Retreating Alpine cryosphere
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Retreating Alpine cryosphere

by Charalampos Charlampidis, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW), Munich, Germany

View of the Austrian Vernagtferner from Brochkogeljoch at about 3280 m above sea level. In past times, the voluminous glacier would surge under the force of its own weight into the south-facing glacier valley at the center of the photo. After substantial retreat and thining over the twentieth century, the glacier is currently dissintegrating at the higher parts of the ridge. No future glacier surge is forseen.

Related abstract: EGU2019-1002-1 (Session CR1.1/CL3.07 – Glaciers and ice caps under climate change, room 1.85 on Monday, 08 Apr 2019, 15:30)

Related research: Charalampidis C, Fischer A, Kuhn M, Lambrecht A, Mayer C, Thomaidis K and Weber M (2018) Mass-Budget Anomalies and Geometry Signals of Three Austrian Glaciers. Front. Earth Sci. 6:218. doi:10.3389/feart.2018.00218