith, S.L.; Noetzli, J.; Matthes, H.; Vieira, G.; Streletskiy, D.A.; Schoeneich, P.; Romanovsky, V.E.; Lewkowicz, A.G.; Abramov, A.; Allard, M.; Boike, J.; Cable, W.L.; Christiansen, H.H.; Delaloye, R.; Diekmann, B.; Drozdov, D.; Etzelmüller, B.; Grosse, G.; ... Lantuit, H., 2019: Permafrost is warming at a global scale. Nature Communications, 10, 1: 264 (11 pp.). doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-08240-4

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

Show all

Further scientific publications

Noetzli, J.; Phillips, M., 2019: Mountain permafrost hydrology. Eine Studie im Rahmen des NCCS Themenschwerpunktes "Hydrologische Grundlagen zum Klimawandel" des National Centre for Climate Services. 18 p. doi: 10.16904/slf.1

Phillips, M.; Kos, A.; Amann, F.; Bonanomi, Y.; Huwiler, A.; Negrini, M.; Lüthi, R.; Kenner, R.; Wolter, A.; Bühler, Y., 2016: Deep-seated rock slope failures in mountain permafrost: Pizzo Cengalo and Piz Kesch (Canton Grisons, Switzerland). In: Koboltschnig, G. (eds), 2016: 13th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2016. 30 May to 2 June 2016. Lucerne, Switzerland. Extended abstracts "Living with natural risks". 13th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2016, Lucerne, Switzerland. 148-149.

Mair, V.; Mosna, D.; Kenner, R.; Chinellato, G.; Phillips, M.; Strada, C.; Thiebes, B., 2016: Integration of remote and terrestrial monitoring data for analysing alpine geomorphic processes – examples from Switzerland and Italy. In: Koboltschnig, G. (eds), 2016: 13th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2016. 30 May to 2 June 2016. Lucerne, Switzerland. Conference proceedings "Living with natural risks". 13th congress INTERPRAEVENT 2016, Lucerne, Switzerland, May 30-June 2, 2016. 336-344.

Chinellato, G.; Iasio, C.; Mair, V.; Strada, C.; Mosna, D.; Phillips, M.; Kenner, R.; Zischg, A., 2015: Remote and terrestrial ground monitoring techniques integration for hazard assessment and prediction in densely populated mountain areas. In: Lollino, G.; Arattano, M.; Rinaldi, M.; Giustolisi, O.; Marechal, J.-C.; Grant, G.E. (eds), 2015: Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 3. River Basins, Reservoir Sedimentation and Water Resources. London, Taylor & Francis. 379-383. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-09057-3_59

WSL-Institut für Schnee- und Lawinenforschung SLF (Ed.); Feistl, T.; Fierz, C.; Huovinen, C.; Jonas, T.; Löwe, H.; Margreth, S.; Marty, C.; Phillips, M.; Rhyner, H.; Rixen, C.; Schweizer, J.; Stähli, M.; Stucki, T., 2013: Schnee. 160 p.