Université de Fribourg

A general theory of rock glacier creep based on in-situ and remote sensing observations

Cicoira, Alessandro ; Marcer, Marco ; Gärtner‐Roer, Isabelle ; Bodin, Xavier ; Arenson, Lukas U. ; Vieli, Andreas

In: Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 2020, vol. 32, no. 1, p. 139-153

The ongoing acceleration in rock glacier velocities concurrent with increasing air temperatures, and the widespread onset of rock glacier destabilization have reinforced the interest in rock glacier dynamics and in its coupling to the climate system. Despite the increasing number of studies investigating this phenomenon, our knowledge of both the fundamental mechanisms controlling rock...

Université de Fribourg

Monitoring rock glacier kinematics with satellite synthetic aperture radar

Strozzi, Tazio ; Caduff, Rafael ; Jones, Nina ; Barboux, Chloé ; Delaloye, Reynald ; Bodin, Xavier ; Kääb, Andreas ; Mätzler, Eva ; Schrott, Lothar

In: Remote Sensing, 2020, vol. 12, no. 3, p. 559

Active rock glaciers represent the best visual expression of mountain permafrost that can be mapped and monitored directly using remotely sensed data. Active rock glaciers are bodies that consist of a perennially frozen ice/rock mixture and express a distinct flow-like morphology indicating downslope permafrost creep movement. Annual rates of motion have ranged from a few millimeters to...