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Université de Fribourg

Future retreat of Great Aletsch Glacier

Jouvet, Guillaume ; Huss, Matthias

In: Journal of Glaciology, 2019, vol. 65, no. 253, p. 869–872

We model the future evolution of the largest glacier of the European Alps – Great Aletsch Glacier, Switzerland – during the 21st century. For that purpose we use a detailed three-dimensional model, which combines full Stokes ice dynamics and surface mass balance forced with the most recent climate projections (CH2018), as well as with climate data of the last decades. As a result, all...

Université de Fribourg

Last phase of the Little Ice Age forced by volcanic eruptions

Brönnimann, Stefan ; Franke, Jörg ; Nussbaumer, Samuel U. ; Zumbühl, Heinz J. ; Steiner, Daniel ; Trachsel, Mathias ; Hegerl, Gabriele C. ; Schurer, Andrew ; Worni, Matthias ; Malik, Abdul ; Flückiger, Julian ; Raible, Christoph C.

In: Nature Geoscience, 2019, vol. 12, no. 8, p. 650–656

During the first half of the nineteenth century, several large tropical volcanic eruptions occurred within less than three decades. The global climate effects of the 1815 Tambora eruption have been investigated, but those of an eruption in 1808 or 1809 whose source is unknown and the eruptions in the 1820s and 1830s have received less attention. Here we analyse the effect of the sequence of...

Université de Fribourg

GlacierMIP – A model intercomparison of global-scale glacier mass-balance models and projections

Hock, Regine ; Bliss, Andrew ; Marzeion, Ben ; Giesen, Rianne H. ; Hirabayashi, Yukiko ; Huss, Matthias ; Radić, Valentina ; Slangen, Aimée B. A.

In: Journal of Glaciology, 2019, vol. 65, no. 251, p. 453–467

Global-scale 21st-century glacier mass change projections from six published global glacier models are systematically compared as part of the Glacier Model Intercomparison Project. In total 214 projections of annual glacier mass and area forced by 25 General Circulation Models (GCMs) and four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) emission scenarios and aggregated into 19 glacier ...

Université de Fribourg

Change detection of bare-ice albedo in the Swiss Alps

Naegeli, Kathrin ; Huss, Matthias ; Hoelzle, Martin

In: The Cryosphere, 2019, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 397–412

Albedo feedback is an important driver of glacier melt over bare-ice surfaces. Light- absorbing impurities strongly enhance glacier melt rates but their abundance, composition and variations in space and time are subject to considerable uncertainties and ongoing scientific debates. In this study, we assess the temporal evolution of shortwave broadband albedo derived from 15 end-of-summer...

Université de Fribourg

The role of glacier retreat for Swiss hydropower production

Schaefli, Bettina ; Manso, Pedro ; Fischerc, Mauro ; Huss, Matthias ; Farinotti, Daniel

In: Renewable Energy, 2019, vol. 132, p. 615–627

High elevation or high latitude hydropower production (HP) strongly relies on water resources that are influenced by glacier melt and are thus highly sensitive to climate warming. Despite of the wide-spread glacier retreat since the development of HP infrastructure in the 20th century, little quantitative information is available about the role of glacier mass loss for HP. In this paper, we...

Université de Fribourg

Global glacier volume projections under high-end climate change scenarios

Shannon, Sarah ; Smith, Robin ; Wiltshire, Andy ; Payne, Tony ; Huss, Matthias ; Betts, Richard ; Caesar, John ; Koutroulis, Aris ; Jones, Darren ; Harrison, Stephan

In: The Cryosphere, 2019, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 325–350

The Paris agreement aims to hold global warming to well below 2 ∘C and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 ∘C relative to the pre-industrial period. Recent estimates based on population growth and intended carbon emissions from participant countries suggest global warming may exceed this ambitious target. Here we present glacier volume projections for the end of this century, under a...

Université de Fribourg

Comparison of climatic trends and variability among glacierized environments in the Western Himalayas

Dimri, A. P. ; Immerzeel, W. W. ; Salzmann, Nadine ; Thayyen, R. J.

In: Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 2018, vol. 134, no. 1, p. 155–163

The climate and hydrology of the Western Himalayas is complex and a function of snow and glacier melt, land use, topography, and Indian summer and winter monsoon dynamics. Improving our knowledge about these processes is important from societal and agricultural points of view. In this study, an observational analysis is carried out to assess the changing climatic trends and the associated...

Université de Fribourg

Little ice age glacier history of the central and western alps from pictorial documents

Zumbühl, Heinz J. ; Nussbaumer, Samuel U.

In: Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica, 2018, vol. 44, no. 1, p. 115–136

The Lower Grindelwald Glacier (Bernese Oberland, Switzerland) consists of two parts, the Ischmeer in the east (disconnected) and the Bernese Fiescher Glacier in the west. During the Little Ice Age (LIA), the glacier terminated either in the area of the “Schopffelsen” (landmark rock terraces) or advanced at least six times (ten times if we include early findings) even further down into the...