Université de Fribourg

Estimating glacier-bed overdeepenings as possible sites of future lakes in the de-glaciating Mont Blanc massif (Western European Alps)

Magnin, F. ; Haeberli, W. ; Linsbauer, Andreas ; Deline, P. ; Ravanel, L.

In: Geomorphology, 2020, vol. 350, p. 106913

De-glaciating high mountain areas result in new landscapes of bedrock and debris where permafrost can degrade, persist or even newly form in cases, and of new lakes in glacier bed overdeepenings (GBOs) becoming ice-free. These landscapes with new lakes in close neighborhood to over-steepened and perennially frozen slopes are prone to chain reaction processes (e.g. rock-ice avalanches into...

Université de Fribourg

On the morphological characteristics of overdeepenings in high‐mountain glacier beds

Haeberli, Wilfried ; Linsbauer, Andreas ; Cochachin, Alejo ; Salazar, Cesar ; Fischer, Urs H.

In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2016, vol. 41, no. 13, p. 1980–1990

Overdeepenings, i.e. closed topographic depressions with adverse slopes in the direction of flow, are characteristic for glacier beds and glacially sculpted landscapes. Quantitative information about their morphological characteristics, however, has so far hardly been available. The present study provides such information by combining the analysis of (a) numerous bed overdeepenings below...

Université de Fribourg

Glacial lake outburst flood risk in Himachal Pradesh, India: an integrative and anticipatory approach considering current and future threats

Allen, Simon K. ; Linsbauer, Andreas ; Randhawa, S. S. ; Huggel, Christian ; Rana, P. ; Kumari, A.

In: Natural Hazards, 2016, vol. 84, no. 3, p. 1741–1763

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are a serious and potentially increasing threat to livelihoods and infrastructure in most high-mountain regions of the world. Here, we integrate modelling approaches that capture both current and future potential for GLOF triggering, quantification of affected downstream areas, and assessment of the underlying societal vulnerability to such climate-related...

Université de Fribourg

Modelling glacier-bed overdeepenings and possible future lakes for the glaciers in the Himalaya—Karakoram region

Linsbauer, Andreas ; Frey, H. ; Haeberli, Winfried ; Machguth, Horst ; Azam, M. F. ; Allen, S.

In: Annals of Glaciology, 2016, vol. 57, no. 71, p. 119–130

Surface digital elevation models (DEMs) and slope-related estimates of glacier thickness enable modelling of glacier-bed topographies over large ice-covered areas. Due to the erosive power of glaciers, such bed topographies can contain numerous overdeepenings, which when exposed following glacier retreat may fill with water and form new lakes. In this study, the bed overdeepenings for ~28 000...

Université de Fribourg

Mass balance re-analysis of Findelengletscher, Switzerland; benefits of extensive snow accumulation measurements

Sold, Leo ; Huss, Matthias ; Machguth, Horst ; Joerg, Philip C. ; Leysinger Vieli, Gwendolyn ; Linsbauer, Andreas ; Salzmann, Nadine ; Zemp, Michael ; Hoelzle, Martin

In: Front. Earth Sci. - Cryospheric Sciences, 2016, p. 18

A re-analysis is presented here of a 10 year mass balance series at Findelengletscher, a temperate mountain glacier in Switzerland. Calculating glacier-wide mass balance from the set of glaciological point balance observations using conventional approaches, such as the profile or contour method, resulted in significant deviations from the reference value given by the geodetic mass...

Université de Fribourg

Estimating the volume of glaciers in the Himalayan–Karakoram region using different methods

Frey, H. ; Machguth, Horst ; Huss, Matthias ; Huggel, C. ; Bajracharya, S. ; Bolch, T. ; Kulkarni, A. ; Linsbauer, Andreas ; Salzmann, Nadine ; Stoffel, Markus

In: The Cryosphere, 2014, vol. 8, no. 6, p. 2313–2333

Ice volume estimates are crucial for assessing water reserves stored in glaciers. Due to its large glacier coverage, such estimates are of particular interest for the Himalayan–Karakoram (HK) region. In this study, different existing methodologies are used to estimate the ice reserves: three area–volume relations, one slope-dependent volume estimation method, and two ice-thickness...

Université de Fribourg

The Swiss Alpine glaciers' response to the global '2 °C air temperature target'

Salzmann, Nadine ; Machguth, Horst ; Linsbauer, Andreas

In: Environmental Research Letters, 2012, vol. 7, no. 4, p. 044001

While there is general consensus that observed global mean air temperature has increased during the past few decades and will very likely continue to rise in the coming decades, the assessment of the effective impacts of increased global mean air temperature on a specific regional-scale system remains highly challenging. This study takes up the widely discussed concept of limiting global mean...