ISSN 0019–1043 Ice

News Bulletin of the International Glaciological Society

Number 151 3rd Issue 2009

Contents

2 From the Editor 40 International Glaciological Society 3 Recent work 40 Journal of Glaciology 3 Italy 41 Annals of Glaciology, Volume 51(54) 3 Alpine glaciers 41 Annals of Glaciology, Volume 51(55) 14 Ice cores 42 Report from the Nordic Branch Meeting 16 Alpine inventories 43 Notes from the production team 17 Apennine glaciers 44 Meetings of other societies: 18 Tropical glaciers 44 Northwestern Glaciologists meeting 18 Himalaya–Karakoram glaciers 2009 20 Polar glaciers and ice sheets 47 Sapporo symposium 2nd circular 23 Glacier hydrology 52 Ohio symposium 2nd circular 24 The Miage Lake project 57 Future meetings of other societies: 25 Applied glaciology 11th International Circumpolar 28 Remote sensing Remote Sensing Symposium 30 Permafrost 57 Books received 33 Ice caves 58 News 33 Ecological studies 58 Obituary: Hans Röthlisberger 37 Snow and avalanches 60 Glaciological diary 66 New members

Cover picture: River Skeiðará flowing along the terminus of the outlet glacier Skeiðarárjökull from southern Vatnajökull ice cap. The river changed course in July 2009. Until then the river flowed directly to the south from the outlet on the eastern side of the terminus and under the longest bridge in Iceland, the ~900 m long Skeiðará bridge. The river now flows to the west along the terminus and merges with the river Gígjukvísl near the centre of the glacier and the Skeiðará bridge is more or less on dry land. Photo: Oddur Sigurðsson.

Scanning electron micrograph of the ice crystal used in headings by kind permission of William P. Wergin, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture

EXCLUSION CLAUSE. While care is taken to provide accurate accounts and information in this Newsletter, neither the editor nor the International Glaciological Society undertakes any liability for omissions or errors.

1 From the Editor

Dear IGS member

We have now had the opportunity to test our The online submission system was a little two new digital systems. The online member- later getting off the ground than I had hoped, ship payment has worked very well, and you as the online membership took up much more have responded very well – but there are still of our time than anticipated. But that did not some stragglers out there. As I mentioned in deter you from submitting as we had a record my last editorial in ICE 150, it is much more number of submissions in January. It is really economical for us to send out as many of the interesting and enjoyable for us to report that Journals as possible when we print them. We 2009 was yet another record-breaking year as sent out the second reminder in March which regards the number of submissions. And that is brought on another flurry of renewals. We will the fourth year in a row that we have broken the now target those who have been members of submission record. With the online submission the IGS in the past but for whatever reason system we anticipate that we will make that five have not renewed. If you know of anyone like years in a row. that, please encourage them to rejoin. We are As we are now publishing six issues per constantly trying to think of things that will year we decided to go back to the tradition make IGS membership more attractive: the lat- of having a new cover photograph on each est is that we are making back issues of all IGS issue. That means we are going to need a publications available online. That means that steady stream of high-quality pictures. So volume 1, issue 1 of the Journal is now online please look at your photo album and check to and so is volume 1 of the Annals. So please help see if you have any stunning pictures in your us in getting former members back. collection. This applies especially to authors Quite a few of you have come back to whose papers we are going to publish, as we us with suggestions as to how we can further would like the cover to illuminate an article improve the system. In particular you have in the issue. So if your paper is accepted for mentioned that you would like to be able to publication, please check to see if you have a purchase back issues of both the Annals and potential cover photograph that is relevant to Journal at the same time as you renew. That is the subject of your article. of course our intention but we decided to take it On a similar note, some of you may have one step at the time. We will introduce a ‘shop’ noticed that the last issue of 2010 is going where you will be able to put other IGS publi- to be the 200th issue of the Journal of Glaci­ cations into a ‘shopping basket’, just like you ology. We are planning to commemorate this do when you shop at any other online vendor. by republishing some classic papers that have You have also asked us to enable you to change appeared in the Journal. In addition we are your type of membership, i.e. from ‘student’ to going to invite our members to submit poten- ‘ordinary’ or ‘ordinary’ to ‘contributing’. That is tial cover pictures to celebrate this milestone. something we will be working on and hopefully So start looking at your slides and send us a it will be up and running later this year. You sample. Remember that the picture must be also asked whether you could print out receipts of a very high quality. As a prize for the win- once you have paid your membership dues. ning photograph, we will present you with That is also in the pipeline. This online presence a framed picture of the cover and one year’s opens up all sorts of possibilities for the future. free subscription to the Journal.

Magnús Már Magnússon Secretary General

2 Recent work

Italy

ALPINE GLACIERS ian glaciers were inserted. The glaciers entered in GLAD were surveyed with variable continuity Glacier variations, long term length and mass bal­ between 1908 and 2002. Since the time series for ance monitoring most of the 883 glaciers are short or very discon- Long term monitoring of length changes tinuous, a representative subset of 95 glaciers fea- Comitato Glaciologico Italiano (CGI), Carlo turing longer and more reliable data was selected Baroni (UNIPI-DST), Mirco Meneghel (UNIPD- for further analysis. DG), Giovanni Mortara (CNR-IRPI) This subset contains a total of 3776 field- Since the beginning of the last century the CGI surveyed measurements, with an average record has been paying attention to the fluctuations of length of 39.7 years per glacier, ten glaciers in the Italian glaciers. Actually a yearly monitoring of the 60- to 70-year class of record length, four glaciers snout position on selected glaciers is carried out surveyed for more than 70 years and one glacier by the surveyors of the CGI in close cooperation (i.e., Ventina) with records covering 85 years. with several organizations involved in glaciology Glaciers known to surge (i.e., Belvedere) or af- (among others SMI, SGL, CGT-SAT, SG-CAIAA). fected by active calving at the terminus (i.e. Sab- The present (last 15 years) monitoring program bione Meridionale) were excluded. Because of was also sustained by recent COFIN-PRIN Projects this, it is not possible simply to average the curves funded by the Italian Research Ministry. of cumulated terminus fluctuations, and for inter- The collected data are published annually in a comparison purposes, the 95 selected glaciers report in the CGI official journal named ‘Geografia were sorted according to their maximum length Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria’. Moreover data of (<1 km, 1–2 km, 2–4 km and >4 km) and the data many glaciers are also periodically sent to WGMS were averaged over time intervals of 10 years to be published in the volumes ‘Fluctuations of (from 1913 to 2002). Glaciers’. Snout position is commonly measured The results show that the general trend for Ital- on the ground by topographic instruments (mainly ian glaciers, in spite of the fact that such glaciers tape, in some cases laser rangefinder, GPS). A de- show strong fluctuations with large amplitudes, is scription of the year by year glacier changes is usu- one of retreat for most of the 20th century. The only ally given along with the measurements. For some significant interruptions in the retreat trend proved glaciers these measurements have been collected to have taken place in the 1913–1922 interval since the end of the XIX century thus making their (though very few glaciers were monitored during data-records more than 100 years old. Over the those wartime years) and then in the 1970s and last ten years 134 glaciers (average value) have 1980s. The lowest fraction of retreating glaciers been monitored in the Italian Alps (66 glaciers in and the lowest rates of retreat or even significant the Western Alps, 25 in the Central Alps and 43 advances were recorded in the decade from 1973 in the Eastern Alps). About 88% (average value) to 1982, compared to the preceding and subse- of the glaciers measured are retreating (from 69% quent decades, regardless of glacier size. However, in 2001 to a maximum of 99% in 2007); some of a consistent pattern was recognizable with respect them are now vanishing. to glacier size, both in the percentage of retreating Contact: [email protected] glaciers and in the average rate of terminus fluctua- tion within the 1973–1982 decade itself: while the A century of Italian glaciers fluctuations longest glaciers (i.e. >2 km in length) were mostly Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Claudio advancing, only a minority of glaciers shorter than Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Michele Citterio (GEUS), 2 km advanced. Longer glaciers, on average, had Francesco Apadula, Giuseppe Stella (CESI) positive or slightly positive rates of terminus posi- The project is based on the analysis of all the avail- tion change, while shorter glaciers saw only a tem- able Italian terminus fluctuation data published porary slowdown of their retreat. since 1908 by the CAI journal (named ‘Bollettino The last period (1993–2002) is the only one, del Club Alpino Italiano’) and since l914 in the together with 1933–1942, without any advancing yearly reports of CGI (published in the CGI official glaciers at all (on the decadal scale) in the sub- journal). The data were entered in a special data sample of 95 glaciers, and it is interesting to ob- base (named GLAD) available online through the serve that average decadal rates of retreat in these website of CESI which supported the research. two periods are similar for all size classes but the In GLAD information and data regarding 883 Ital- shortest (i.e. glaciers shorter than 1 km). It also 3 must be added that all the glacier classes showed At the regional scale, by analysing aerial pho- a retreat acceleration from the decade 1983–1992 tographs, orthophotos and satellite imagery gla- to 1993–2002. cier changes are quantified. All this information is The next step of the project is the GLAD data collected in the Regional Glacier Inventory, which uploading and the analysis of the terminus fluc- was performed according to the World Glacier In- tuation data over the last decade (2003-2012). ventory standard and recommendations. Contact: [email protected] At the local scale, mass-balance measure- ments, terminus fluctuations and snow accumu- Glacier retreat in the Maritime Alps area lation surveys are carried out on glacier sample Paolo Roberto Federici, Marta Pappalardo sites. The yearly mass balances are measured on (UNIPI-DST) Timorion Glacier (Gran Paradiso Massif, from In the southernmost tract of the Alps (Italian- 2001), Rutor Glacier (from 2004), Pré de Bard French Maritime Alps, 44° N), extensively cov- Glacier (Mont Blanc Massif, from 2007) and In- ered by glaciers during the Last Glacial Maxi- dren Glacier (Mont Rose Massif, from 2007) by mum, about 30 small glaciers were present by the applying the traditional glaciological method end of the Little Ice Age and only six persisted in (through ablation stakes and snow pits). Moreo- the early 1990s. The focus of this research activ- ver, from 2005 some other representative glaciers ity is to quantify the progressive decrease towards (Chérillon, Mont Gelé, Tsanteleina and Verra exhaustion of these glaciers, highlight the factors Grande) are monitored by surveying their termi- affecting their retreat and state their current condi- nus with GPS and performing snow depth and tion. All available data sources were investigated, density measurements. including: the yearly glacier fluctuations record, Contact: [email protected] comparative analyses of historical maps and mul- titemporal oblique photographs and direct sur- Integration of iconographic historical and recent veys in the field. The history of the Maritime Alps data in an GIS for the Multitemporal analysis of glacier fluctuations was thoroughly researched the Miage Glacier evolution (Monte Bianco) since 1896. Time-distance curves were obtained Marco Giardino, Luigi Perotti, Walter Alberto for some of the glaciers. In particular during the (UNITO-GSL), Giovanni Mortara (CNR-IRPI) past two decades, the Maritime Alps glacier ter- The available data on the geomorphological mini experienced a global retreat of about 100 m, changes of the Miage glacial environment are with a sharp acceleration after 2002. Currently huge; besides the splendid iconographical repre- ice patches along cirque walls and/or semi-bur- sentations of the 18th and 19th centuries, it is also ied lenses of ice are still present, as testified by possible to admire the numerous photographs geo-electrical surveys carried out in three cirque from the end of the 19th century, most of them hollows; morphological evidence of permafrost preserved at the CGI in Torino. creeping in the glacier forefield accounts for the Another important iconographical patrimony incipient transition to periglacial landforms (i.e., is constituted by the aerial photographs (stereo rock glaciers). The main factors controlling gla- pairs), first taken in the 1930s, that document ciers retreat seem to have been their original ex- the glacial characteristics of the Miage in recent tension at the beginning of the current regressive times. This great amount of data has allowed to phase and their distance from the main chain di- realize a first catalogue on the aerial documenta- vide. From a climatic point of view unfavourable tion of the Miage glacier. At last, the iconographi- factors for glaciers persistence have been in the cal patrimony can be completed with the recent last decades a remarkable and sharp temperature photograph research and catalogue of glacial and increase, a decrease in winter snowfall and a shift alpine interest at the FMS of Courmayeur, Valle of the rainfall peak from autumn to spring. d’Aosta. Contact: [email protected] With the available documentation it was possi- ble to realize a Geographical Information System Glacier monitoring in Aosta Valley – North containing an inventory of all the cartographical, Western Italian Alps iconographical, photogrammetrical and satellite Alex Théodule, Elena Motta, Marco Vagliasindi, data on the Miage glacier. The structure of the Claudio Lucianaz (FMS-CRGV), Umberto Morra database has not only been conceived as a scien- di Cella, Paolo Pogliotti (ARPA-VdA) tific tool on the glacial area, but also as an impor- Aosta Valley is a medium size alpine region cov- tant information resource on the high mountain ering a surface of about 3300 km2; here glacial environment. Therefore, it represents a valid in- and periglacial environments represent important strument for the data integration on the territorial land elements (i.e. more than 50% of the region transformations. Besides, on the base of the aerial area is located above an elevation of 2000 m and satellite data, some quantitative and qualita- a.s.l.). Consequently is important to acquire and tive analyses have been developed with photo- update detailed information on glaciers and gla- grammetric and digital classification techniques cial environments. 4 of the images that allowed, where possible, a tem- History of the Rutor Glacier retreat (Valle poral planimetric and volumetric reconstruction d’Aosta, Italy) from the Little Ice Age of the Miage Glacier. This system, also allowed Fabio Villa, Mattia De Amicis, Valter Maggi, to analyze natural hazards interfering with human Giuseppe Orombelli (UNIMIB) activities. In the next few months, it will be pos- Variations in the surface area and volume of the sible to create a monitoring system of the study Rutor Glacier (Val d’Aosta), from the maximum area based on the available data. expansion in the Little Ice Age to the present re- Contact: [email protected] treating phase, were determined by combining ground surveys, digital techniques and pre-exist- Multitemporal analysis of Gran Paradiso glaciers ing data time series. From the mid-19th century to Valerio Bertoglio (PNGP), Luigi Perotti, Walter 2004 the glacier terminus retreated by about 2 km, Alberto, Marco Giardino (UNITO-GSL) nevertheless there was evidence of two (cooler) The last 15 years has been brought forward a periods of glacier advance. Furthermore, the most project of tracking glacier termini of most of the recent glacier retreating phase, which started in glaciers in the Gran Paradiso Group. The work 1990, seems to be faster than the previous ones. was done through the use of GPS code and phase The Rutor Glacier lost about 480 × 106 m3 of ice instrumentation. The collected data were entered between the Little Ice Age and 1991. Morpholog- into a GIS in order to be analyzed. ic and volumetric analysis indicate that in the last A map of the multitemporal changes was pro- decades the Rutor Glacier had lost large quantities duced in order to have an updated progress of the of ice with no significant terminus retreat (an ice glacier environment. loss of -46 × 106 m3 and a surface decrease of –1.4 Contact: [email protected] ha, this latter with respect to a total surface area Mass balance of the Grand Etret Glacier, Gran of 911 ha); the glacier has gradually thinned while Paradiso maintaining an almost constant surface area. The Valerio Bertoglio, Stefano Cerise (PNGP), Luigi Equilibrium Line Altitude changed from 2775 m Motta, Michele Motta (UNITO-DST) in the Little Ice Age maximum to 2850 m in 1991, Grand Etrèt is a medium-size valley glacier lo- with a total rise of 75 m. cated in the Gran Paradiso Massif (Western Alps). Contact: [email protected] Since 1999 its yearly mass balance was studied in The mass balance network of Lombardy glaciers the framework of a cooperation between the Gran Claudio Smiraglia, Guglielmina Diolaiuti (UNIMI- Paradiso National Park and the University of Turin. DST), Giacomo Casartelli (CGI), Riccardo Scotti From 1999 to 2009 the glacier had lost 10.6 m of (SGL) thickness (9.22 mm w.e.). The mass balance result Part of the network was developed in the frame- was particularly negative in the hydrological years work of several COFIN-PRIN Projects funded by 2002–2003 and 2005–2006. Instead, the mass the Italian Research Ministry and under the um- balance was found positive in the hydrological brella of a partnership with the CAI. years 2000–2001 and 2008–2009, mainly due to On the Lombardy Alps mass balance moni- heavy snow precipitations. toring has been performed without interruptions The analysis of mass balance data over the last since the end of the 1980s on the Sforzellina Gla- ten years showed that generally at the beginning of cier, a small (less than 1 km2 wide) cirque glacier the ablation season, in June, ablation increases fast, in the Ortles-Cevedale group. Other benchmark reaching generally high values (up to 7–9 cm/day glaciers are the Scalino Glacier, in the Bernina in sunny days), although with wide oscillations, up group, monitored from 1993, and the Dosdè to the middle of September. Moreover ablation re- Orientale Glacier, in the Piazzi-Campo Group, sulted quite homogeneous at all elevations due to monitored from 1995. The mass balance data are the compensation between air temperature (which acquired according to the glaciological method decreases with increasing altitude) and solar ra- (ablation stakes and snow pits). All mass balance diation (which rises at higher altitude). Generally data calculated for the last 20 hydrological years accumulation was found to increase with altitude resulted negative but one (the only exception was with the exception of the glacier central sector 2001) thus witnessing a considerable glacier mass where snow cover resulted decreasing probably loss. The mean ice loss was 2.1 m w.e. during the due to glacier local aspect and/or to wind erosion. heat wave of 2003. Moreover during some summer seasons exudation Analysing Lombardy mass balance data and ice was found outstanding at the glacier surface comparing them with the ones of other Euro- thus emphasizing the role of the solar radiation in pean glaciers shows this glaciological parameter driving glacier ablation. encloses not only a temporal index of climate Contact: [email protected] change but also a spatial determination of the climate variability. In this way it is possible to describe glacier regions characterized by differ-

5 ent mass balance patterns. The Lombardy glaciers per Valtellina have been analyzed by using aerial results form part of the results of glacier regions photos (1954–1981), a former glacier inventory up to 200 km wide. (1991) and orthophotos (1999, 2003). The Dosdè- Other benchmark glaciers are the ones moni- Piazzi glacierized area was 8.21 km2 in 1954 (19 tored by SGL: the Suretta Meridionale in the glaciers and 3 glacierets), 6.53 km2 in 1981 (22 Spluga-Lei Group (surveyed from 2002) and the glaciers and 3 glacierets), 5.55 km2 in 1991 (24 Alpe Meridionale in the Ortles-Cevedale Group glaciers), 4.10 km2 in 1999 (14 glaciers) and 3.77 (from 1998). The mass balance data of the Suretta km2 in 2003 (23 glaciers). The area change between glacier are evaluated from GPS surveys coupled 2003 and 1954 was –3.97 km2 (–51% of the area with glaciological investigations; The Alpe Merio- coverage in 1954). Moreover, the surface reduction dionale data, instead, derived from glaciological seems to be stronger in the last time frame. Pres- surveys. Both the balance records shoe negative ently an update of the variations by using the most results over the last decade: the Alpe Meridionale recent orthophotos (2007) is continuing. Glacier had lost 16 m w.e. from 1998 to 2008. Contact: [email protected] Contacts: [email protected], guglielmina. Twenty years of glacier changes in the Ortles- [email protected], [email protected] Cevedale group Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Davide Maragno, Claudio Recent surface variations of the Lombardy gla­ Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) ciers In the framework of the ‘SHARE-STELVIO’ Project funded by Lombardy Region and managed by FLA Recent surface variations of glaciers in the and EvK2CNR, the glacier surface area variations Adamello group over the last 20 years (1981–2003) of the Ortles- Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Davide Maragno, Carlo Cevedale group in the upper Valtellina were D’Agata, Claudia Mihalcea, Claudio Smiraglia evaluated. For this purpose aerial photos (1981), (UNIMI-DST), Daniele Bocchiola (POLIMI- a former glacier inventory (1991) and orthophotos DIIAR) (1999, 2003) were analysed. In the framework of the Project CARIPANDA man- Surface data of 53 glaciers were compared aged by the Adamello Regional Park and funded thus permitting to quantify a surface area change by Fondazione Cariplo, an investigation on the of ca. – 25.3%. Moreover, the surface reduction recent surface area changes of the Adamello gla- seems to be stronger in the last time frame. ciers (Lombardy Alps) has been carried out. Four Presently an update of the variations by using surface area records (1983–1991–1999–2003) the most recent orthophotos (2007) is continuing. were compiled by combining aerial photo analy- Contact: [email protected] sis, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) surveys of glaciers and Geographic Information Investigations on the cryosphere of Eastern System (GIS) data processing. The analysis led Italian Alps to a quantification of surface reduction ca. 19% Alberto Carton, Mirco Meneghel (UNIPD-DG), from 1983 to 2003 (total surface about 17 km2 Roberto Seppi (UNIPV-DST), Luca Carturan in 2003) with strong glacier morphology changes, (UNIPD-TeSAF) including growing rock outcrops, tongue separa- The objective of this project is a quantitative analy- tion, formation of ice-contact lakes, increasing sis of the climate change effects on the cryosphere supraglacial debris and collapse structures, well of Eastern Italian Alps. The analysis is focused on detected on the 2003 orthophotos. glaciers and permafrost, and is intended to: (1) Moreover small glaciers proved to contribute evaluate the historical variations of these compo- strongly to total area loss: in 2003, 31 glaciers nents, (2) to understand the spatial variability of (c. 91% of the total number) were smaller than 1 the reaction to climate change and (3) to model km2, covering 2.28 km2 (c. 10% of the total area), the distribution of glaciers and permafrost in the but accounted for 39% of the total loss in area future. The investigations on glaciers are focused (losing 2.05 km2 from 1983 to 2003). Presently on three mountain groups: Adamello-Presanella, an update of the variations using the most recent Ortles-Cevedale and Dolomites. Past changes of orthophotos (2007) is continuing. the glaciers are studied through the collection of Contact: [email protected] historical documentation (photos, maps, topo- graphic surveys, field campaigns) and detailed Fifty years of glacier changes in Dosdè-Piazzi geomorphological investigations. The application group a of mass balance modelling tool is useful to un- Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Davide Maragno, Claudio derstand the dominant processes involved in the Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) present deglaciation phase and to predict the po- In the framework of the ‘Water & Glaciers’ Project tential future extent of glaciers. funded by San Pellegrino-Levissima Spa, the gla- The research on permafrost combines different cier surface area variations along half a century investigation methods. These include the map- (1954–2003) of the Dosdè-Piazzi group in the up- 6 ping and inventorying of rock glaciers and other mal regime of springs and ground surface. We permafrost-related land forms, the monitoring of are currently involved in the development of a ground surface and spring thermal regime and permafrost distribution map and further investiga- geophysical surveying. It is planned to compare tions are planned to improve the knowledge on the results among different geographic areas of the interactions between permafrost, lithosphere Eastern Italian Alps, in order to put in evidence and climate. possible differences in present and past perma- Contact: [email protected] frost distribution and their causes (lithology, cli- Long-term monitoring of length and mass balance mate, etc.). of Trentino glaciers Further investigations regard the relationship Luca Carturan (UNIPD-TeSAF), Stefano Fontana among glaciers and permafrost and the progres- (CGT-SAT), Roberto Seppi (UNIPV-DST), Alberto sive transition from glacial to periglacial morpho- Trenti (PAT-M), Alberto Bellin (UNITN-DIA), genesis in the former glaciated areas. Michele Lanzinger (MTSN) Contact: [email protected] A team of specifically educated volunteers and Monitoring and modelling the climate change professional glaciologists monitors the annual effects on the cryosphere of Ortles-Cevedale variations of glaciers in the Trento Province. The Luca Carturan, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana (UNIPD - observations regard the length changes and the TeSAF), Federico Cazorzi (UNIUD-DSAA) annual mass balance of a subset of glaciers, that The Ortles-Cevedale is a 1638 km2 wide moun- were selected as benchmarks. The investigated tain group located in the Eastern Italian Alps. The mountain groups are the Adamello-Presanella, glaciers currently cover a surface of 80 km2, and Dolomiti di Brenta, Ortles-Cevedale, Pale di San the lower limit of discontinuous permafrost aver- Martino and Marmolada. The length changes are ages 2700 m a.s.l.. Since 2003 an extensive effort measured in the month of September. Additional has been undertaken, to collect detailed field data observations are carried out on morphological and to develop operational modelling tools for the changes and residual snow cover, and photo- study of the climate changes in act and their ef- graphic documentation is also collected. fects on cryosphere and hydrology. Mass balance investigations according to the The investigations are carried out in the up- direct glaciological method are carried out on per part of Val de La Mare (Trentino), and in the Careser Glacier (Ortles-Cevedale) since 1967, Vedretta Alta dell’Ortles (Bolzano Province). The Agola Glacier (Dolomiti di Brenta) since 2002, La main research topics are: (1) meteorological in- Mare Glacier (Ortles-Cevedale) since 2003, Man- vestigations at high altitude, (2) process-oriented drone Glacier (Adamello-Presanella) since 2005, mass balance measurements on glaciers, (3) gla- Marmolada Glacier (Marmolada) and Lobbia cier mass balance modelling and (4) permafrost Glacier (Adamello-Presanella) since 2009. Addi- distribution observation and modelling. tional mass balance investigations are performed The meteorological investigations are mostly since 1990 on five other glaciers by means of the focused on the estimation of precipitation at high geodetic method. High resolution LiDAR data altitude, on the spatial and temporal variability of and orthophotos were acquired in 2003 and were glacier surface albedo and on the temporal and used to compile a GIS-based inventory of Tren- spatial variability of cloud cover. Experimental tino glaciers, which currently cover an area of data are collected by means of automatic weather 38.29 km2. stations which are placed both inside and outside The observations are collected and archived. the glaciers, and by distributed measurements Annual reports are compiled including a discus- with portable instrumentation. sion of the climatic conditions during the observa- Detailed mass balance measurements are car- tion period, in relation to the observed behaviour ried out on three glaciers (Careser, La Mare and of monitored glaciers. Vedretta Alta dell’Ortles) and provide the experi- Contact: [email protected] mental basis for the development of an operation- Long-term mass-balance monitoring of Careser al tool for the glacier mass balance modelling. and La Mare Glacier Model implementation involved the parameteri- Luca Carturan (UNIPD-TeSAF), Stefano Fontana zation of major processes controlling accumula- (CGT-SAT), Roberto Seppi (UNIPV-DST), Alberto tion and ablation, like snow redistribution, glacier Trenti (PAT-M), Michele Lanzinger (MTSN), cooling effect, surface albedo and cloud cover. Alberto Bellin (UNITN-DIA) The modeling approach only uses currently avail- The Careser is a south facing mountain glacier able off-site meteorological data (temperature and with a total surface area of 2.4 km2 and an average precipitations). altitude of 3057 m a.s.l.. It is located in the central The researches on the permafrost distribution sector of the Italian Alps, in the Ortles-Cevedale are carried out by means of observations regard- Group. Mass balance investigations on Careser ing the periglacial geomorphology and the ther- Glacier started in 1967 and the measurement se- 7 ries extends until present without interruptions. balance year 2008/2009 brought a mass loss of Since the beginning, the research activity has been 0.61 m w.e. To evaluate the maximum mass ac- promoted by the CGI. The mass balance is moni- cumulation on the glacier, a winter balance survey tored according to the direct glaciological meth- was performed on May 12. The winter balance of od, evaluating the seasonal components (winter the glacier was +1.27 m w.e., the summer balance and summer balances). The series is reported to resulted as –1.90 m w.e. The analysed Equilibrium WGMS. The glacier has been near to equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) was at 3100 m a.s.l., the Ac- conditions in the first 14 years of monitoring. cumulation Area Ratio (AAR) was 0.167. However, since 1981 increasingly negative mass Contacts: [email protected]; Georg. balances were measured, with almost the entire [email protected] glacier in the ablation area. Since 2003 the mass- Mass balance measurements on the Fontana loss rate nearly doubled, and the average mass Bianca/Weissbrunnferner glacier balance in the 2003 to 2009 period has been Roberto Dinale, Christoph Oberschmied (PAB- -2141 mm y–1 w.e., as a result of both the warmer UI), Rainer Prinz, Georg Kaser (UNINN-IG), ablation seasons and the feedbacks of the eleva- Andrea Di Lullo (UNITS) tion and albedo. The stakes movement is near to Fontana Bianca/Weissbrunnferner is a small east- zero and the glacier has started to disintegrate, due exposed glacier in the southern part of the Eastern to the rapid surface lowering and widespread out- Alps (Ortler/Cevedale Group, Italy). It now covers crop of the bedrock. A further fragmentation and a an area of 0.37 km² and extends from 3340 m to complete vanishing of the ice body are expected 2920 m a.s.l. It has two short tongues on which in the next 30 years, with the ongoing unfavorable blown-in winter snow tends to last far into the climatic conditions. In order to provide an over- summer months. At the nearby Weissbrunn mete- lapping series and to study the spatial variability of orological station (1900 m a.s.l.) mean annual air the deglaciation process in this area, mass balance temperature is 3.2°C and precipitation amounts to investigations have been initiated in the nearby La 1023 mm per year on average. Mare Glacier in 2003. This east facing valley gla- On this glacier mass balance studies began in cier has an area of 3.8 km2. Its average altitude 1983/84 but were interrupted in the period from is 3285 m a.s.l. and it still has an accumulation 1988/89 to 1990/91. They started again the fol- area (30% of the total surface). Therefore, the cur- lowing year and are currently still progressing. rent mass-loss rate is an order of magnitude lower Therefore, the available data series of winter, sum- compared to Careser Glacier. mer and net mass balances consists of 23 years of Contact: [email protected] measurements. Since summer 2004 the direct gla- Mass balance measurements on the Vedretta di ciological method is integrated with the hydrolog- Ries occidentale/westlicher Rieserferner glacier ical data collected on two gauging stations. These Roberto Dinale, Michela Munari (PAB-UI), are positioned immediately downstream the gla- Stephan Galos, Georg Kaser (UNINN-IG) cier tongues on the orographic left and right parts The name Vedrette di Ries/Rieserferner refers of the glacier. Discharge measurements allowed to three glaciers in the southern Zillertaler Alps, calculating maximum ice melt rates of 8 cm ice/ which formed one single ice body during the Little day averaged over the entire glacier. Ice Age. In this region a gap in glaciological infor- The progressive retreat of the glacier is empha- mation was not closed until 2008 when mass bal- sized by the enlargement of the rock outcrops in ance measurements were started in collaboration the central part both in the steep upper limit and with the Institute of Geography of the Innsbruck at the borders of the ice body. The surface loss University. The aim of this was to select a glacier is about 46% since 1983. Ice thickness measure- for mass balance investigations in the north-east of ments were performed in 1995 using a ground South Tyrol. The Vedretta di Ries occidentale/west- penetrating radar and a volume of 0.0165 km3 of licher Rieserferner was chosen on the basis of vari- water equivalent was estimated. The cumulative ous considerations. First off all its surface (of about mass balance since 1983 reaches –2.0 m w.e., 2 km2) and altitude (range from 2620 to 3220 m that means –0.88 m w.e in average per year. The a.s.l.) proved to be suitable for detecting the in- relative volume loss is 60.1%. The mean winter terannual ELA variability. Secondly, also the safe balance of the Fontana Bianca glacier is +1.05 m and easy accessibility both in summer and win- we, the mean summer balance results of –1.93 ter as well as the close neighbourhood of Kasseler m w.e. The ELA was often higher than the highest mountain hut were taken into account. A network point of the glacier. Only two hydrological years of 20 ablation stakes has been designed to cover (1983/84 and 2000/01) had a positive net mass the entire glacier elevation along its longitudinal balance, each one accumulating +0.39 m w.e. profile and taking possible lateral mass balance Contacts: [email protected]; Georg. variations into account. The drilling operations [email protected] were performed using Heucke’s steam drill. The

8 Mass balance monitoring on Ghiacciaio Long term monitoring of length changes in the Mala­valle/Übeltalferner and Vedretta Pendente/ Julian and Pusteresi Alps Hangender­ferner, Italian Alps Rossana Serandrei-Barbero (CNR-ISMAR) Gianluigi Franchi, Giancarlo Rossi (CGI), Michela Measurements of the snout variations of the Julian Munari, Roberto Dinale (PAB-UI) Alps Glaciers are available from the beginning of The mass balance measurements on the Ridnaun- the last century. They indicate a general retreat Ridanna Valley glaciers (Breonie Alps, Alto Adige- interrupted by two short advances around 1920 South Tyrol) cover the two largest ice bodies: the and around 1960. The morphological features of Vedretta Pendente-Hangenderferner (0.85 km2) the rocks surrounding the glaciated surfaces make observations began in the 1995–96 hydrological possible the evaluation of the change in their sur- year, while the Malavalle Glacier-Übeltalferner faces and thickness. The climatic parameters re- (6.16 km2) ones began in the 2001–02. The Hydro­ corded starting from the ‘20s at Cave del Predil graphic Office of the Autonomous Province of allow some evaluation on the mechanisms that Bolzano, which supports the field measurements, control the snout and thickness variations and identified this glacial basin as a ‘representative their response time. The short advances of the ‘20s basin’ for the monitoring of the Climate Change and ‘60s seem due to the concomitance between on the Alpine Glacial basin, and two years ago colder temperatures in summer and a higher installed an AWS for meteorological and hydro- amount of precipitations in winter. On these very logical data acquisition. A recent high-resolution small alpine glaciers, the correlation between DTM and orthophoto, associated with regular GPS summer temperature and winter precipitations measurements, provide a thorough geographical indicates that the response time of the position of environment for GIS assisted mass balance com- the glacier terminus with respect to each measur- putations. Mean annual mass balance values on ing station results in a one year time lag. the whole observation time are –1043 mm w.e. for On the Pusteresi Alps, frontal measurements, the Vedretta Pendente, and –932 mm w.e. for the made since 1977, show a prevailing retreat from Malavalle Glacier. 1983 and a more intensified retreat since 1991. Contacts: [email protected], [email protected] Their comparison with the trend of temperature and precipitation data recorded at Predoi since Ice thickness measurements on the Malavalle/ 1977 shows temperature increases in 1986-87 Übeltalferner glacier as the main factor controlling the snouts with a Roberto Dinale, Michela Munari (PAB-UI), Andrea response time around 5 years; the progressive in- Fischer, Michael Kuhn (UNINN-IMGI) crease of the glacier retreat still ongoing is due to The Malavalle/Übeltalferner glacier is situated in the scarcity of winter precipitation and their fur- the Stubaier Alps close to the border to Austria, ther decrease since the 1990s. it has a meanly east exposed compound basin Contact: [email protected] form and covers an area of about 6.4 km2. In May 2009, a cooperative of the Hydrographic Office of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and the The Italian debris covered glacier project Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics of the The expansion of insulating debris mantles across University of Innsbruck measured the ice thick- glacier ablation zones feeds back negatively on ness using a 6.5 MHz ground penetrating radar. melt rates. This is important for forecasting the Ideal snow cover conditions allowed us to per- glacier response to climate change on a dec- form 155 point measurements and to get the pre- adal scale. Debris covered glaciers, which are defined longitudinal and transversal transects. typical landforms of the Pamirs, Karakoram and The snow depth was measured and subtracted Himalaya, on the Italian Alps are quite rare, but from the measurement results to get the net ice with the current warming climate, their number thickness. and also the magnitude of debris cover on The bedrock topography is characterized by single glaciers seem to be increasing. The study many plateaus divided by rock ridges, which force has been devoted to Italian debris-covered gla- and accelerate the ice-flow producing the depres- ciers, to improve understanding of their special sion where the highest ice thickness values were behavior, to collect more data concerning their found. The lowest ice thicknesses were measured fluctuations, their dynamics, energy exchanges on the upper south exposed glacier part. The and mass balance. mean ice thickness was 68 m, the maximum val- Contacts: [email protected], claudio. ue calculated was 214 m ice. The ice volume was [email protected] determined to be 0.434 km³. Contacts: [email protected]; andrea. [email protected]

9 Supraglacial debris cover and thickness pattern The analysis was based on the comparison be- on Miage Glacier (Mont Blanc Massif) tween digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from Claudia Mihalcea, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo historical records, specifically maps (1975; scale D’Agata, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Ben W. 1:10,000) and photogrammetric surveys (1991 and Brock, Martin P. Kirkbride, Mark Cutler (UNIDUN- 2003, scale 1:15,000). The results showed a gen- SSES), Michele Citterio (GEUS) eral glacier volume loss from 1975 to 2003; nev- Miage is the largest debris-covered glacier of the ertheless if we consider the two time sub-windows Italian Alps. It was studied in the recent years in (i.e.: 1975–1991 and 1991–2003) opposite trends the framework of a cooperation between Italian were found: in the period 1975–2003 the volume and Scottish scientists supported by the British variation of the Miage Glacier was negative, in the Council, the CRUI and the NERC organizations. period 1975–1991, on the other hand, a volume Several field campaigns were performed starting increase occurred. Moreover the volume and thick- from 2004 summer season up to now. Moreover ness changes resulted highly related to distribution the Miage Glacier was studied in the frame of the and patter of the supraglacial debris cover (derived GLIMS (Global Land Ice Monitoring from Space) from ASTER) thus evidencing the key role played Project thus permitting us to take advantage of by surface debris layer in driving glacier changes. ASTER satellite imagery. Contact: [email protected] High resolution in situ surface temperature Meteorology and surface energy fluxes in the measurements of supraglacial debris cover were 2005–2007 ablation seasons at Miage debris compared to ASTER-derived surface temperature covered glacier, Mont Blanc Massif data. The ground- and remotely-sensed tempera- Ben W. Brock, Martin P. Kirkbride, Mark E.J. Cutler tures were strongly correlated over continuously (UNIDUN-SSES), Claudia Mihalcea, Guglielmina debris-covered areas, while on partially debris- Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) covered ice (i.e. crevassed areas and ice cliffs) This project was performed in the framework of a the correlation was weaker. A map representing cooperation between Scottish and Italian scientists the spatial distribution and thickness of the debris supported by the British Council, the CRUI and the cover was derived from the ASTER surface tem- NERC organizations. During the 2005–2007 abla- perature data using debris surface temperature- tion seasons, meteorological conditions were re- thickness relationships. Both ground- and remotely corded on the lower and upper parts of the debris- sensed data predicted well the thick debris cover covered ablation zone of Miage Glacier. In 2005, at the terminus and its upstream decrease, broad debris temperature and sub-debris ice melt were cross-and along-glacier patterns of debris thickness also monitored at 25 points with debris thickness were revealed in the ASTER data, e.g. moraines, 0.04–0.55 m, spread over 5 km2 of the glacier. crevassed areas. Finer details in the debris thick- The radiative fluxes were directly measured, and ness distribution were not revealed in the ASTER near-closure of the surface energy balance was data, due mainly to the coarse resolution (90 × 90 achieved, providing support for the bulk aerody- m pixel size) of the thermal band imagery. namic calculation of the turbulent fluxes. Contact: [email protected] Surface-layer meteorology and energy fluxes Recent changes in the Miage debris-covered were dominated by the pattern of incoming solar glacier tongue (Mont Blanc) from analysis of radiation which heats the debris, driving strong aerial photos and maps convection. Mean seasonal values of the net short- Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Andrea wave, net longwave and debris heat fluxes showed Meazza, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Antonio little variation between years, despite contrasting Zanutta (UNIBO-DISTART) meteorological conditions, while the turbulent la- In the framework of a COFIN-PRIN (2005) Project tent (evaporative) heat flux was more than twice as funded by the Italian Research Ministry the recent large in the wet summer of 2007 compared with (last 30 years) evolution of the Miage Glacier was 2005. The increase in energy output from the de- analysed. The aim of the project was to identify bris surface in response to increasing surface tem- the changes in volume and thickness in the Miage perature means that sub-debris ice melt rates are Glacier tongue during the period 1975–2003 and fairly insensitive to atmospheric temperature varia- to compare the results with those calculated for tions, in contrast to debris-free glaciers. the same period on debris free glaciers located Contact: [email protected] in the Mont Blanc area. The period examined (1975–2003) addresses climate conditions which were glacier-favourable (around the 1980s), as well as glacier-unfavourable (since the early to mid-1990s), thus contributing to an understand- ing of the behaviour of debris covered glaciers under a changing climate.

10 Recent variations of the Brenva debris-covered thus permitting to describe the Belvedere Glacier glacier (Mont Blanc) derived by comparison of before those strong and radical changes. maps and digital orthophotos Volume and thickness variations of Belvedere Carlo D’Agata, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Glacier tongue were quantified by comparison of Antonio Zanutta (UNIBO-DISTART) large scale maps from 1957 and 1991. Moreover In the framework of the 2003 and 2005 COFIN- in summer 2000 field investigations were - per PRIN Projects funded by the Italian Research formed to measure debris thickness and to cal- Ministry the recent (last 40 years) evolution of culate a debris distribution map. The volume and the Brenva Glacier was analysed. The aim of the thickness changes were also analysed with respect project was to identify changes in the volume and to the debris thickness map to evaluate debris in- thickness of the Brenva Glacier debris covered fluence on glacier long term changes. A volume tongue (Mont Blanc Massif) in the second half of increase of 22.7 × 106 m3 was calculated equal to the 20th century. The Brenva Glacier up to sum- a mean thickness increase of 15 m. Thickening mer 2004 was the Italian glacier with the lowest resulted major above 1830 m while thinning was terminus elevation (ca. 1400 m a.s.l.). found characterizing the glacier front. The glacier The analysis was based on the comparison of terminus advanced only slightly. This particular digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from his- evolution of Belvedere tongue was attributed to torical records, specifically maps (1959, 1971, positive balances of glacier created by the favour- 1983, 2003) and photogrammetric surveys (1991, able climatic conditions (increase in winter pre- 1997). The DEMs were generated by means of a cipitation between the early 1970s and mid-1980s digital photogrammetric workstation, with semi- and lower summer temperatures in the 1960s and automatic and automatic procedures. An uncon- 1970s). After the mid-1980s, reduced precipita- ventional photogrammetric methodology, based on tion and a simultaneous increase in temperature the identification of homologous points in zones led to a slight retreat of the glacier front in the considered outside of the glacier area, was adopt- early 1990s. However these climatic conditions ed to insert the surveys into a single reference sys- were not sufficient to determine a significant re- tem. Furthermore, along with the photogrammetric duction of glacier thickness up to 1991, partly due data, DEMs derived from digitized historical maps to the role of debris cover, whenever thicker than were generated and compared to define changes the critical value (which occurred on the 75% of in the geometry of the glacier tongue. The results the debris covered area), in reducing the ablation indicates a positive long-term glacier tongue bal- rates. From summer 2009 new field investigations ance; in fact, between 1959 and 2003, there was were performed by the UNIMI DST scientists de- an average thickness increase of ca. 34 m. voted to study Belvedere glacier surface changes This positive trend was confined to the glacier and to describe the actual debris cover distribution tongue only, instead the glacier debris free areas and pattern after the surge phenomena. witnessed strong decrease due to ongoing climate Contact: [email protected] warming. During very recent years, important Recent changes of Lys Glacier tongue (Monte changes have affected this debris-covered glacier Rosa Massif, Italy) from remote sensing data and which resulted, during the summer of 2004, in field measurements the tongue of the Brenva debris-covered glacier Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia, Carlo detaching from the accumulation basins. Actually D’Agata, Claudia Mihalcea, Boris Mosconi (UNIMI- the terminus of the Brenva Glacier is found at ca. DST), Antonio Zanutta (UNIBO-DISTART) 2400 m a.s.l. In the framework of the 2005 COFIN-PRIN Project Contact: [email protected] funded by the Italian Research Ministry the recent Tongue thickness and volume variations of debris evolution of the Lys Glacier was analysed. Moreo- covered Belvedere Glacier, Monte Rosa, in the ver the project took advantage from the 2005 CESI second half of the 20th century. research program. Moreover this glacier is studied Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Claudio in the frame of the GLIMS (Global Land Ice Moni- Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) toring from Space) Project thus allowing us to In the framework of the 2001 and 2003 COFIN- take advantage of ASTER satellite imagery. The Lys PRIN Projects funded by the Italian Research Min- Glacier (Monte Rosa Massif, Italy) evolution was istry the recent evolution of the Belvedere Glacier evaluated by analysing and comparing field data was analysed. Moreover the project took advan- (DGPS campaigns, ice ablation, debris thickness tage from the 2001 CESI research program. The and debris surface temperature measurements), Belvedere Glacier is well-known for the surge-type remote sensing information (aerial photos, satel- phenomena which occurred from 2001 and for lite imageries) and maps. Lys Glacier experienced the development at its surface of the ‘Effimerous’ strong changes in the ablation area due to rock- Lake. The project here presented was performed fall events from the lateral rock walls nesting the before the glacier surge and the lake occurrence, glacier tongue and rock outcrops in the glacier

11 ablation area and actually it is a partially debris- tion stakes on the debris free and debris covered covered glacier as evidenced by the recent evo- area were used to measure ablation rates and to lution of the debris coverage from 1975 to 2003 validate the results from the ablation models. The derived from orthophotos and maps analysed in a correlation among calculated and measured abla- GIS environment. tion data was meaningful with some exceptions in Moreover from the comparison of DEMs de- areas with crevasses and high variability of debris rived from maps and aerial photos it resulted that thickness. from 1975 to 2003 the Lys Glacier tongue lost Contact: [email protected] c. –15.4 × 106 m³ of ice and the behaviour of the losses occurred at the glacier tongue resulted Supraglacial meteorology markedly different in the median sector respect to the marginal areas. In addition a distributed abla- The Italian network of supraglacial automatic tion model was applied to Lys glacier to evalu- weather stations ate the total ablation amount during the summer Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Antonella Senese, Claudia seasons 2005 and 2006 (July - September). Mete- Mihalcea, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Elisa orological data (air temperature and global radia- Vuillermoz, Gianpietro Verza, Roberta Toffolon tion) from closest weather stations (i.e.: Gabiet La (EvK2CNR), Paolo Bonasoni (CNR-ISAC) Trinitè and Gressoney Saint Jean) represented the The network was developed in the framework of data input of the ablation. the SHARE (Station at High Altitude for Research For the debris-covered area, a debris thickness on the Environment) Project managed by EvK2C- map was calculated from an ASTER image (03– NR, sub-program SHARE – ITALY. The research 06–2006 10:27 GMT), TIR band, and used for the was also a part in the national program COFIN- model distribution coupled with a high resolution PRIN 2005 funded by the Italian Research Minis- DEM. From summer 2009 new field investigations try. Moreover important contributions came from were performed by the UNIMI DST scientists de- San Pellegrino-Levissima and Osram and funda- voted to describe the actual debris cover distribu- mental suggestions were given by the scientists of tion and pattern at a finer spatial scale. Moreover the IMAU of Utrecht (NL). field campaigns were performed on the Lys ac- On Italian Alpine glaciers, in spite of the long cumulation basin to evaluate snow accumulation tradition in field surveying, meteorological data pattern. and solar fluxes permanently measured on glacier Contact: [email protected] melting surface were not available until 26 Sep- tember 2005 when the AWS1 Forni was installed. Calculating seasonal ablation on debris-covered In fact, all other past Italian AWSs running over Venerocolo glacier, Adamello Group, Italy long time period in glacial environments were Claudia Mihalcea, Boris Mosconi, Guglielmina located or on glacier accumulation area or on Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Claudio Smiraglia rock exposures and nunatak or buildings (such as (UNIMI-DST), Daniele Bocchiola (POLIMI- DIIAR) mountain huts), thus making their data representa- In the framework of the Project CARIPANDA man- tive of high mountain atmospheric conditions but aged by the Adamello Regional Park and funded not very useful for knowing and understanding by Fondazione Cariplo, an investigation on the micrometeorology at the glacier melting surface. seasonal ablation of the debris-covered Venero- Up to now a four year record (from 1 October colo Glacier (north side of Adamello, Lombardy 2005 to 30 September 2009) of meteorological Alps) has been carried out. data acquired by the WS1 Forni was analyzed. Venerocolo Glacier represents a recent de- They permitted to describe glacier surface con- bris-covered glacier and it is the first actual one ditions, to calculate the energy balance and to in the Central Italian Alps. During 2007 an Au- evaluate the ablation amount; moreover snow tomatic Weather Station (AWS) was positioned at accumulation was measured thus permitting to the debris-covered surface to measure the energy estimate the glacier mass balance over the last fluxes at the ice-debris-air interface. The 2007 4 years. In addition to summer 2009 the AWS1 meteorological data (air temperature and energy Forni has been inserted in the CEOP (Coordinated fluxes) recorded by the AWS at the glacier- sur Energy and Water Cycle Observations Project) face and the 2008 meteorological data from Pan- network in the frame of the GEWEX (Global En- tano weather station (2325 m a.s.l.) represent the ergy and Water Cycle Experiment) program. main data input for distributed ablation models Other installations of supraglacial AWSs fol- to calculate the glacier ablation. Moreover a map lowed the one of AWS1 Forni, thus reinforcing the describing debris covered distribution and pat- SHARE ITALY glacier network. In summer 2007 tern with a spatial resolution of 10 × 10 m was the AWS Dosdè-Levissima, which was located at obtained from field measurements and used as the surface of Dosdè Est Glacier (Upper Valtel- data input for calculating ablation with different lina, Lombardy) at ca. 2850 m a.s.l., and in win- debris thicknesses. In addition a network of abla- ter 2007 the AWS Gigante-OSRAM, which was 12 located at the surface of Gigante Glacier (Mont ciers of Croce Rossa, Belvedere and Rochemelon). Blanc Massif, Aosta Valley) at ca. 3430 m a.s.l. These site-specific studies gave the opportunity to The collected data will allow to analyse the su- test innovative investigations techniques and strat- praglacial meteorological conditions both in the egies, and to outline guidelines for glacial risk as- western and in the eastern alpine sectors and will sessment and mitigation. be useful to improve and validate energy balance Contact: [email protected] models. The supraglacial AWSs do not represent Experimental investigations of the Grandes a final goal, but are the first fundamental steps of Jorasses avalanching glacier scientific projects devoted to study alpine glacier Claudio Lucianaz, Fabrizio Diotri, Marco changes and dynamics. Vagliasindi, Elena Motta (FMS-CRGV) Contact: [email protected] The Grandes Jorasses avalanching glacier is a well known ice mass hanging on Ferret Valley (Mont Glacier hazard Blanc Massif, Italian Alps). Periodically the ava- lanching glacier shows cycles of growth which Debris flows from glacier forefields are followed by collapses. The fall down is an- Marta Chiarle, Giovanni Mortara (CNR-IRPI) nounced by a progressive acceleration of the gla- Debris flows from glacier forefields, triggered by cier flow which permitted to forecast these events. heavy rain or glacial outbursts, or damming of The Ferret Valley, located under the avalanching streams by ice avalanches, pose hazards in Alpine glacier and then potentially interested by the fall valleys. Glacier-related debris flows are, in part, down events, is a well known tourist location thus a consequence of general glacier retreat and the requiring an accurate monitoring program of the corresponding exposure of large quantities of un- unstable and hazardous ice mass. For this purpose consolidated, without vegetation, and sometimes the local Civil Protection settled up a monitoring ice-cored glacial sediments. A research project of system based on topographic surveys performed CNR-IRPI focuses on this type of debris flow in the automatically by an instruments which measures Italian Alps (and specifically in the northwest sec- the positions of several control points located at tor). Past and recent occurrences are documented the avalanching glacier surface. Moreover, with and investigated, in order to identify causes, trig- the same aim, the FMS developed and installed gers and dynamics, with the aim to point out the on the avalanching glacier surface a low cost specificities of these debris flows. The outcomes GPS receiver which acquires and transmits con- of this research can help in assessing debris flow tinuously its position. The collected data permit hazard in glacial and periglacial environments, to increase the knowledge of the glacier flow and where experience gained in ice-free contests can dynamics and improve the development of new only be partially applied. survey techniques. In addition, with the aim of Contact: [email protected] monitoring the micro-seismic activity preceding Glacial hazard in the Italian Alps ice failures and collapses, on the upper part of the Giovanni Mortara, Marta Chiarle (CNR-IRPI), glacier the FMS is now installing a seismograph. Luca Mercalli, Daniele Cat-Berro (SMI), Andrea Another on going activity on Grandes Jorasses Tamburini (IMAGEO) avalanching glacier is the calculation of Digital Glacial hazard in the Italian Alps has been investi- Surface Models (DSMs) from close range photo- gated in the framework of the EU Project ‘Glacior- grammetry data; the surveys are performed using isk’ (2001–2003), involving 11 different institutes an helicopter equipped with a high resolution from 6 European countries (France, Norway, Swit- digital camera. The registration of the acquired zerland, Italy, Iceland and Austria). The project photos, needed to evaluate volume and morpho- aimed at identifying, surveying and preventing logical changes, takes advantage from perma- catastrophic events that may occur as the result nent marks on rock exposures located in the area of glacial hazards. For this purpose, a specific close to the glacier. The future planned activities database system (Gridabase, http://www.nimbus. embrace both the temperature measurement of it/glaciorisk/gridabasemainmenu.asp) was devel- glacier ice and of the rocks nearby and the evalu- oped and implemented by SMI computer scien- ation of ice thickness by GPR techniques. tists, with the suggestions of the other partners. Contact: [email protected] Gridabase stores all the data about glaciers, gla- cial hazard, instability events and damages. In the Italian Alps, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) and ice avalanches proved to be the most report- ed and hazardous instability processes related to glaciers. In addition, some sites have been object of detailed investigations, because of risks related to the dynamics of the glacial environment (Gla-

13 The Belvedere Glacier and the ‘Lago Effimero’ taking into account outcomes from the present re- emergency (NW Italy) search, a particular attention has to be devoted Giovanni Mortara, Marta Chiarle (CNR-IRPI), in the future to ice falls, rock-ice avalanches and Andrea Tamburini (IMAGEO), Wilfried Haeberli, emptying of internal water-pockets. These phe- Christian Huggel, Luzia Fisher (UZH-DG), Andreas nomena are particularly dangerous because of ve- Kaeaeb (UIO-DG), Luca Mercalli, Daniele Cat- locity (up to 100 km/h), runout distances (up to 13 Berro (SMI), Alberto Carton (UPD-DG) km) and involved volumes (sometimes millions of The uppermost Anzasca Valley is dominated by cubic meters) and for lacking, in some cases, any the huge northeast face of Monte Rosa, which in easily identified forerunning phase. the recent years has displayed extraordinary insta- Contact: [email protected] bility, without comparison in the Alps. A variety of The recent evolution of an avalanching glacier natural processes, driven by a warming climate, on Monte San Matteo (Ortles-Cevedale Group, are dramatically modifying the northeast face of Italian Alps) the mountain and Belvedere Glacier at its base. Anna Giulia Riccardi, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI- Occasionally, the risk level has been so high that DST) Riccardo Scotti (SGL), Matteo Sgrenzaroli the Civil Defence Department must had to inter- (inntec.),Giorgio Vassena (UNIBS-DICATA) vene to prevent people from hiking and climbing The project was performed in the framework of a in the area. Because of this extraordinary activity, partnership between the University of Milan and a multidisciplinary working group of Italian and the University of Brescia. Swiss researchers and technicians is supporting Avalanching glaciers may be affected by pe- the administration technicians in gathering data riodic or occasional breaking off of ice (due to that will assist in decision making. Logistical sup- dry calving), which often leads to tragic events. port and funding from this body has led to the These events have aroused a growing interest development of a plan of field investigations and in the instability of avalanching glaciers. This instrumental monitoring that has greatly improved project focused on the surveys carried out on knowledge about processes operating at Monte an avalanching glacier on Monte San Matteo Rosa. Experience gained from this study is more (Ortles-Cevedale Group, Italy). The monitoring broadly applicable to other glacierized areas in campaigns consisted in surveying the avalanch- the Alps where similar instability is arising due to ing glacier with a Total Station (Leica T 1000) over climate change. the period from July 2005 to November 2005. In Contact: [email protected] addition, in May 2005 a laser scanner survey had Glacial Hazard on the Italian side of the Mont been performed. The role of air temperature in the Blanc Massif evolution of the ice mass was also investigated. Marta Chiarle (CNR-IRPI), Giovanni Mortara The total station data were processed to calculate (CNR-IRPI), Giannantonio Bottino (DITAG) the changes of the unstable ice mass during the In the framework of a PhD fellow (1998-2001) study period (displacements, average value 12.4 of the Polytechnic of Turin, a study of the glacial m; velocities, average value 11.2 cm/d and flow hazard in the Mont Blanc area (Italian side) has direction, main direction was found West). The been carried out. About 20 glaciers, set on massif laser scanner survey permitted an analysis of the granitic walls, bring great charm to landscape but, unstable ice mass geometry. In addition several in the meantime, are a relevant source of hazards photographs collected during the field campaigns for the area. An historical analysis was carried made it possible to describe also from a qualita- out on the entire Courmayeur municipality and tive point of view the evolution of this unstable identified more than 220 instability events. One ice mass. Lastly, it was found that during the ana- third of these events involved glaciers and all the lysed period air temperature did not play a key numerous typologies described in literature are role in the evolution of the ice mass. represented: emptying of ice-dammed or margin- Contact: [email protected] al lakes, emptying of internal water-pockets, pro- glacial stream debris flows, rock-ice avalanches, ICE CORES ice-falls, supraglacial debris fall outside the lateral moraine, rapid advance of snout of glaciers. Even Lys Glacier ice core (Valle d’Aosta, Italy) if phenomena tend to occur always in the same Valter Maggi, Barbara Delmonte, Claudia places and with similar characteristics, the strong Mazzola, Samuel Albani, Chiara Uglietti, Federica dynamism of the glacial environment and cli- Marino (UNIMIB), Barbara Stenni, Onelio Flora matic trend towards global warming which could (UNITS), Roberto Udisti (UNIFI) lead to exceed historical boundaries of variability, High altitude glaciers in European Alps represent made it necessary to integrate historical data with an important archive for atmospheric and envi- the analysis of present landscape characteristics ronmental information, and for the quantitative and of possible future scenery. In this contest and assessment of the human impact.

14 Glaciers from the Monte Bianco and Monte layer counting, dust stratigraphy, volcanic erup- Rosa group, located at the border between Italy, tions, tritium horizons and radiocarbon measure- France and Switzerland, reach more that 4000 ments which together demonstrated that ice older m a.s.l. and are located close to the most indus- than 10,000 years is present near the bedrock. trialized areas of the world. Air masses reaching The core has been analyzed for major ions, these glaciers and travelling over these lands col- stable isotopes, heavy metals and plutonium at lect fine particles from both natural and human high resolution. A continuous record of 24 trace origin. Therefore, ice cores drilled on these high elements was obtained by coupling a novel accumulation areas provide records both of natu- on-line melting system with an inorganic mass ral and anthropogenic climate and environmental spectrometer (ICP-QMS). Aliquots of melt water change with seasonal resolution. Moreover, trans- were on-line extracted by solid-phase cartridges port from North Africa, mainly Sahara Desert, for semi-continuous Polycyclic Aromatic Hydro- provide high concentration dust events that sea- carbons (PAHs) analysis. These data represent sonally reach the Alpine area. the longest glaciological paleo-archives ever Colle del Lys is a saddle located on the accu- obtained in an ice core from the Alps and are mulation area of Lys Glacier (Monte Rosa, Valle integral in reconstructing the climatic and environ- d’Aosta, Italy), on the Italian-Swiss border. This mental conditions during the Holocene. site is optimal for ice core activities, with annu- Contact: [email protected] al accumulation rate of 1.3 m water equivalent. Historical record of European emissions of Thanks to the ENEA and Italian Antarctic Program, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons since 1700s in a summer 2003, a 106 meter deep ice core was from an ice-core drilled at Colle Gnifetti, Monte recovered. From this core, a one century long at- Rosa Group (4450 m a.s.l.) mospheric dust concentration, size distribution, Jacopo Gabrieli, Carlo Barbante (UNIVE), Margit and oxygen stable isotopes records were obtained. Schwikowski (UNIB), Paolo Gabrielli (OSU), Dating was performed through some well known Claude Boutron (LGGE) Saharan dust events (1977 and 1934-35) and the The history of trace species (ions, heavy met- well-marked 1963 tritium peak, and the depth/age als) pollution over the last centuries has been re- scale was subsequently refined using the season- constructed from different alpine ice cores while al variations of dust and oxygen stable isotopes. trends of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are These new records allow improving the knowl- lacking in literature. Polycyclic Aromatic hydro- edge of the variability of atmospheric circulation carbons (PAHs) are POPs originate mostly from on Southern Europe and in the Mediterranean ba- anthropogenic combustion of organic matter and sin, and the relationship with the North Atlantic fossil fuels. The occurrence of PAHs in a firn/ice atmospheric variability on the last 100 years. core drilled near Monte Rosa, covering the last Contact: [email protected] three centuries was achieved by a continuous ice Reconstruction of climatic and environmental core melting system. Before 1875 the level of PAHs variations during the Holocene inferred from a was very low with total mean concentrations lower firn/ice core drilled at Colle Gnifetti Monte Rosa than 2 ng/kg. During the initial Industrial Revolu- Group (4450 m a.s.l.) tion (1770–1830) the PAHs deposition showed a Jacopo Gabrieli, Carlo Barbante (UNIVE), Margit weak increase which became much greater during Schwikowski (UNIB), Claude Boutron (LGGE) later Industrial Revolution at the end of 19th cen- The exploration of past climate prior to instru- tury. In the 1920s, economic recession in Europe mental records is based on the interpretation of depressed industrial production, halving PAHs paleo-archives, where the most important are ice emissions until the 1930s when they increased cores from both polar and low-latitude regions. again and reached a maximum concentration of 32 Ice core drilling has a long tradition in the polar ng/kg in 1950s. From 1955 to 1975 the PAH con- regions and was later extended to mountain gla- centrations decreased significantly reflecting im- ciers in the Alps. In particular, snow in the Alps provements in emission controls while from 1975 documents the effects of European anthropogenic to 2003 rose again to values equivalent to those emissions with the use of mountain glaciers as of 1910s. The use of specific ratio Fla/(Fla+Pyr) natural archives for studying historical trends of indicates an increase in the relative contribution pollution. Colle Gnifetti (4450 m) is a cold-based of gasoline and diesel combustion with respect glacier saddle in the Monte Rosa Group which to coal and wood in 19th century. This value has has been extensively studied during the past few been increased in the last two decades probably decades. In September 2003 two parallel cores due in part to the growth in the relative contribu- were drilled to bedrock at a location where ice tion of wood combustion has become very popular flow modeling indicated the greatest thickness of for domestic heating in many large cities. ice older than 500 years. The ice core chronology Contact: [email protected] was obtained by combining results from annual

15 Mt Ortles as a new indicator of climate and records permitted to quantify the surface reduc- environmental changes in the Tyrolean Alps tion: from 1975 to 2005 the Aosta Valley glaciers Paolo Gabrielli, Lonnie Thompson (OSU), Roberto had lost ca. 27% of their area. Dinale, Michela Munari, Hanspeter Staffler (PAB- Inventory Information will be soon available to UI), Jacopo Gabrieli, Carlo Barbante (UNIVE), different kind of users through the official web site Luca Carturan, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana (UNIPD), of Aosta Valley Region. Karl Krainer (UNINN), Hans Hausmann (UNIVI), Contacts: [email protected], guglielmina. Roberto Seppi (UNIPV-DST), Ludwig Noessig, [email protected] Volkmar Mair (PAB-UG), Mark Zebisch, Claudia The recent inventories of Lombardy glaciers Notarnicola (EURAC), Michele Lanzinger (MTSN) Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Davide Maragno, Carlo Mt. Ortles (3905 m a.s.l., Trentino Alto-Adige, D’Agata, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Daniele Italy) is the highest mountain of the Tyrolean Alps Bocchiola (POLIMI-DIIAR), Anna Rampini (CNR– and its upper glacier Vedretta Alta, probably due IREA) to its difficult access, has never been investigated. In the framework of ‘Quantification, Evaluation This glacier may constitute a unique opportunity and Description of Lombardy glacier resource’ to obtain the first paleoclimate record from an ice projects (2004 and 2007) managed by IREALP core drilled in this untapped area of the Alps. In and funded by Lombardy Region the most recent order to study the potential of Vedretta Alta as a (1999 and 2003) Lombardy glacier inventories drilling site, we performed the first preliminary were compiled.The structure of the Regional Gla- study of its glaciological characteristics at 3830 cier database was realized by the CNR-IREA. The m a.s.l. We measured snow, firn and ice thickness collection and analysis of glacier data was per- and we analyzed the shallow snow/firn layers. formed by the UNIMI-DST in cooperation with Finally we started to monitor the snow accumu- colleagues POLIMI-DIIAR, who particularly in- lation rate and the thermal behavior of the firn. vestigated the relations among glacier changes The information obtained is useful in perspective and regional climate dynamics. of a future ice drilling operation. We have also The most recent surface area records (1999– in program a monitoring study of Vedretta Alta as 2003) were compiled by combining aerial photo strategic observatory of the current climatic and analysis, Differential Global Positioning System environmental changes at high altitudes in the (DGPS) surveys of glaciers and Geographic Infor- Alps by monitoring the main meteorological pa- mation System (GIS) data processing. Moreover rameters, the mass balance, the snow line with a previous regional inventory (1991 by SGL) was satellite imaginary and the permafrost conditions available thus permitting to evaluate the glacier on the adjacent deglaciated areas. changes over the last decade. Contacts: [email protected], roberto.dinale@ The total number of glaciers in Lombardy was provincia.bz.it 334 in 1991 (SGL, 1992), 340 in 1999 and 348 in 2003. The numerical increase is due to glacier frag- ALPINE INVENTORIES mentation (i.e., the formation of two or more small- er separate glaciers from a former larger glacier) The 1999 and 2005 inventories of the Aosta and reveals an ongoing phase of marked glacier Valley glaciers reduction. A total of 249 glaciers were recorded Marco Vagliasindi (FMD-CRGV), Guglielmina in all three data series (1991, 1999 and 2003) and Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Claudio Smiraglia the respective data were compared and analyzed. (UNIMI-DST) Considering these 249 glaciers common to the The most recent glacier inventories of the Aosta three inventories, in 1991 they were spread over Valley Region (Western Alps), were realized in an area of 117.4 km2±0.8%; in 1999, the same 249 the framework of a cooperation between FMS and glaciers covered an area of 104 km2±0.3%, and in UNIMI-DST. The inventories, compiled according 2003 an area of 92.4 km2±0.1%. The total loss in to the standards of the World Glacier Inventory, glacierized area from 1991 to 2003 amounted to were based on 1999 and 2005 aerial photographs 25 km2±1%, equal to a loss of about 21% of the and orthophotos. A previous regional inventory glacier coverage in 1991. (1975) was also available, thus allowing us to Moreover, the comparison between the mean evaluate the glacier changes over the last 30 years. yearly value of glacierized area lost over the en- It resulted in 175 glaciers common to the three tire period (1991–2003) and the yearly average inventories covering, in 2005, an area of 136 km2 calculated for the shorter period (1999-2003) (about 5% of the whole Aosta Valley territory), clearly indicates a pattern of acceleration: the rate most of all concentrated in the three main mount of retreat rose from -1.58 km2/y (average value massifs of the region: Mont Blanc (25%), Monte for the 1991–1999 period) to -3.1 km2/y (average Rosa (18%) and Gran Paradiso (18%). Seven gla- value for the 1999-2003 period); the mean year- ciers (among others Miage and Lys) were wider ly loss over the whole period (1991–2003) was than 5 km2. The comparison among the three data 16 –2.11 km2/y. Data and maps are already available APENNINE GLACIERS at the official web site of Lombardy Region. Pres- The strong reduction phase of the Calderone ently an update of the variations by using the most Glacier during the last two centuries: recent orthophotos (2007) is ongoing. reconstruction of the variation with GIS Contact: [email protected] technologies The 1997 inventory of the South-Tyrolean Massimo Pecci (EIM), Leandro D’Alessandro glaciers (UNICH-DST), Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) Roberto Dinale, Christoph Oberschmied, Michela Calderone, the southernmost glacier of Europe, is Munari (PAB-UI), Christoph Knoll, Hanns located almost in the exact centre of the Italian Kerschner (UNINN-IG), Konrad Eder, Hermann peninsula in the Gran Sasso d’ltalia Massif. Char- Rentsch (TUM) acterized by a reduction phase since the end of South Tyrol’s glacier inventory was performed with the Little Ice Age, the glacier has been split into a partnership between PAB-UI, UNINN-IG and two ice bodies since the end of the Summer of TUM. During September 1997 all South-Tyrolean 2000. A set of multidisciplinary studies started to glaciers were covered by aerial images with the evaluate the role of the glacier as indicator of the aim to create a new inventory of this region. These effects of human activities and finally of region- images were matched with digital photogramme- al and global climate change. Several analysis try techniques and the surfaces of the glaciers were performed to evaluate the surface area and were analysed using an analytical stereoscope at volume variations since the end of the Little Ice TUM. Next UNINN-IG worked on the verifica- Age. Moreover the glacier surface morphology, tion of the mapped shapes with the assistance of analyzed in GIS environment and coupled with the 20x20 Mm DTM model of the year 2000 and the geometry data of the bed rock (derived from applying GIS methods. The WGI standard meta- Ground Penetrating Radar surveys), allowed the data were computed for each glacier and some computation of the volume variations over time comparisons with the precedent inventory 1983 and their 3D-reconstruction. From these analysis were performed. Another important task that was since the end of the LIA up to 1990 it resulted an carried is the glaciers toponymy check. 259 gla- area loss of about 50,000 m2 and a volume de- ciers were mapped with a total surface of 109,65 crease of about 4 × 106 m3. km2. Estimating the mean glacier depth using the Contact: [email protected] Maisch-approach (1999) results an ice volume of Long term mass balance of the Calderone Glacier 3326 106 m3. Since 1983 (14 years) the glacier (Central Apennine) surface retreat was of about 20%. The most part of Massimo Pecci, Pinuccio D’Aquila, Stefano the glaciers are located between 2660 and 3310 Pignotti (EIM), Claudio Smiraglia, Carlo D’Agata m a.s.l. The equilibrium line altitude for a zero (UNIMI-DST) net balance, i.e. a hypothetical steady state, of a Globally the 1995–2008 mass balance of the Cal- theoretical ‘South Tyrolean glacier’ comprising derone Glacier was negative, with a total cumula- the whole ice surfaces, lies at 2910 m a.s.l. tive loss of more than 5 m w.e. Nevertheless some Assuming an ELA rise of 200 m due to global exceptions were found in the hydrological years warming the future glaciers retreat would be of 1995, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009; these about 1/5 of surface. In case of a rise of 300 or years were found characterized by positive mass 400 m, that means a temperature increase of about balance data in strong contrast with the general 3°C with unvarying precipitation, the surface re- trend affecting the largest part of Alpine glaciers. duction would reach respectively 50 or 80%. This peculiar trend can be attributed to a slight Further inventory update is still planned be- drop in local summer temperatures in the Gran cause of the availability of a new LIDAR Laserscan Sasso area which was accompanied by a small in- model with 2.50 m raster resolution and of new crease in total winter snowfall (from about 5900 aerial photos of 2006 and 2008. mm w.e. in the 1985–1994 period to about 6400 Contacts: [email protected]; hanns. mm w.e. in the 1995–2003 period). Particularly [email protected] snowdrifting and avalanche effect lead to redistri- bution of the snow, making longer its persistence; in fact, in the upper sector of the glacier at the end of the winter season 2006 and 2009 more than 10 m of cumulate snow were found thus driving the positive mass balance of those years. In addition supraglacial debris was found cov- ered a large part of the glacier surface thus re- ducing buried ice ablation. The debris coverage, which seems increasing during the last years, probably will make more difficult and at the end 17 will avoid the activity of ablation measurements comparison of maps of the late 1950s with the through ablation stakes at the glacier lower sector. official map of Nepal in the early 1990s. The re- Therefore, DGPS (Differential Global Positioning sults reveal a slight overall decrease in glacier System) and laser surveys will be also employed, area (by 4.9%, from 403.9 to 384.6 km2), which, with the aim of integrating traditional measure- though subject to errors arising from cartographic ment methods at the glacier surface, in order to elaboration and interpretation, is not so different reconstruct the vertical changes and the ablation from the area reductions found by other studies amount. of Asian high mountain glaciers. We find that Contact: [email protected] the areas of some individual glaciers, the largest situated at higher altitudes, increased during the Multitemporal radar survey for monitoring the study period. This was most apparent for the gla- evolution of the Calderone Glacier (Central ciers oriented to the south, with the increase oc- Apennine) curring mainly in the glacier accumulation zones Massimo Pecci (EIM), Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI- while the fronts tended to recede. Meanwhile, DST) the smaller glaciers, situated lower and on steep The Calderone thickness has been recently evalu- basins, experienced a reduction. For the smaller ated by a ground-probing radar surveying, which glaciers, the sections most affected by change also permitted to determine the bedrock morphol- were the accumulation zones, and these glaciers ogy. The equipment included a GPR SIR 2 with a showed a tendency for the front to advance. In 40-MHz antenna. The comparison with data from this region there is a lack of climate data for high a previous survey (1992) revealed a clear reduc- altitudes. Nevertheless, observations from stations tion of the ice near the terminal moraine and in situated around the park suggest that, alongside the central part of the glacier. The current maxi- temperature variations which are often consid- mum thickness resulted to be about 27 m in the ered the primary factor eliciting glacier response, lower sector of the glacier. changes in precipitation play a significant role. Contact: [email protected] Contact: [email protected] The recent evolution of a surge-type glacier, TROPICAL GLACIERS Liligo Glacier, Karakoram, Pakistan Huascaran glaciers (Peru): Multitemporal and Claudio Smiraglia, Guglielmina Diolaiuti (UNIMI- Geomorphological analysis DST), Marco Belò (TRI), Christoph Mayer (BAS) Valerio Bertoglio (PNGP), Luigi Perotti, Walter Liligo glacier, in the central eastern Karakoram, Alberto, Marco Giardino (UNITO-GSL) Pakistan, is a small, south-to-north-flowing glacier The research group is working on the multitem- situated in a transverse valley on the left (south) poral analysis of the Huascaran massif (Cordillera side of Baltoro glacier. Terminus variations of Liligo Blanca, Peru). For this goal natural color stereo Glacier since 1892 were reconstructed, within the aero-photogrammetric images and infrared ones framework of the EvK2CNR ‘Scientific and Tech- of 1972 and two Terra ASTER Satellite images nological Research in Himalaya and Karakoram’ of 2006 were acquired. The team have already project, using various methods and sources (histor- performed a geomorphological survey in order ical documents, cartography, photographs, satellite to detect the landforms evolution in glacial and images and field surveys). The glacier is character- periglacial areas. A complete GPS survey will be ized by two phases of strong advance (beginning made as soon as possible in order to have a suf- and end of the 20th century), separated by at least ficient set of Ground Control Points to permit the half a century of retreat. The advance rates, togeth- orientation of digital aero and satellite images. The er with some ice-surface features such as the heav- aim is to produce a multitemporal comparison of ily crevassed surface and terminus morphology, are the volume differences of the Huascaran ice cap considered to be indicative of a surge-type glacier. during the last 40 years New processing of satellite imagery enables a bet- Contact: [email protected] ter quantification of terminus oscillations over the past 30 years. From the beginning of the 1970s to HIMALAYA–KARAKORAM GLACIERS the beginning of the 21st century, Liligo glacier Glacier surface-area changes in Sagarmatha advanced about 2 km (60m a–1). The progress was national park, Nepal characterized by a significant evolution of terminus Franco Salerno, Gianni Tartari, Elisa Buraschi, morphology, similar to that observed on the same Gabriele Bruccoleri (CNR-IRSA), Claudio glacier during the advance event near the begin- Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) ning of the 20th century, and to those of many The variations in the surface area of glaciers in other Karakoram glaciers. This suggests indications Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal, during the sec- of a surge-type mechanism. ond half of the 20th century have been analyzed, Contact: [email protected] within the framework of the EvK2CNR Research Project in Himalaya and Karakoram, through the 18 Ablation conditions on Hinarche Glacier in the The model resulted reliable in predicting ablation Bagrot Valley, Karakoram, Pakistan over wide debris-covered areas. It underestimates Christoph Mayer (BAS), Astrid Lambrecht melt rates over highly crevassed areas and water (UNINN-IMG), Claudia Mihalcea, Guglielmina ponds with a high variability of the debris thickness Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Marco distribution in the vicinity, and over areas with very Belò (TRI), Furrukh Bashir (PMS) low debris thickness. We also examined the spa- Glacial melt water is an important resource in tial distribution of the energy-balance components the Karakoram and even more important in a (global radiation and surface temperature) over the protected area like CKNP, calling for detailed study area. and well designed management. To establish a Contact: [email protected] baseline for future monitoring and as a contribu- Glaciological investigations on the Urdok Glacier, tion to an inventory of ice and water resources in Karakoram CKNP, a study on the specific melt conditions has Christoph Mayer (BAS), Astrid Lambrecht (UNINN- been carried out on a medium size, debris cov- IMG), Claudia Mihalcea, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, ered glacier. Debris covered glaciers are largely Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) present in the Karakoram and their role as a water In 2006 glaciological investigations have been source has been only partially investigated so far. carried out on Urdok glacier in the northern part The area chosen for the investigations is the Ba- of Karakoram. The measurements aimed at com- grot Valley and field work focused on the ablation paring ice melt of debris covered glaciers on both tongue of Hinarche Glacier. Hinarche Glacier and sides of the Karakoram divide in the framework of its tributaries provide an essential part of the water the project Ev-K2-CNR. The glacier tongue is com- utilized in Bagrot Valley, especially during the dry pletely covered by a thick debris layer and thus season. During the main ablation season 2008 a comparable to the lower tongue of Baltoro glacier, comprehensive data set on the glacier morphol- further to the West. The results from stake read- ogy, energy and mass exchange and on surface ings, weather data and in situ debris temperature velocity has been collected within the framework measurements reveal rather similar conditions for of the HKKH-IUNC projects sustained by EvK2C- sub-debris ice melt. Based on a period of parallel NR. These data are of fundamental importance for weather data records at both glaciers it is now pos- validating further modelling approaches which sible to estimate the mass loss on the glacier tongue will be developed to evaluate the ongoing glacier using the data from the Urdukas climate station changes on the entire glacier and to project the close to Baltoro glacier. In addition, accumulation future evolution under different climate change studies in the higher part of the glacier revealed a scenarios. The investigations took place on the 9 detailed record of precipitation events which could km long main glacier tongue in order to obtain be linked to general circulation patterns. information representative for the ablation zone. Contact: [email protected] Contact: [email protected] Impact of atmospheric absorbing aerosol on high Spatial distribution of debris thickness and melting Himalayan glacier melting: the Changri Nup from remote-sensing and meteorological data Glacier (Nepal, Himalaya) study at debris-covered Baltoro glacier, Karakoram, Elisa Vuillermoz, Gianpietro Verza (EVK2CNR), Pakistan Angela Marinoni, Paolo Bonasoni (CNR-ISAC), Claudia Mihalcea, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI- D’Agata, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Christoph DST) Mayer (BAS), Astrid Lambrecht (UNINN-IMG), Elisa Within the EvK2CNR Project SHARE (Stations Vuillermoz (EvK2CNR), Gianni Tartari (CNR-IRSA) at High Altitude for Research on the Environ- In the framework of a EvK2CNR project focused on ment) on February 2010 an Automatic Weather Karakoram, a distributed surface energy-balance Stations (AWS) has been installed on the debris- was performed to determine sub-debris ablation free surface of the Changri Nup Glacier (Nepal, across a large part of Baltoro glacier, a wide debris- Himalayas) at 5,700 m a.s.l.. The AWS is acquir- covered glacier in the Karakoram range, Pakistan. ing meteorological data and energy fluxes (in- The spatial distribution of the physical and thermal coming and outgoing) at the glacier surface. The characteristics of the debris was calculated from data will permit the calculation of the glacier remote-sensing (ASTER image) and field data. Me- energy balance and the high resolution analysis teorological data from an automatic weather sta- of glacier albedo. During the field campaign, tion at Urdukas (4022 m a.s.l.), located adjacent ablation stakes have been positioned and snow to Baltoro glacier on a lateral moraine, were used samplings have been carried out as well. The to calculate the spatial distribution of energy avail- ablation stakes will allow the evaluation of gla- able for melting during the period 1–15 July 2004. cier ablation thus permitting a useful comparison The model performance was evaluated by compar- with the melting amount derived from the energy isons with field measurements for the same period.

19 balance measurements. The snow samples, which and allowed us to join scientific efforts in creating are planned to be acquired periodically by the a European science network for science activities EvK2CNR scientists over the next months, will be and data integration, as demonstrated by more analyzed to quantify the presence of atmospheric than 200 articles published in peer-review jour- absorbing aerosols (e.g. black carbon, soil dust). nals. In 2007 the EPICA project was awarded the The latter was found to play a key role in vary- Descartes Prize for Collaborative Research, the ing snow and ice albedo and in driving glacier prestigious EU scientific prize. ablations on several high elevation Himalayan Contact: [email protected]. glaciers. In this experiment, by coupling energy Surface mass balance of Dome C and Talos Dome data (from the AWS) with the results from snow drainage area sample chemical analysis, will be possible to Massimo Frezzotti (ENEA), Silvia Becagli (UNIFI), investigate the relations among atmosphere and Anselmo Cagnati (ARPAV-CVA), Barbara Stenni cryosphere and to quantify the impacts, if any, of (UNITS), Stefano Urbini (INGV), Luca Vittuari atmospheric dust and /or black carbon deposition (UNIBO-DISTART) on the Changri Nup ablation rates. Furthermore, Snow accumulation is one of the most direct the obtained results will be correlated with the at- climate change indicators and has important mospheric observations carried out at the Nepal implications for ice-sheet mass balance and pal- Climate Observatory-Pyramid (NCO-P) located aeoclimatic reconstruction from ice cores. In the at 5079 m a.s.l. near the Pyramid Laboratory Ob- convergence slope/coastal areas of Antarctica, a servatory. large fraction of snow is continuously eroded and Contact: [email protected] exported by wind to the atmosphere and into the ocean. Wind-driven processes are fundamental POLAR GLACIERS AND ICE SHEETS components of surface mass balance. The extreme environmental conditions and remote location European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica of Antarctica have long inhibited the systematic (EPICA) study of its climate and snow accumulation proc- Valter Maggi (UNIMIB) (EPICA Italian esses. Measurement of blowing snow in Antarc- Representative) and Italian EPICA Team tica is very difficult and limited and data are only A European/EU collaboration for drilling ice cores available for a few sites. Blowing snow transport in two sites in the East Antarctic plateau aims to and erosion data detected by instruments, snow depict the climate history of Earth. Dome C (EDC, radar profiles, firn cores, stakes and satellite im- 75°06’S, 123°21’E) in the Pacific Ocean sec- ages were acquired in East Antarctica. Spatial var- tor, and Dronning Maud Land (EDML 75°00’S, iations in accumulation are well correlated with 00°04’N) in the Atlantic Ocean sector provide surface slope changes along the prevalent wind respectively 800,000 years and 150,000 years of direction. Extensive presence of ablation surface atmospheric records. (blue ice and wind crust) upwind and downwind The Italian activities were was strongly in- of the measurement site suggest that the combine volved in the EDC ice core, with logistic, techni- processes of blowing snow sublimation and snow cal and scientific purposes. From 1996 to 2005, transport remove up to 50% of the precipitation during the building-up of the Italy–France over- in the coastal and slope convergence area. These winter Concordia Station, EPICA project used phenomena represent a major negative effect on the facilities of Mario Zucchelli Station (Italian the snow accumulation and, till now, they are coastal station) and Dumont D’Urville (France not sufficiently taken into account in studies and coastal station) and the support of PNRA (Italian simulation of surface mass balance. The observed Antarctic Programme) and IPEV (French Antarctic wind-driven ablation explains the inconsistency Programme) for reaching Dome C and for drilling between atmospheric model precipitation and a 3.260 m deep ice core (drilling stopped several measured snow accumulation value. Temporal meters above the bedrock). At EDML, the German variability of accumulation over the last two cen- Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) coordinated the turies shows no significant increase in accumula- activities, while Italy provided people for in-field tion in Dome C and Talos Dome drainage area. activities. Atmospheric dust (fine particles and Observations of time/source variability of precipi- tephra), chemistry (ions and trace metals), stable tation and of redistribution/sublimation process isotopes (O and H), remote sensing (radar), and are studied for improving the climate and mete- drilling technology represent the main activity orological models and for studying post-deposi- activities where Italy is involved, through about tional losses of chemical species by re-emission ten research groups from six universities and three and snow metamorphism. research institutions. The international collabo- Contact e-mail: [email protected] ration inside the EPICA project received funding from the EU and from national funding systems,

20 TALos Dome Ice CorE (TALDICE) to lead and to maintain stable interglacial stages Massimo Frezzotti (ENEA), Carlo Barbante and understanding the tele-connections between (UNIVE), Valter Maggi (UNIMIB), Barbara Stenni climate and atmospheric and oceanic circulations. (UNITS), Roberto Udisti (UNIFI), Stefano Urbini The availability of continuous, high-resolu- (INGV) tion stratigraphies of climatic and environmental The TALos Dome Ice CorE (TALDICE, www.tal- markers from Greenland and Antarctic ice cores dice.org) is a European ice core research project can help to untangle this plot. So far, they have (Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, UK) aimed allowed the observation of the huge glacial/inter- at retrieving an ice core reaching back through glacial sequences occurring at orbital timescales the previous two interglacials (about 250,000 as well as the climate changes at millennial scale years), from a peripheral dome of East Antarc- occurred in the last glacial period. The whole tica. The Italian Antarctic Programme provided chemical records from EDML (EPICA – Dronning logistical support. TALDICE ice core analysis Maud Land), EDC (EPICA – Dome C) and TALDICE contributes to decipher climate change mecha- ice cores (TALos Dome Ice CorE) have highlighted nisms and will help to explain past, present and some relevant features. For instance, the record future climate trends. The results obtained at Talos of non sea salt Ca, taken as marker for terrestrial Dome will complement, verify, and augment the material, has shown that very major changes in palaeorecords collected at the ‘near-coastal sites’ the climatic conditions in southern South America EPICA-DML, Berkner Island, Taylor Dome, Siple over glacial-interglacial transitions must have oc- Dome and Law Dome DSS etc., and at other Ant- curred. Moreover, the flatness of non sea salt sul- arctic deep drilling sites (EPICA-Dome C, Vostok, phate flux across the entire 800 kyr, despite the Dome Fuji). As such, it would be a significant huge climate changes taking place, suggests a sur- contribution to the International Partnerships in prising constancy in marine biogenic production. Ice Core Sciences 40,000 years network: a bipo- Although sea ice surface is thought to be a sig- lar record of climate forcing and response. Deep nificant contributor to sea salt in central Antarc- drilling, using Berkner Island drill system, started tica, it has also been recognized that the response during the 2004–05 austral summer season and falls off strongly at large ice extents, therefore the successfully reached a depth of 1620 metres dur- proxy (which still requires a good model calibra- ing the 2007–08 season. Talos Dome is located tion) is most useful under moderate or interglacial in the Ross Sea sector, about 250 km from ocean, conditions. In this respect, we have pointed out 550 km north of Taylor Dome and 1100 km East that an exceptionally low sea ice extent must have from the Dome C drilling site. The TALDICE cor- played an amplifying role in the unusually high ing site (159°11’E 72°49’S; 2315 m elevation; an- temperatures of the last interglacial. nual mean temperature –41°C) is located near the Contact: [email protected] dome summit and is characterized by an annual Paleoclimate and evolution of Antarctic snow accumulation rate of 80 mm water equiva- cryosphere from the study of pleistocene lent. Given the relatively high accumulation rate sediments in the ANDRILL AND-1B drillcore at Talos Dome when compared to sites from the Roberto Udisti, Silvia Becagli, Costanza Ghedini, East Antarctic Plateau, the uppermost 900 m of Francesco Rugi, Mirko Severi, Rita Traversi the TALDICE ice core preserve a decadal reso- (UNIFI-DC) lution climate record spanning the Last Glacial The main target of ANtarctic Geological DRILLing Maximum to Holocene climate transition. Termi- Program (ANDRILL) is to determine past ice shelf nation lies at 800 m depth that is only 50% of the responses to climate forcing, including variabil- total ice thickness. ity at a range of timescales. To achieve this goal, Contact: [email protected] 1200 m of glaciomarine, terrigenous, volcanic, Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment from and biogenic sediments have been extracted on the study of Antarctic ice cores (EDC, EDML, the northwest corner of the Ross Ice Shelf: the TALDICE) McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) sector, east of Hut Point Roberto Udisti, Silvia Becagli, Costanza Ghedini, Peninsula, Ross Island. This site is located at a Francesco Rugi, Mirko Severi, Rita Traversi critical juncture between components of the West (UNIFI-DC) Antarctic Land Basin (VLB), the Transantarctic In order to improve the currently available predic- Mountains (TAM) and the Erebus Volcanic Prov- tive climatic models, a better knowledge of the ince. It is one of a limited number of locations that interactions between forcing factors and envi- have been influenced by three significant compo- ronmental responses occurring in the past, likely nents of the Antarctic cryospheric system: East in­­volving complex feedback processes, is manda­ Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), Ross Ice Shelf (RIS)/ tory. Several issues are yet poorly understood; WAIS, and Ross Embayment sea-ice. among them, the factors affecting the glaciation– The first 90 m of ANDRILL AND-1B drillcore deglaciation transitions, defining the processes able have been analysed by an integrated ICP–SFMS/

21 ICP–AES system in order to quantify 39 major chemical analysis of size-segregated aerosol, col- and trace elements (including rare earth elements lected all year-round for more than 4 years, can – REE). Preliminary interpretation of the obtained contribute to clarify on timing and relevance of dataset relative to geochemical composition of the different aerosol sources and transport proc- sediments deposited during the last Ma at the MIS esses. Moreover, the analysis of chemical mark- site suggests different rock sources for the material ers in aerosol, superficial snow and hoar crystals, deposited before and after about 0.45 Ma BP, with sampled contemporaneously, will allow to under- the oldest sediments showing a composition more stand the key factors (e.g., snow acidity, solar irra- similar to that typical of trans-Antarctic mountains diation) affecting the preservation of components and the youngest showing characteristics close to reversibly fixed in the snow layers (such as meth- McMurdo volcanic rocks composition. This varia- anesulphonate, nitrate and chloride). tion of composition could be linked to the Mid- Contact: [email protected] Brunhes Event (MBE), a climatic discontinuity dat- Inventory of local or ‘Alpine’ glaciers in Northern ed 430 kyr BP, which marks the boundary between Victoria Land (Antarctica) two different global climatic conditions, with the Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI- youngest layers characterized by a larger tempera- DST) ture gap between short and warm interglacials and The so-called ‘local’ or ‘Alpine’ glaciers are very long and cold glacials, with respect to the oldest diffuse in Antarctica along the coastal areas. They part. Statistical procedures (e.g. principal compo- are isolated and independent of ice flowing down nent analysis) will be tested on the whole data-set from the plateau and their mass balance is mainly in order to support this hypothesis. controlled by sublimation and aeolian erosion Contact: [email protected] and accumulation. The glaciers closest to the Aerosol/snow study at Concordia Station (Dome coast undergo dry calving and melting. The most C, central East Antarctica) – present-day aerosol known local Antarctic glaciers are found in the transport processes and tools for interpretation Dry Valleys, but they are also diffuse in the North- of ice core data ern Victoria Land coastal region. By collecting Roberto Udisti, Silvia Becagli, Costanza Ghedini, data from satellite images, aerial photographs and Francesco Rugi, Mirko Severi, Rita Traversi field surveys a first group of twelve local glaciers (UNIFI-DC) was identified from Mount Joyce to Cape Hallet. Ice core stratigraphies of chemical components A data sheet with the main morphometric charac- of atmospheric gases and aerosols trapped in the teristic was prepared. snow layers by scavenging processes are a power- Contact: [email protected] ful tool in understanding past climatic and envi- Recent evolution of the local glaciers: the case of ronmental changes. Though the basic features of the Strandline Glacier, Northern Victoria Land, glacial and interglacial periods are well known by Antarctica high resolution isotopic, physical and chemical Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI- records from East Antarctic ice cores (especially DST), Michele Motta (UNITO-DST), Giorgio from EPICA Dome C ice core, spanning the last Vassena (UNIB-DICATA) nine glacial cycles), several issues are still highly Seasonal variations on Strandline Glacier, Terra debated. In particular, the role of biogenic activity Nova Bay, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, in controlling the climate by feedbacks on CO 2 obtained from field measurements during two uptake and cloud coverage, the relevance of sea campaigns have been performed. It was possible ice extent in revealing superficial sea-water tem- to calculate summer changes in thickness (mean perature and albedo variations, and the effect of decrease over the whole glacier surface of 0.04 hydrological cycle of southern-hemisphere conti- m w.e.) and in volume (decrease of 352 m3 at the nental areas in controlling atmospheric load and terminus). Numerous are the processes responsi- composition of mineral dust. These interpretative ble for these variations (e.g. melting, evaporation, difficulties are made more complex by the occur- wind erosion/deposition and dry calving). This last rence of post-depositional processes at the atmos- revealed to be the most effective one, by causing phere-snow interface and in shallow snow and at the terminus ice cliff at the terminus a summer firn layers, which can perturb the air-snow trans- retreat rate of about 1 m week−1 in the central part fer function of chemical species and complicate of the front. the interpretation of their stratigraphies in terms of Contact: [email protected] past environmental and climatic conditions. In order to better address such controversial issues, since 2005, a continuous, high temporal resolution size-segregated aerosol and surface snow sampling has been performed at Dome C, in the framework of ‘Station Concordia’ Project. The

22 GLACIER HYDROLOGY pled with a more refined finite difference energy balance ablation model upon debris cover, able Newly formed glacial lakes in Aosta Valley to describe spatial complexity of ablation patterns (Italy) on the glacier. This was validated against in stream Alex Théodule (FMS-CRGV), Germain Bal, Alberto measured (using a 3D wading flow tracker) hourly Godio (POLITO) discharges, with good results. These models will For the last three decades, several glacial lakes be then used for projections of future hydrological have been forming due to increasing glacier re- cycle, based upon climatic forcing from GCMs. duction. Glacial lakes could give origin to sudden Contact: [email protected] outburst (the well known GLOF phenomena), thus representing hazardous elements in glacierized Monitoring of in stream discharges from mountain areas in addition to other glacier hazards. Firstly, glaciers (Dosdè Glacier) an analysis of all the available literature has been Daniele Bocchiola (POLIMI-CIMI), Guglielmina carried out in order to describe the state-of-the-art Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) in this topic and to know methods and techniques In the framework of the ‘Water & Glaciers’ to be applied for classifying glacial lake hazard on Project funded by San Pellegrino–Levissima Spa, the basis of lake morphological and environmen- the in-stream discharges from a mountain glacier tal elements. (Dosdè Glacier) in the Dosdè-Piazzi group has Then, to list the more recently formed (after been analyzed. We carried out design, setting 1975) glacial lakes and to assess, if any, condi- up, and operation of a hydrometric station based tions of outburst hazard (considering also impacts upon piezometric pressure, gauging within the and damages on the lower lands), a glacial lake catchment of a mountain bare ice glacier (Dosdè, inventory has been compiled in 2009. The analy- Valtellina Valley), to measure thaw discharge for sis, based on orthophotos, satellite imagery (SPOT the year 2009. We calibrated a stage-discharge 2009) and field surveys, allowed to detect more equation using a wading 3D flow meter, so than 120 newly formed glacial lakes. Further- allowing discharge estimation from stream stage. more, in order to detect englacial or subglacial The measured discharges will be coupled to AWS water ponds which cannot be directly observed, meteorological variables and snow and ice abla- geophysical investigations were performed on a tion measurements within the Dosdè glacier area sample glacier. In addition, a collection and anal- to validate hydrological budget therein. The so ysis of historical data allowed to identify glaciers calibrated hydrological models will then be fed recurrently subject to GLOF events in the past. projected future climate from GCMs (plus down- Contact: [email protected] scaling) to depict future expected hydrological cycle and mass budget of the glacier. Hydrology of debris covered glaciers: case study Contact: [email protected] Venerocolo Glacier, Adamello Daniele Bocchiola, Maria Cristina Rulli, Renzo Impact of climate change upon water budget in Rosso (POLIMI-DIIAR), Guglielmina Diolaiuti, glacierized areas Claudia Mihalcea, Boris Mosconi, Claudio Daniele Bocchiola (POLIMI-DIIAR), Guglielmina Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) Diolaiuti (UNIMI-DST) In the framework of the Project CARIPANDA man- The recognized evidence of global warming de- aged by the Adamello Regional Park and funded mands assessment of water resource from the by Fondazione Cariplo, an investigation on the cryosphere in temperate regions, and more chal- hydrology of the Venerocolo Glacier (Adamello lenging foresight of its destiny, including potential Group, Lombardy Alps) has been carried out. We extinction of permanently glacierized areas, and coupled field surveys of glacier climatology, ab- the tremendous impact on the Alpine environ- lation and stream flows during thaw season with ment Therefore, importance of hydrological cycle use of historical hydrologic and climatic data base in high altitude glacierized catchments in tem- to develop energy based models able to simulate perate regions is paramount. Within this research complex ice melt upon debris covered glaciers, line we used statistical techniques to address the and hydrological models able to mimic hydrologi- presence of observable effect of climate change cal cycle therein (case study Venerocolo Glacier, upon atmospheric feeding to hydrological cycle Adamello Group). We developed and tested a within high altitude Alpine areas of Italy (i.e. Ad- daily (semi-distributed, with altitude belts) model amello Glacier). We studied rainfall, temperature coupled with a simple debris cover driven degree and snowfall and we found significant trend in day ablation model for long term simulation of time (from 1967 onward), as well as significant runoff, well performing against four years of es- dependence against indexes of general circula- timated in stream discharges as from pool level tion, e.g. NAO. reservoirs’ routing. Also, we developed a event Contact: [email protected] based distributed hourly hydrological model, cou-

23 THE MIAGE LAKE PROJECT possibility of performing many activities, up to the filling phases which occurred during spring Calving phenomena at the Miage Glacier (Mont and summer 2005. In situ tests and measurements Blanc) and laboratory tests lead to a reliable reconstruc- Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Claudio tion of the path of water recharge and draining Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Martin P. Kirkbride and to the development of a numerical model of (UNIDUN-SSES), Michele Citterio (GEUS), unsaturated-saturated groundwater flow to evalu- Douglas I. Benn (USN), Lindsay Nicholson ate natural losses through the lake bed sediments. (UNINN) Results show that material at the bed of the lake The Miage Lake is an Italian ice-contact lake has a low permeability and can be responsible where calving phenomena have been occurring for water losses of a few litres per second, very since the end of the 18th century. The Miage calv- far from the discharge calculated during the rapid ing was studied in recent years in the framework drawdown episodes. These results gave the exper- of a cooperation between Italian and Scottish imental and numerical evidences to support the scientists supported by the British Council, the hypothesis that identifies sudden and temporary CRUI and the NERC organizations. Several field failure in the ice floor as the only possible cause campaigns were carried out, starting from sum- of the rapid draining events historically occurred mer 2002 up to now. Moreover the project took in Miage Lake. In the monitoring period the hy- advantage of the 2003 and 2005 COFIN-PRIN drological balance has also been assessed to eval- projects. Our research covers rates and process- uate the factors affecting the main recharge phase es of freshwater calving at Miage Glacier (Mont of the year. Calving was found to be the most im- Blanc Massif, Italy). Field surveys identified the portant factor contributing to recharge, followed main processes leading to iceberg production by direct melting and precipitation while water and quantified the calving losses over asum- losses occurring through the lake bed sediments mer season. Calving losses were compared (1) and evapotranspiration are much smaller even if with the surface ablation of the debris-covered not negligible. tongue, evaluated through a simple model based Contact: [email protected] on measured ablation rates at different altitudes and debris cover thicknesses, and (2) with other Hydrological balance of the Miage glacier basin inputs to the lake (stream inflow discharge) and Marco Masetti, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo with the lake volume. Results show that thermal D’agata, Anna Giulia Riccardi, Claudio Smiraglia undercutting by warmer surface water plays an (UNIMI-DST) important role in driving ice-cliff evolution. Ther- The project was started within the framework of mal notches grow at ca. 30–35m a–1 and cause a the 2005 COFIN-PRIN project, and now is per- similar amount of cliff retreat. Calving contributes formed under the umbrella of the 2008 COFIN- ca. 2% of the estimated summer runoff from the PRIN project. debris-covered part of the ablation zone, but this The aim of the project was the calculation of the is equivalent to ca. 38% of the lake volume, and hydrological balance of the Miage Glacier basin is of the same magnitude as the mean discharge (Mont Blanc, Aosta Valley, Italy), c. 24 km2 wide. from the inflow streams. These data indicate that Miage debris-covered glacier, at 10.7 km2 the third calving of the ice cliff is one of the main water largest Italian glacier, stretches from 1780 m at its sources for maintaining the lake at the maximum terminus to Mount Blanc Peak (4810 m a.s.l.). The summer volume, with the surface at the level of debris-covered area is 2.9 km2, the debris-free sec- the subaerial outlet stream. A recent survey of Ital- tor covers 7.8 km2. The ratio glacier surface/basin ian calving glaciers shows that calving is becom- surface is 0.44. In 2006 two different methods were ing more widespread, and that debris covers are applied: a glaciological approach (by measuring present at all calving ice margins. The lake–ice in- ablation rates and by applying a simple distributed teractions described in this project can, therefore, ablation model) and a hydrological method found- be considered to have wider relevance. ed on river discharge measurements performed Contact: [email protected] during summer months. The first data available showed the largest ablation amount (61%) to occur Hydrological characterization of the Miage Ice- on the bare ice sector. Moreover the hydrological Contact Lake (Monte Bianco, Italy) approach showed that a large part of the basin run- Marco Masetti, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo off was due to glacier ablation (c. 52%). The glacier D’agata, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) ablation calculated by hydrological approach and The project was developed in the framework of the glacier ablation evaluated through the distrib- the 2005 COFIN-PRIN project. uted ablation model resulted in good agreement, The Miage ice-contact lake is characterized the small discrepancies are probably due to the by rapid drawdown episodes that have occurred simplifications we applied particularly regarding with varying frequency in the lake’s history. The snow melt amount. Moreover since winter 2007 emptying episode of September 2004 gave the 24 a permanent AWS was located at 3430 m a.s.l. about the fast ongoing evolution of glacial and (in the framework of the SHARE-Italy program) to periglacial landscape. The trails provide for learn- measure snow accumulation and then to evaluate ing ‘in the field’ and are usually equipped with its contribute to spring and summer meltwater river specific signs indicating the positions of the gla- discharge for improving the hydrological balance cier termini during the various period of glacier computation. The next project step to be performed evolution, as well as signs explaining the differ- in summer 2010 in close cooperation with the col- ent morpho-glacial evidences. That is the case of leagues from UNIDUN-SSES, from FMS and from the well known trail of the Morteratsch Glacier POLIMI-DIIAR will be the installation of a hydro- in the Bernina Massif, Switzerland Alps. On the metric station based upon piezometric pressure Italian Alps the first trail was organized on Ventina gauging. This will permit continuous measure- Glacier (Disgrazia-Bernina Massif) in 1992 by the ments of glacier melt river discharge thus further SGL. One of the most interesting and frequented improving our computations. path is surely the Forni Glacier Trail on the Lom- Contact: [email protected] bardy Alps (Ortles-Cevedale massif), realized by the CGI in 1995. This trail was addressed to a se- Glacial lake surface-area changes in the lect tourist type because it required knowledge Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal of the basic techniques of walking on a glacier. Gianni Tartari, Franco Salerno, Elisa Buraschi, During the last years the strong retreat of the gla- Gabriele Bruccoleri (CNR-IRSA), Claudio cier terminus and the accelerate melting of the Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) ice core of the lateral moraines destroyed some In the framework of the EvK2CNR Research Project parts of the trails and made the path more difficult in Himalaya and Karakoram, the recent (end of the and dangerous. In the last summer, also by build- 20th century) surface area changes of lakes in the ing some new light bridges crossing the glacial north-eastern sector of the Sagarmatha National streams, the Forni Trail was renewed and opened Park (SNP, Nepal) have been analyzed by compar- again, thus allowing all the tourists to appreciate ing maps in a GIS environment. More precisely directly the new landscapes and morphologies of the Mount Everest maps (based on a survey done the just deglaciated terrains. in the early 1980s) and the official Map of Nepal Contact: [email protected] (based on a survey performed at the beginning of the nineties) have been analysed and compared. Glaciers as geomorphosites: identification and The analysis of the changes occurred in lake sur- evolution. Some examples from the Lombardy Alps face area and distribution showed that lake areas Claudio Smiraglia, Guglielmina Diolaiuti (UNIMI- in this park sector substantially increased of about DST) 15%, in particular in the case they were located Alpine glaciers are important in terms of envi- in hydrographic basins including glacier cover- ronmental and economic systems. The rapid ‘dis- age. In fact, 96% of the lakes whose surface area integration’ of Alpine glaciers has already been increased were situated in glacierized basins. discussed in previous studies; less attention, how- Conversely, the majority of the lakes not owing ever, has been paid to their role as changing and to glacierized basins showed a reduction in sur- potentially vanishing geomorphosites. face area, and in many cases disappeared (83% Most Alpine glaciers, in fact, subject to rapid of the lakes that disappeared were located in ba- change driven by climate, are now responsible sins without glaciers). The project permitted also for unexpected environmental impacts, which in to produce a digital tool named LIS (Limnological the Italian Alps have only been partially investi- Information System) which provides a useful plat- gated. This project, performed in the framework of form for extending the analysis to the whole SNP, the ‘Water and Glaciers’ program funded by San as well as for subsequent comparisons based on Pellegrino-Levissima Spa, analysed and discussed earlier maps or more recent satellite images. features and evolution in two representative glacier Contact: [email protected] geomorphosites included in the official ‘Geosites In- ventory’ of the Lombardy region (Italy). The geomor- phosites analyzed are the Forni Glacier, the largest APPLIED GLACIOLOGY valley glacier in the Italian Alps, and the Val Viola ‘Glacier Trails’, an experience for the knowledge glacierized basin, where various small glaciers with and the promotion of the high mountain well preserved moraine ridges (dating from the up- environment per Holocene to the present) can be found. Claudio Smiraglia, Guglielmina Diolaiuti (UNIMI- Both the geosites are located in areas identified DST) as ‘Sites of Community Importance’ (SCI) under The Glacier Trails, a particular kind of naturalistic directive 92/43/EEC; furthermore, the Forni Gla- trail, are an original means of passing on know­ cier is also located in a protected area, the Stelvio ledge about geomorphology and glaciology of National Park. These glacier geomorphosites rep- the high mountain environment and especially resent well the variations affecting all Alpine gla-

25 ciers; these variations are not only driving signifi- summer skiing has been practiced there since cant changes in the morphology and ecology of the beginning of the 20th century. The effects of the present mountain landscape, but at the same human impact on this kind of glacier was poorly time are shaping newly formed morphologies, known up to recent years when a project was which may develop into smaller geomorphosites funded by the Stelvio National Park. In the Stelvio with significant value from a scientific and cultur- Park area, volume and thickness variations in a al point of view. The changes include thermokarst sample glacier (Vedretta Piana, Stelvio Pass) were features such as kettles and supraglacial lakes, quantified through a comparison of large-scale debris-covered glacier tongues frequently without maps (1955–1981) and field surveys (by GPS in any direct connections with the actual glacier, RTK techniques during summers 1999, 2000 and rounded rock outcrops emerging from the glacier 2001). A thickness increase on the larger part of surface which increase ice melting and acceler- the glacier profile was evident from 1955 to 1981, ate glacier shrinkage, ice contact and moraine- maximum value of +10 m. In the subsequent pe- dammed lakes where calving phenomena occur riod (1981–1999), a strong reduction was evident, and icebergs drift loose, moraines affected by ice maximum of about −30 m. The field surveys per- core melting with subsequent collapse and gen- formed on two following summer seasons allowed eration of mud and debris flows. also to calculate the glacier volume variations re- Contact: [email protected] sulted equal, for summer 1999 to −442,000 m3 w.e. (mean thickness variation of about −0.8 m) Italian glacier geomorphosites evolution and for the summer 2000, to −606,000 m3 w.e. Manuela Pelfini, Irene Bollati, Valentina Garavaglia (mean thickness variation of about −1 m). More­ (UNIMI-DST) over the seasonal investigations revealed pattern Glaciers defined as glacial geomorphosites are af- and distribution of snow accumulation on Vedret- fected by intense shrinkage and new territories are ta Piana Glacier to be strongly influenced by ski progressively suitable for studies and valorization. activities. In addition on this glacier, geophysical Landforms related to glacial erosion and deposi- surveys by GPR techniques have also been per- tion are visible at different scales and the con- formed allowing the calculation of the ice thick- sequences of climate change on vegetation are ness and of the glacier ice volume (72.5 × 106 also evident. Research on glacier geomorphosites m3). Attention was also paid to the historical evo- evolution is significant not only for defining their lution of the glacier human-use by analyzing the scientific attributes through its ‘model of evolu- number of infrastructures located on the glacier tion’ and didactic exemplarity valences but also (especially lifts and their capacity) and the number for glacial geomorphosites additional values like of customers (largely skiers) using the lifts with a cultural and aesthetic ones. A recent realization of special focus on two summer seasons (2000 and a database allows us to quantify glacial geomor- 2001 summer seasons), trying to relate these data phosites attributes; detailed researches on sample with glacier seasonal surface evolution (crevasses glaciers allowed to underline the ecological value presence and snow cover persistence and distri- represented by supraglacial and proglacial trees bution) and with the summer climate trends. The as recorders of glaciological data (Miage and Bel- results underline that the climate conditions of vedere glaciers), the role of tree vegetation living summer of 2001 was more favourable for summer on moraine system or buried in till as an instru- ski activities. An increase in the number of skiers ment for glacier fluctuation reconstruction and as was in fact evident for the 2001 summer (+21%); an educational tool (Marlet, Forni glacier);. the this datum is an exception respect to the general role of the proglacial areas as an important part of Italian trend of the last decade which underline an complex geomorphosites or of geomorphological uninterrupted decline of Alpine skiers (−35% in landscapes (Forni and Verra glaciers). the year 2004 respect to the year 1997). The results highlight the importance of moni- Contact: [email protected] toring geomorphosites evolution and degradation for tourist promotion, for educational purposes Strategies to reduce snow and ice ablation: and for risk assessment in tourist areas. investigations at the Dosdè East Glacier Contact: [email protected] (Lombardy Alps) Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia, Davide The recent evolution of an Alpine glacier used Maragno, Boris Mosconi (UNIMI-DST), Eraldo for summer skiing (Vedretta Piana, Stelvio Pass, Meraldi (ARPAL-CNB) Italy) On Dosdè Est Glacier (Upper Valtellina, Italy) in- Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia, vestigations to reduce snow and ice ablation were Manuela Pelfini (UNIMI-DST), Marco Belo (TRI), performed between May and October 2008 and Mauro Pavan (UNIGE-DIPTERIS), Giorgio Vassena between June and October 2009 in the framework (UNIBS-DICATA) of the ‘Water & Glaciers’ Project funded by San In Europe, the Stelvio Pass (2757 m a.s.l) glacier Pellegrino-Levissima Spa. In summer 2008 on this area is a popular zone for summer ski activity; 26 Alpine glacier (ca. 1 km2 of area, North aspect) a fluxes and meteorological parameters and instead cover of Ice protector® was spread on a glacier sur- a second one was located on the natural (bare ice) face 150 m2 wide at an elevation of about 2800 m glacier surface with the purpose of compare the a.s.l. The experiments were performed close to an energy budgets. Automatic Weather Station located at the glacier In addition a network of ablation stakes was surface (AWS Dosdè Levissima). The AWS permits developed at the glacier surface to measure snow the collection of meteorological data and energy and ice ablation in natural vs artificial conditions. fluxes fundamental to calculate the glacier energy The investigations will continue in summer 2010. budget.. At the end of the 2008 ablation season on Contact: [email protected] the glacier area without artificial cover, a snow ab- Glaciers and War: climate, ice caves, huts and lation of 1.29 m water equivalent (w.e.) and an ice deglaciation in the Ortles-Cevedale Group ablation of 1.05 m w.e. resulted; the glacier surface Claudio Smiraglia, Guglielmina Diolaiuti (UNIMI- protected with the cover instead was affected only DST), Giovanni Peretti (ARPAL-CNV), Giuseppe by snow ablation and its magnitude was lower than Magrin in unprotected areas: there was a snow loss equal During the First World War on the Italian–Austrian to 0.73 m w.e. and no ice ablation occurred. The alpine war lines, many military operations were second time (summer 2009) the glacier covering carried out and many battles were fought; even was performed between 5 June and 14 October if all of them had a small influence on the war 2009. Moreover during summer 2009 we meas- evolution, they were meaningful because of the ured also the temperature of the artificial cover and morphological and climatic context where they the temperature of the covered snow pack. This occurred, so that they were defined ‘the high- second test was aimed at measuring the heat flux est battles of history’. That is true overall for the due to incoming solar radiation and to positive air Ortles-Cevedale sector, where at the beginning of temperature able to reach snow and ice covered by the 20th century the widest glaciers of the Italian the Ice protector, thus promoting their melting. Alps were concentrated and where they are still Contact: [email protected] largely present. The hard morphological and cli- Methods and techniques to reduce ablation matic conditions caused many problems, either to at glacier skiing resorts: the Presena Glacier the war actions (especially the battles of San Mat- (Trento) teo, 3684 m a.s.l. in the August–September 1918), Guglielmina Diolaiuti (UNIMI-DST), Alberto or even to the soldiers’ lives (it is sadly known that Trenti, Nicola Paoli, Elvio Panettieri (PAT-M) and in December 1916 the huge snowfalls, at least 50 with the cooperation of SAT and SIAT m of snow, caused a lot of avalanches that killed On Presena Glacier (Adamello Group, Trentino more than 10,000 soldiers on the Alpine front). In Region), investigations to reduce snow and ice that period glaciers were not only scenes of vio- ablation were performed between June and Sep- lent battles and conflicts but they were also loca- tember 2008 and between June and September tions where engineers and technicians performed 2009 in the framework of a regional research pro- feats of ‘glacial engineering’. The new science of gram. Presena is a mountain glacier used for ski glaciology had many practical applications: long activities which during the last two decades expe- tunnels were excavated into the ice to catch the rienced a strong area and thickness reduction thus enemy (among others, Zebrù, Ortles, Trafoi, Mini- suggesting to apply strategies devoted to reduce era). Moreover the recent emersion from the ice of the magnitude of glacier ablation and to preserve many wooden huts on numerous summit peaks, part of the winter and spring snow cover. For this observed during these last tens of years (for ex- purpose detailed field investigations were - per ample on the tops of Mount Cevedale and Mount formed and ca. 2 ha of artificial cover was spread S. Matteo), caused by the strong present glacier at the glacier surface at the beginning of the sum- shrinkage, raises interesting scientific questions mer season 2008 and 2009. In particular it was about the climate and glacier conditions at the covered the glacier sector considered more fragile beginning of the 20th century. since rock exposures were found to outstand at Contact: [email protected] the glacier surface. The artificial cover was main- Assessment of water resources within snow fed tained for the whole ablation season 2008 and areas 2009 up to the month of September (both 2008 Daniele Bocchiola, Bibiana Groppelli, Renzo and 2009). To evaluate the role played by the arti- Rosso (POLIMI-DIIAR) ficial cover in reducing snow and ice ablation and Snow cover extent, duration and dynamics influ- particularly in modifying glacier energy budget ence vegetal and animal biota in Alpine areas, three AWS were located at the glacier surface (2 and freshwater availability from cryosphere dur- AWSs) and at the glacier forefield (1 AWS). More ing spring and summer regulates hydrological precisely at the glacier surface one AWS was lo- cycle of Alpine basins, and influences Alpine cated in the covered area to measure here energy ecosystems development. Snow cover delays ice 27 melting and crevassing upon glaciers and snow Remote sensing of the Vedrette di Ries (Pusteresi surviving summer thaw at high altitudes even- Alps) in the 1990s tually feeds ice cover in glacierized areas. As a Rossana Serandrei-Barbero (CNR-ISMAR), result of the several processes governing snow Elisabetta Binaghi , Cristina Galli (CNR-ITIM), cover dynamics, snow cover patterns show a tre- Anna Rampini (CNR-IREA) mendous variability in space and time and their In 1999 the analysis of the Landsat TM image proper assessment at both macro and micro-scale 192/27 of 24 September 1991 was performed is of utmost importance. Any modelling approach and all the glaciers of the Vedrette di Ries were to water and ice budget within alpine areas re- classified and described. The procedure used to quires accurate assessment of Snow Water Equiv- identify and describe glacier surfaces is based alent (SWE) during winter and spring. Within this on the integrate use of remotely sensed data and research line, we developed statistical methods topographic information. The first phase of the for optimal (with uncertainty) estimation of SWE procedure is the classification of the multispec- at different dates during accumulation and thaw tral Landsat TM images using the bands 3, 4 and season, based upon use of ground snow surveys 5: a supervized fuzzy-statistical classifier gives, and of remotely sensed snow covered areas. Also, for each pixel, the degree of membership to the we studied regionally valid statistical distribution classes sunny snow, shaded snow, sunny ice, of snowfall within Northern Italy, useful to quan- shaded ice, sunny other, shaded other. The sec- tify regional amount of SWE during the year and ond step of the classification procedure identifies for simulation of climate feeding to hydrological the glacier body using spectral features and other cycle within snow fed areas. Further on, we de- ancillary information. The glaciated surfaces were veloped downscaling techniques for use of coarse classified and measured and snow line identified scale GCMs projections of future climate, at a in spite of unfavourable exposure, advanced sea- scale suitable for hydrological conjectures. son and the scarcity of snow. The results indicate the morphological changes due to the occurring Contact: [email protected] retreat and update glaciated surfaces quantitative data extending to the hydrological year 1990–91 REMOTE SENSING the automatic monitoring made possible by re- mote sensed data. Remote sensing of the Eastern Alps in the 1980s Contact: [email protected] Rossana Serandrei-Barbero (CNR-ISMAR), Elisabetta Binaghi (CNR-CNR), Anna Rampini Retreat of Aurine and Pusteresi Alps glaciers in (CNRIREA) the last decades from Landsat TM image on 2003 In 1999, the analysis of some Landsat TM images and previous results taken at the end of the ablation season highlighted Anna Rampini, Pietro Alessandro Brivio, Francesco retreat modes in the 1980s on all glaciers in the Rota Nodari (CNR-IREA) Rossana Serandrei- Breonie, Aurine and Pusteresi Groups (Eastern Barbero (CNR-ISMAR) Alps). In the Italian Alps, the majority of glaciers The objective of the work was the analysis of Ital- are small (less than 1 km2), but cover a significant ian Alpine glacier changes in the last decades us- glaciated area, despite the fact that ground survey ing Landsat imagery, acquired from TM sensors. In have only dealt with the major glaciers. In the East- particular, Aurine and Pusteresi Alps glaciers have ern Alps, in the early 1980s, large glaciers were been studied and changes over 20 years, from advancing and small ones receding. The procedure 1985 to 2003, have been evaluated. A fuzzy set used to identify glacier surfaces integrates Landsat based classification technique permitted to quan- TM images (bands 1, 3 and 5) and topographic data tify snow and exposed ice extents in glaciated combining information derived from elevation, ex- areas. Integration with topographic information posure, and morphological aspects. Between 1985 allowed to derive the elevation of glacier termi- and 1987, the greatest retreat involved the glaciers nus, although the result is overestimated due to with surface greater than 1 km2. Between 1987 and some problems with digital elevation data and 1989 the loss of glaciated surface was mostly found frontal debris coverage. A comparison of front for the smaller glaciers. Quantitative assessment of altitude changes data derived from satellite im- glacial evolution on large areas shows inside oppo- age processing with elevation measured during site trends which generally escape ground observa- field surveys supports the knowledge of the size tions on selected glaciers. of glacier retreat of the last decades. On Aurine Contact: [email protected] and Pusteresi Alps glaciers, the changes in the last 20 years show a retreat corresponding to the 40% of the glaciated surface in the 1980s, but a lot of them are now characterized by new debris cover- age in the frontal zones. Contact: [email protected]

28 Optical remote sensing automatic mapping of Group in the Southern flank of the Eastern Italian alpine glaciers: improved techniques to face up- Alps. The GeoTemp analysis has been applied to to-date patterns images resulting from a classification procedure Monica Pepe, Anna Rampini (CNR-IREA), performed by a fuzzy-statistical classifier which Francesco Zucca (UNIPV-DST), Alberto Carton provide for each pixel the degrees of member- (UNIPD-DG) ship to classes. Three classes have been identified: When dealing with glacier mapping from optical Snow, Ice and Other, this last collecting all land satellite remote sensing two major constraints af- covers present in the image but not meaningful for fect the mapping accuracy level: scale of obser- the application. vations, as related to spatial resolution of remote Classified maps together with topographic data sensors with an adequate temporal resolution; (elevation, slope and aspect) have been stored in presence of supraglacial debris which, presenting a GeoTemp archive. At a first step, simple que- the same spectral characteristics as the surround- ries have been formulated to search for variations ing terrains, is difficult to detect. The two prob- of the single classes in the time range from 1989 lems are addressed separately using two different and 1991. In a second step, to confirm the analy- approaches. sis and to detect the elevation of the snow tran- To improve spatial resolution a sub-pixel ap- sient area, GeoTemp has been used to formulate proach has been tested and evaluated as com- a composed query to search for pixels in which pared to traditional methods; the basis of this the percentage of Snow decreased of the 50% and improvement lies in the possibility of recogniz- contemporary the Ice increased of 50%: the result ing, by supervized unmixing classification, the is of 332 pixels on a total of 338 pixels in which percentage of different land cover classes, within The elevation of the pixels satisfying this query, a single pixel. In such a way the information ex- locates the transition area at about 2900 m, ac- tracted can be considered spatially finer than at cording to the data measured by experts during the pixel size. This theoretical benefit in spatial on field campaigns. accuracy has been analytically demonstrated by Contact: [email protected] the application of the Pareto Boundary statistical Geomatics techniques for multitemporal method for comparison of classification results as estimation of volume change in Miage glacier obtained from different spatial resolution optical reservoir (Mont Blanc) imagery. The Adamello Glacier has been consid- Luigi Perotti, Walter Alberto, Roberto Carletti, ered as case study for the application. Marco Giardino (UNITO-GSL) As regards the debris covered ice issue a nov- The Miage glacier is the major one on the Ital- el approach has been designed, implemented ian side of the Mont Blanc Massif. A wide super- and tested, i.e. a decision-tree able to provide a ficial debris cover confers the Miage the typical complete delineation of glacier covers also in the aspect of a debris-covered glacier, acquired 150 presence of debris-covered ice. The method takes years ago towards the end of the Little Ice Age. For advantage of a new feature space, as derived from these reasons, the Miage glacier shows prevailing apparent reflectance values of some multi-spectral vertical movements instead of the typical debris- bands, allowing its application on image series in free glacier retreat of the front. For its conservative time and providing a semi-operative character to landforms, the Miage Glacier have a great impor- the classification scheme. The Belvedere Glacier tance for the analysis of the geomorphological re- has been considered as case study for the applica- sponse to recent climatic changes and represent tion. Results obtained from both proposed meth- a particular type of alpine water reservoir. Thanks odologies demonstrate their feasibility to produce to an organized existing archive of multitemporal valuable information as related to up-to-date gla- aerial images, we produced a multitemporal digit- cier fluctuation patterns, helping the understand- al photogrammetric work to estimate the volumes ing of climate forcing over the alpine areas. fluctuations of ice/water stored in glacier reservoir Contact: [email protected] since 1954. High resolution satellite images are An event-based archive of soft maps for the being currently considered for future investiga- analysis of glacier changes tions, considering the possibility of ordering stereo Paola Carrara, Anna Rampini (CNR-IREA) acquisitions for different satellite missions (EROS, A system for creating and managing archives of QuickBird, OrbView3, Ikonos, Cartosat etc.). thematic maps derived from remote sensing im- Contact: [email protected] ages by soft classification techniques has been de- signed. Unlike traditional spatial approaches, the main key feature for query formulation is time, thus improving the investigation on changes occurred in time ranges. The system, named GeoTemp, has been applied on glaciers of the Vedrette di Ries

29 Energy and mass balance of the Adamello Glacier in the framework of the project PermaNET – Long- with satellite-derived information term Permafrost Monitoring Network (Alpine Space Ranzi Roberto, Stafano Barontini, Grossi Giovanna program). The inventory is carried out through the (UNIBS-DICATA) analysis of aerial photographs (orthophotos with a Evidences of the retreat of the Adamello Glacier, resolution of 0.5 m), Digital Terrain Models (DTM, the largest glacier in the Southern Alps, have been 2 m grid spaced) and InfraRed False Colour images reported in the scientific literature since the half of (IRFC, with a resolution of 15 cm). Each identified the 19th century. The evaluation of the amount of rock glacier is manually delimited in a GIS envi- water resource lost or gained each year is actually ronment and the main morphological parameters a very important information for managing reser- are derived from the DTM. Then all data are in- voirs and river quality downstream. To this aim an serted in a tables forming the inventory database. energy-balance hydrological model was applied, This latter was shaped and organized according to supported by point ice ablation and snowpack previous rock glacier inventories, moreover new measurements, as well as by meteorological, run- fields were added. Therefore, in order to assess the off and satellite data over the period 1995–2009. main features of the Aosta Valley rock glaciers and The accuracy of the model in simulating ablation to evaluate their distribution with respect to topog- at the point scale was verified over 2 years ver- raphy a geo-statistic analysis is being performed. sus measurements at a network of ablation stakes A field campaign to validate the inventory data is installed in early summer 2007. Average glacier planned for summer 2010. melt was also verified with hourly stream flow Contact: [email protected] observation downstream. The simulated retreat of The Rock Glacier Inventory of Lombardy Alps the snow covered areas during the melt season at Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Claudio the large scale was verified using the snow cover Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Mauro Guglielmin monitored by two ASTER images in June and July (UNINS-DBSF), Mirela Cristea (UNIBU) 2003, used also to estimate distributed values of An inventory of rock glaciers of the Lombardy terri- snow and ice albedo. This result is framed within tory is currently being compiled in the framework the GLIMS project http://www.glims.org/. of a cooperation among UNIMI-DST, UNINS- Over the snow free areas, the melt factor at ab- DBSF and UNIBU. The source of the data are both lation stakes was estimated as 7 mm/(°C×d). field surveys and remote sensing investigations. A net loss of about 1400 mm/a, on average The latter are supported by the IIT (Infrastructure over the 1995–2009 period, results from the es- for the Territory Information) project of the Lom- timated winter accumulation and the simulated bardy Region providing the 2003 and 2007 ortho- summer mass balance. The result is in qualitative photos which cover the whole Lombardy territory. and quantitative agreement with runoff measure- The inventory is based on the well known criteria ments downstream the glacierized areas and with (to identify and describe rock glaciers) reported mass balances conducted with the glaciological in the recent available literature. All the data are method in the nearby Careser glacier for which the being inserted in a data base linked to maps and longest mass balance time-series in Italy is avail- orthophotos which will be made available through able. Uncertainties in the estimation of snowfall the official web site of the Lombardy Region. and in modelling turbulent fluxes cannot be ne- Contact: [email protected], clau- glected but the trend of glacier’s retreat simulated [email protected] by the energy-balance model is clearly confirmed by observations and measurements. Permafrost-glacier interaction in Western and Contact: [email protected] Central Alps Mauro Guglielmin (UNINS-DBSF), Adriano Ribolini (UNIP-DST), Denis Fabre (CNA), Xavier PERMAFROST Bodin (UNIW), Matteo Spagnolo (UNIAB-GED) The Rock Glacier Inventory of Aosta Valley In Western and Central Alps (Italy-France), ground Michèle Curtaz, Marco Vagliasindi (FMS-CRGV), ice of permafrost origin and sedimentary ice of gla- Umberto Morra di Cella, Paolo Pogliotti (ARPA- cial origin can coexist where (1) rock glaciers and VdA), Stephanie Letey (UNITO) glaciers interacted, as well as (2) in glacigenic sedi- Aosta Valley is a medium size alpine region cover- ments abandoned by a retreating glacier and sub- ing a surface of about 3300 km2; here glacial and sequently exposed again to atmospheric cooling. periglacial environments represent important land In the last few years, a group of Italian, French and elements (i.e. more than 50% of the region area is Scottish researchers focussed on this topic, analys- located above an elevation of 2000 m a.s.l.). Con- ing the rock glaciers and the recently deglaciated sequently it is important to acquire and update slopes of Maritime (Argentera Massif), Cothian detailed information on permafrost and periglacial (Monviso area) and Retich Alps (Livigno area), un- environments. An inventory of rock glaciers of the dertaking several geophysical prospections (elec- Aosta Valley territory is currently being compiled trical tomography and georadar), ground surface 30 temperature monitoring and geodetic measure- Italian Alps through empirical models. Moreo- ments of surface movements. The principal aim is ver a physical-based permafrost model called to understand if and at which extent the internal Permaclim was developed using as input data structure of rock glaciers and recent-deglaciated the digital elevation model, air temperature and slopes can be used as a potential archive storing snow cover. During the PACE project the first the different climatically-driven episodes occurred deep (100.1 m) borehole fully instrumented to in the cryosphere of a specific area, such as events monitor permafrost regime was realized close to linked to the shifting between glacial to criotic Stelvio Pass at 3000 m a.s.l.. In this site perma- condition and vice versa. A glacial overrode dis- frost was thicker than expected, in fact assuming rupting permafrost can be claimed to explain the the thermal properties constant with depth the scarcity of frozen debris/ice in the upper or mid- permafrost thickness in this site should excess of dle part of some rock glaciers, whereas ice transfer 200 m and within the share Stelvio project the from a glacial snout to sectors of rock glacier can deepest alpine permafrost borehole in Europe cause the embedding of fragments of sedimentary will be drilled, crossing the permafrost base, next ice in a syngenetically permafrost creeping, even- year. The permafrost profile recorded within the tually transported downvalley by the flow. Geo- pace borehole allowed us to reconstruct the last morphological data have served the reconstruction 200 years of ground surface temperature. Since of glacier-rock glacier interactions, and available 2004 a 64 m deep borehole has been monitored borehole stratigraphies were used to calibrate the close to Punta Helbronner (3480 m a.s.l.). Close subsurface geophysical characteristics. to this borehole, a program to monitor the rock Contact: [email protected] surface and subsurface temperature oscillations was started in 2008 within the framework of co- Investigations in periglacial and cryotic operation between UNIMI-DST, UNINS-DBSF environments in Lombardia and EVK2-CNR. A key permafrost case study was Mauro Guglielmin (UNINS-DBSF) also the Val Pola landslide where for the first time Since 1995 the research on periglacial and per- in Europe the role of permafrost in the triggering mafrost environments arisen significantly after the of a deep landslide was demonstrated. realization of the National Rock Glacier Inven- Contact: [email protected] tory. Some of these rock glaciers were also dated with the C14 method in order to reconstruct their Investigations on rock glaciers and permafrost in paleoclimatic significance. A great impulse to the Trentino research was given by the European Project PACE Roberto Seppi (UNIPV-DST), Alberto Carton (Permafrost and Climate in Europe). During this (UNIP-DG), Luca Carturan (UNIPD-TeSAF), project the different types of geophysical prospec- Carlo Baroni (UNIPI-DST), Saverio Cocco, Mauro tions were tested on the Foscagno rock glacier, Degasperi, Matteo Zumiani (PAT-SG) in Upper Valtellina) where the first borehole was Several research activities are in progress on per- cored. The crystallography and the chemical and mafrost environments of the Adamello Presanella isotopic composition of the core indicated that and Ortles Cevedale groups. A GIS-based inven- the massive ice found in the core was a glacier tory of permafrost evidences (i.e. rock glaciers) relict ice body formed during the Middle Age has been carried out in the former and in se- (1020 ± 20 BP). The same rock glacier was the lected areas of the latter mountain group (UNIPV, pilot area for a national project to analyse the re- UNIPD, UNIPI). The inventory is based on aerial lationships between the hydrology and permafrost photo interpretation and field observations, and occurrence through the realization of other three describes the activity status, geometry and geo- boreholes and the installation of monitoring sta- morphological characteristics of the rock glaciers. tion to record chemical and physical properties Furthermore, the rock glaciers distribution has of the main spring located at the foot of the rock been compared with the current climatic condi- glacier. The identification of the coexistence of tions of the study areas and some paleoclimatic different types of ice (buried relict glacier ice and information have been inferred from the distri- different types of ground ice) both vertically and bution of the relict landforms. Part of these rock laterally within Foscagno rock glacier confirm the glaciers were selected as test sites for further in- complexity of the geological and cryological na- vestigations. Annual surface velocity measure- ture of the rock glacier. ments using terrestrial topographic surveys (total In addition the relationships between rock station and GPS-RTK) were initiated in 2001 on glacier dynamics and vegetation colonization two active landforms (UNIPV, PAT-SG). The results were analysed in different rock glaciers of the show a marked interannual variability of the sur- Upper Valtellina. Regarding the permafrost dis- face velocity, and both the rock glaciers display a tribution different techniques (e.g. BTS) were nearly homogeneous and synchronous behaviour. used showing a patchy permafrost occurrence The potential relationships between the dynamic even within the rock glaciers. Permafrost occur- behaviour of the landforms and the local climatic rence was modelled in different sectors of the conditions (e.g. air and ground temperature and 31 snow cover) are currently under investigation. In chain and a meteorological station. Modelling several areas of the two mountain groups, tem- activities are also performed in the framework of perature measurements at the base of the winter PermaNET, aiming at modelling the distribution of snow cover (i.e. BTS) were annually conducted permafrost in the province of Trento. A freezing- since 2003, both on rock glaciers and numerous soil module has been developed inside the open other slopes (UNIPV, UNIPD). In particular sites, source hydrological model GEOtop. The model these measurements were coupled with continu- allows to perform long term simulations to investi- ous temperature measurements at the ground gate the temperature in depth accounting for heat surface using miniature temperature dataloggers conduction and phase change. (MTD). These investigations aim at verifying the Contact: [email protected] presence of permafrost and at analysing its ther- Investigations on permafrost in Antarctica mal condition in relation with the air tempera- Mauro Guglielmin (UNINS-DBSF) ture and the snow cover evolution. Finally, the More than 10 years ago (1994) the Italian Pro- springs located on numerous slopes and emerg- gram for Antarctic Research sponsored the first ing from rock glaciers are also under investigation research campaign to begin the research on (UNIPV). The research focuses on using the water periglacial features and permafrost in Northern temperature as a useful indicator of the presence Victoria Land. From that first campaign, original of permafrost and on the physical and chemical data on the occurrence of different types of ice characteristics of the water. within permafrost were achieved. The first perma- Contact: [email protected] nent permafrost monitoring station in all Antarc- The PermaNET project in Trentino: advance of tica was settled on 1998 and the following year the research and monitoring activities also the first CALM grid (100 × 100m) to monitor Roberto Seppi (UNIPV-DST), Saverio Cocco, the active layer variability was established close Giorgio Zampedr, Matteo Zumiani (PAT-SG), to the Italian Antarctic station. Through also the Matteo dall’Amico, Riccardo Rigon (UNITN-DIA), cooperation with the University of Ottawa sev- Alberto Carton, Mirco Meneghel (UNIPD-DG) eral aspects of the periglacial and cryotic proc- Research and monitoring activities on permafrost esses and landforms were analysed in Victoria in Trentino have received a significant increase Land. Among them icing blisters, frost blisters, by the approval of the Alpine Space PermaNET patterned ground, ice wedges and other frozen project. As local partner of the project, the PAT-GS ground phenomena were studied and in some co-ordinates the activities, with the collaboration cases monitored. Weathering processes in cryo- of several universities (UNIPV, UNITN, UNIPD). tic environment with particular attention to tafoni In the framework of the project, an inventory of development and grooves and weathering pits permafrost evidences (i.e. rock glaciers) is cur- formation and development were analysed. The rently in progress in the whole province of Trento. study of weathering processes revealed a strong The inventory is built in a GIS environment and is influence of the biotic action. Since 2000 the Ital- based on orthophotos and DEM analyses and on ian project was more focussed on the analyses of field controls. So far, the inventory includes the the impacts of the climate change on permafrost active landforms, and will be completed within and on the vegetation associated working also in the end of the project including also the relict Maritime Antarctica. The influence of the different ones. The measurement activities focus on three vegetation types on the ground surface tempera- areas, located respectively in the Adamello Pre- ture and the underlying active layer in Maritime sanella Group (Presena ski area), in the Ortles Antarctica and more recently in Continental Ant- Cevedale Group (Cavaion basin) and in the Dolo- arctica was demonstrated. Permafrost monitoring mites (Cima Uomo area). In these areas, BTS and network started with the 3.6 m deep borehole at ground surface thermal regime measurements are Boulder Clay in 1996 has been strongly devel- in progress. Deep thermal measurements are con- oped with the cooperation of Waikato University ducted in two already existing boreholes located with the realization of two new 30 m deep bore- near the alpine hut ‘Ai Caduti dell’Adamello’ at holes fully instrumented located at Marble Point 3030 m a.s.l.. The aim of these surveys is to inves- and at Wright Valley in the McMurdo Dry valleys. tigate the existence of permafrost in the slope on Also a new 30 m deep borehole has been fully which the hut is located and try to relate the ob- instrumented close to the Italian Antarctic station served slope movement with the permafrost deg- while another 30 m deep borehole has been in- radation. Preliminary results confirmed the exist- strumented last year at Rothera in Maritime Ant- ence of stable below-zero temperatures in one of arctica with the cooperation of British Antarctic the boreholes, under a depth of about 5.5 m. Fur- Survey. Moreover another Calm grid and a 2.5 thermore, a 50 m deep borehole has been drilled m deep borehole was set in 2005 at the northern at the Cavaion basin (2900 m a.s.l.). This site is border of Maritime Antarctica (Signy island). going to be fully instrumented with a thermistor Contact: [email protected]

32 ICE CAVES by culture-based laboratory procedures. The aver- age number of culturable yeast cells in the melt Glaciological and climatic studies of ice deposits waters was 10–20 colony-forming units (CFU) L–1, in caves whereas supra-glacial stream waters originating Valter Maggi (UNIMIB), Alfredo Bini (UNIMI- from overlying glacier ice contained <1 CFUL–1. SDT), Stefano Turri (PRGS), Barbara Stenni Yeast cell number increased as the suspended- (UNITS), Roberto Udisti (UNIFI) sediment content of the water samples increased. Ice deposits in caves, as glaciers of mid latitudes, Basidiomycetous yeasts represent > 80% of iso- represent a promising archive for environmental lated strains (Cryptococcus spp. and Rhodotorula and climate information. Ice cave deposits can spp. were 33.3% and 17.8% of total strains, re- be found at low altitude, below the snow line, spectively). Culturable yeasts were psychro-toler- because of the very conservative hypogean en- ant, predominantly obligate aerobes and able to vironment. These deposits are usually located in degrade organic macromolecules (e.g. starch, es- deep of karstic areas, widespread throughout the ters, lipids, proteins). To the authors’ knowledge, world, and under optimal conditions they allow this is the first study to report the presence of collection of natural and anthropogenic informa- culturable yeasts in melt waters originating from tion on stratified ice deposits. Many Italian caves, glaciers. On the basis of these results, it is reason- mainly in the Alps, preserve ice deposits at great able to suppose that the viable yeasts observed depth. In these environments, some glaciologi- in melt waters derived predominantly from the cal, stratigraphical, climatic and environmental sub-glacial zone and that they originated from the studies were recently performed. These allowed sub-glacial microbial community. Their metabolic a preliminary modelling of the ice cave system, abilities could contribute to the microbial activity and some ice core drilling provided environmen- occurring in sub-glacial environments. tal and climatic information. In the Moncodeno Contact: [email protected] area (Grigna Settentrionale, Lecco, Italy) ice caves were found about 1800 m a.s.l., close to one of Psychrophilic yeasts in glacial environments of the most industrialized area of the world (Lom- Alpine glaciers bardy). More than 20 m of stratified ice deposits Benedetta Turchetti, Pietro Buzzini, Marta Goretti, originated from water dripping were found at 80 Eva Branda, Ann Vaughan-Martini (UNIPG- DBA), m depth in a vertical shaft without direct contact Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Carlo D’Agata, Claudio with surface (2330 m a.s.l.). In the framework of Smiraglia (UNIMI- DST) this study, a complete weather station was in- This project was developed in the framework of a stalled in the cave. Microclimatie studies of air partnership between the UNIPG and UNIMI. circulation, temperature variability and humid- The presence of psychrophilic yeasts in supra- ity were done with a preliminary assessment of and subglacial sediments, ice and meltwater col- the relationship between epigean and hypogean lected from two glaciers of the Italian Alps (Forni environments. Other caves were found in Veneto and Sforzellina – Ortles-Cevedale group) was in- and Trentino Alto Adige regions (Eastern Alps), in- vestigated. After incubation at 4 1C, subglacial side the Dolomite area, between 2000 and 3000 sediments contained from 1.3 × 103 to 9.6 × 103 m a.s.l.. In Italy, ice deposits are widespread; also CFU of yeasts g–1. The number of yeast cells in in Sicily some ice deposit exist inside old volcanic supraglacial sediments was c. 10–100-fold lower. pipes in Mt Etna. International collaborations are A significant proportion of isolated yeasts exhib- in course with Romania and Slovak Republics for ited one or more extracellular enzymatic activities studying the large ice deposits located in Apuseni (starch-degrading, lipolytic, esterolytic, proteolytic Mountains (Transylvania) and in Tatras Montains. and pectinolytic activity) at 4°C. Selected isolates Contact: [email protected] were able to grow at 2°C under laboratory-simu- lated in situ conditions. In all, 106 isolated yeasts were identified by MSP-PCR fingerprinting and ECOLOGICAL STUDIES 26S rRNA gene sequencing of the D1/D2 region as Culturable yeasts in melt waters draining from belonging to 10 species: Aureobasidium pullulans, two glaciers in the Italian Alps Cryptococcus gilvescens (over 50% of the total), Pietro Buzzini, Benedetta Turchetti, Alessandro Cryptococcus terricolus, Mrakia gelida, Nagan- Martini (UNIPG-DBA), Guglielmina Diolaiuti, ishia globosa, Rhodotorula glacialis, Rhodotorula Carlo D’Agata, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DSTI) psychrophenolica, Rhodotorula bacarum, Rhodo- This project was developed in the framework of a torula creatinivora and Rhodotorula laryngis. Four partnership between UNIPG and UNIMI. strains, all belonging to a new yeast species, yet to The melt waters draining from two glaciers be described, were also isolated. (Forni and Sforzellina glaciers, Ortles cevedale Contact: [email protected] Group, Lombardy) in the Italian Alps resulted containing metabolically active yeasts isolable

33 Yeast and yeast-like diversity in the southernmost Three new species are proposed: Mrakia robertii glacier of Europe (Calderone Glacier, Apennines, sp. nov. (type strain CBS 8912), Mrakia blollopis Italy) sp. nov. (type strain CBS 8921) and a related an- Eva Branda, Benedetta Turchetti Pietro Buzzini amorphic species Mrakiella niccombsii sp. nov. (UNIPG-DBA) Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Claudio (type strain CBS 8917). Phylogenetic analysis of Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) Massimo Pecci (EIM) the ITS region revealed that the new proposed This project was developed in the framework of a species were closely related to each other within partnership between UNIPG and UNIMI. the Mrakia clade in the order Cystofilobasidi- Through this project the characterization of ales, class Tremellomycetes. The Mrakia clade psychrophilic yeast and yeast like diversity in cold now contains 8 sub-clades. Teliospores were ob- habitats (superficial and deep sediments, ice cores served in all strains except CBS 8918 and for the and melt waters) of the Calderone Glacier (Italy), Mrakiella niccombsii strains. which is the southernmost one of Europe, was per- Contact: [email protected] formed. After incubation at 4 and 20°C, sediments Biodiversity of cold-adapted yeasts from glacial contained about from 102 to 103 CFU of yeasts meltwater rivers in Patagonia, Argentina g–1. The number of viable yeast cells in ice and Virginia de Garcıa, Silvia Brizzio, Diego Libkind, melt waters was several order of magnitude lower. Marıa van Broock (CRUB), Pietro Buzzini (UNIPG- The concomitant presence of viable bacteria and DBA) filamentous fungi has also been observed. Two- This project permitted to detect the occurrence hundred and fifty-eight yeast strains were isolated of culturable yeasts in glacial meltwater from the and identified by 26S rRNA gene D1/D2 and ITS Frıas, Castano, Overo and Rıo Manso glaciers, lo- sequencing as belonging to 28 basidio­mycetous cated on Mount Tronador in the Nahuel Huapi Na- and ascomycetous species of 11 genera (Can­dida, tional Park (Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina). Cystofilobasidium, Crypto­coccus, Dios­zegia, Subsurface water samples were filtered for colony , Gueho­myces, Mastigo­basidium, counting and yeast isolation. The total yeast count Mrakia, Mrakiella, Rhodoto­rula and Sporobolo­ ranged between 6 and 360 CFU L–1. Physiologic myces). Among them, the species Cryptococcus and molecular methods were employed to identi- gastricus accounted for most of 40% of the total fy 86 yeast isolates. In agreement with yeast diver- isolates. In addition, 12 yeast-like strains were sity data from studies for Antarctic and Alpine gla- identified as belonging to the species Aureo­ ciers, the genera Cryptococcus, Leucosporidiella, basidium pullulans and Exo­phiala dermatitidis, Dioszegia, Rhodotorula, Rhodo­sporidium, Mra­ whereas 14 strains, presumably belonging to new kia, Sporobolomyces, Udenio­myces and Candida species, yet to be described, were also isolated. were found. Cryptococcus and Leucosporidiella These results indicate that the Calderone Glacier, accounted for 50% and 20% of the total number although is considered a vanishing ice body due of strains, respectively. Among 21 identified yeast to on­going global warming phenomenon, still species, Cryptococcus sp. 1 and Leucosporidiella harbours viable psychrophilic yeast populations. fragaria were the most frequent. The typically psy- Contact: [email protected] chrophilic Mrakia yeast strain and three new yeast Cold-adapted yeasts from Antarctica and the species, yet to be described, were also isolated. Italian Alps. Description of three novel species: All yeast strains were able to grow at 5, 10, and Mrakia robertii sp. nov., Mrakia blollopis sp. nov. 15 1°C. Among yeast strains expressing extracel- and Mrakiella niccombsii sp. nov. lular enzymatic activity, higher proteolytic and Skye Robin Thomas-Hall, Kenneth Watson, lipolytic activities were obtained at 4 1°C than at Benedetta Turchetti, Pietro Buzzini, Eva Branda 20 1°C. (UNIPG-DBA), Teun Boekhout, Bart Theelen Contact: [email protected] (CBS), Kenneth Watson (UNE-SBS). Extracellular enzymatic activities of Worldwide glaciers are annually retreating due to basidiomycetous yeasts isolated from glacial global warming and this phenomenon determines and sub-glacial waters of Northwest Patagonia the potential lost of microbial diversity represent- (Argentina) ed by psychrophilic microbial population shar- Sinvia Brizzio, Virginia de Garcıa, Diego Libkind, ing these peculiar habitats. In this context, yeast Marıa van Broock (CRUB), Pietro Buzzini, strains, all unable to grow above 20 °C, consist- Benedetta Turchetti (UNIPG-UNIPG) ing of 42 strains from Antarctic soil and 14 strains As a part of a project aimed at the selection of isolated from Alpine Glacier, were isolated and cold-adapted yeasts expressing biotechnologically grouped together based on similar morphological interesting features, the extracellular enzymatic and physiological characteristics. Sequences of activity (EEA) of basidiomycetous yeasts isolated the D1/D2 and ITS regions of the ribosomal DNA from glacial and sub-glacial waters of northwest confirmed the previous analyses and demonstrat- Patagonia (Argentina) was investigated. Ninety-one ed that the strains belong to unknown species. basidio-mycetous yeasts (belonging to the genera 34 Cryptococcus, Leucosporidiella, Dio­szegia, Mrakia, Accelerating climate change impacts on Italian Rhodotorula, Rhodosporidium­ , Sporobolomyces, alpine glacier forefield ecosystems: the case of Sporidiobolus, Cystofilobasi­ dium­ , and Udenio- the Sforzellina Glacier (Ortles-Cevedale Group) myces) were screened for extracellular­ amylolytic, Nicoletta Cannone (UNIFE), Guglielmina proteolytic, lipolytic, esterasic, pectinolytic, chiti- Diolaiuti, Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST), Mauro nolytic and cellulolytic activities. Over 15% of the Guglielmin (UNINS) strains exhibited three or more different EEAs at Recently climate change was demonstrated to af- 4°C and more than 63% had at least two EEAs at fect higher levels of ecological systems, with veg- the same temperature. No chitinolytic and cellulo- etation exhibiting surface area changes, indicat- lytic activities were detected at 4 and 20°C. Cell- ing that alpine and nival vegetation may be able free supernatants exhibited significantly higher (P to respond in a fast and flexible way in response < 0.01) protease and lipase activities at ≤ 10°C, or to 1–2°C warming. The analysis of the vegetation even at 4°C. In light of these findings, cold environ- succession on the forefield of the Sforzellina Gla- ments of Patagonia (Argentina) may be considered cier (Ortles-Cevedale Group) over the past three a potential source of cold-adapted yeasts produc- decades permit to quantify the impacts of climate ing industrially relevant cold-active enzymes. change on biotic components of high alpine eco- Contact: [email protected] systems, to verify that an acceleration was occur- ring on them during the last. Vegetation started to Vegetation patterns relating to rock glaciers, colonize surfaces deglaciated for only one year, surface instability, snow and climate change with a rate at least four times greater than that impacts reported in the literature for the establishment of Nicoletta Cannone (UNIFE) scattered individuals and about two times greater The patterns of vegetation colonization were in- for the well-established discontinuous early-suc- vestigated on several active and inactive rock gla- cessional community. The colonization strategy ciers of the Italian Central Alps, focussing on the changed: the first colonizers are early-succession- impact of surface disturbance (due to permafrost al, scree slopes, and perennial clonal species with creep within active rock glaciers) on singe plant high phenotypic plasticity rather than pioneer and species. The investigations on the relations be- snowbed species. tween vegetation and surface disturbance are un- Contact: [email protected] der investigation at Foscagno active and inactive rock glacier, where the monitoring of vegetation Alpine debris-covered glaciers as a habitat for and surface movement is going on since 4 years. plant life At the same site (Foscagno Valley) since three years Marco Caccianiga (UNIMI-DB), Guglielmina seventy plots were installed and monitored for the Diolaiuti, Claudia Mihalcea, Carlo D’Agata, analysis and monitoring of snow cover distribution Claudio Smiraglia (UNIMI-DST) and permanence and for the assessment and mon- The project was developed in the frame of the itoring of the phenology of 20 target high alpine 2005 COFIN-PRIN Project plant species in response to snow and climate Debris-covered glaciers represent a signifi- The impacts of climate change on vegeta- cant, increasing fraction of the worldwide glaciers tion in the last 50 years were analyzed at Stelvio which could support the development of plant life Pass. At this site vegetation changes were quan- at their debris-covered surface. The research was tified comparing through GIS a phytosociologi- carried out on the Miage Debris Covered Glacier cal map drawn in 2003 and a phytosociological (Mont Blanc massif, Western Alps, Italy). The goal map drawn in 1955. Above 2500 m, vegetation of this project was to evaluate the role of supragla- coverage exhibited unexpected patterns of regres- cial debris as a habitat for plant life in the Alps sion associated with increased precipitation and and to discuss the ecological and biogeographi- permafrost degradation. As these changes follow cal implications. Physical factors mostly influenc- a sharp increase in both summer and annual tem- ing the vascular plant distribution were evaluated peratures after 1980, we suggest that vegetation of and comparison of different plant cover occurring the alpine (2400–2800 m) and nival (above 2800 on debris-covered glaciers with that observed on m) belts respond in a fast and flexible way, contra- other alpine environments were performed. It re- dicting previous hypotheses that alpine and nival sulted that the glacier surface hosted a remarkable species appear to have a natural inertia and are biodiversity, with 40 vascular plant species, in- able to tolerate an increase of 1–2°C in mean air cluding trees and shrubs. The main physical factor temperature. Actually measurements of the CO2 affecting plant life was expressed by an altitude- fluxes were carried out during the growing season, glacier surface velocity gradient, while debris showing that vegetation changes induces a de- thickness of 10 cm could sustain plant growth. On crease of CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere the most stable areas, plant communities could be to the ecosystems (plants and soils) of 22ton CO2 . compared with those of glacier forelands of the Contact: [email protected] subalpine belt, but with the significant addition of

35 high altitude species. From our investigations it re- discharge and others characterized by boulders sults that debris-covered glaciers represent a rela- falling from the glacier front. The concentration tively favourable habitat for plant life if a sufficient of growth anomalies starting from 1984 probably degree of stability of the debris layer is given. In indicates a more intense glacial activity influenc- this case, they host specific plant species assem- ing the forest vegetation. The tree age spatial dis- blages and can act as a refuge of high altitude taxa tribution allows the reconstruction of periods of below their altitudinal limits. More in general de- major flood events and periods of relative stabil- bris covered ice areas, as medial moraines, could ity. Moreover, growth anomalies well fit with data act as vehicle of dispersal of alpine plant species, from supraglacial trees, attesting the possibility to and this could have been particularly important extract information about the debris covered gla- during past glacial periods. cier behaviour also from tree vegetation coloniz- Contact: [email protected] ing the proglacial environment. Following these encouraging results, dendroglaciological analysis Dendroglaciological analysis on debris-covered of tree rings sampled in the Karakorum region are glaciers in the Western Italian Alps now in progress. Manuela Pelfini (UNIMI-DST) Contact: [email protected] Dendroglaciological analysis of supraglacial trees represents an example of applied dendrogeomor- Tree vegetation responses to glacier retreat in the phological methods for reconstructing glacier var- alpine environment iations. Supraglacial trees react to ice and debris Manuela Pelfini, Giovanni Leonelli, Valentina movement, assuming typical shapes with modi- Garavaglia (UNIMI-DST) fied radial growth. Tree ring analysis on Larix de- In the Alps the glacial retreat is accompanied by cidua Mill., located on the Miage glacier tongue a fragmentation of ice masses into glaciers of re- (M. Blanc massif, Aosta valley) allowed to recon- duced extension, by an increase in supraglacial struct the recent glacier surface movements and debris coverage and by enlargements and recol- to detect the passage of the last kinematic wave. onization of proglacial areas by vegetation. Re- Different growth anomalies (e.g. pointer years, searches on recently deglaciated areas in Central compression wood, abrupt growth changes) were and Western Italian Alps allow to investigate the identified and dated. Reference chronologies ecesis time (estimation of the elapsed time be- based on undisturbed larches growing outside tween deglaciation and the germination of the the glacier were constructed for comparison with first tree). On the Forni Glacier (Ortles-Cevedale tree-ring data from supraglacial trees. The simulta- Group) the tree vegetation colonizing the glacier neous presence of different disturbance indicators forefield has been studied in order to evaluate the occurred mainly between 1984 and 1990 on the colonization rate in relation to global warming. southern lobe and during the period 1989–93 on Norway spruces present an average ecesis value the northern glacier lobe. These results resulted to between 52 years and 30 years if related to the fit with glaciological data documenting volume glacier front position in 1998. Also the sampled and surface-level variations in the same period. larches present an average and minimum ecesis Surface glacier velocity controls the time life with trends similar to the Norway spruces. The span of supraglacial trees interrupting their func- first one varies between 58 and 25 years, the latter tion of proxy glaciological data recorder. New between 48 and 20. Even if the ecesis rate can be researches are in progress on Belvedere Glacier affected by some errors in estimation, a reduction (M. Rosa massif), where a small tree layer com- in ecesis time from the Little Ice Age maximum posed by very young specimens is present. and the present time seems evident. Analogous Contact: [email protected] researches are in progress on the Verra Glacier (Aosta Valley) where the minimum ecesis presents Glacial stream activity in debris covered glaciers values higher than the Forni Glacier. Also in this proglacial areas in the Western Italian Alps and study area an acceleration in the glacier forefield in Extra-European chains has been identified. Manuela Pelfini, Valentina Garavaglia (UNIMI- Contact: [email protected] DST) Tree vegetation growing in the proglacial areas is Tree rings and glacier mass balance suitable for hydrological information and for the Giovanni Leonelli, Manuela Pelfini (UNIMI), correlation with surface glacier movements. Re- Paolo Cherubini (WSL) search carried out on the Miage Glacier (Mount Tree rings and glacier mass balance are two high- Blanc Massif) indicated the continuous remobi- ly sensitive climatic proxies which are often used lization of the debris by the glacial stream flow as indicators of changes involving the biological and the consequent influence on tree growth and physical components of high-altitude ecosys- rate. Dating scars, compression wood and sudden tems. Global warming and the stronger regional growth releases or reductions it has been possible temperature trends recently recorded over the to identify the areas directly affected by glacial European Alps have triggered several biological 36 and physical dynamics in high-altitude environ- avalanche simulation in time. The regional approach ments. Tree-ring data have been widely used for allow improved prediction of avalanche hazard via temperature reconstructions and sporadically for the presently adopted methods, and as well increase reconstructing past glacier mass balance. How- our knowledge of avalanche phenomena, e.g. for ever, these reconstructions are based on the uni- study of their ecological and morphological effects. formitarian principle, which assumes that the re- Contact: [email protected] lationships found for the recent past remain stable Improved methods for avalanche hazard over time. We found that tree rings and glaciers assessment in Switzerland from the same alpine region recently changed Daniele Bocchiola, Emanuela Bianchi Janetti, Elisa their sensitivity to air temperature over time (the Gorni (POLIMI-DIIAR), Betty Sovilla, Christhoph climatic factor to which they are mostly linked), Marty (SLF) and also responded non-proportionally to tem- The currently adopted approach for avalanche perature extremes. Both ring-width chronologies hazard mapping in Switzerland includes ava- and the mass-balance series of some glaciers from lanche dynamics modelling coupled with statisti- the same region have shown an increasing sen- cal analysis of the greatest annual three-day snow sitivity to summer (JJA) temperatures. Our results fall depth, H72, used as a proxy data for the re- demonstrate that the sensitivity to climate of both lease depth. New advances in avalanche dynam- of tree-ring chronologies and glacier mass balance ics show that this approach can be improved using is not stable over time, posing some limitations to models with mass entrainment, requiring in turn a tree-ring based glacier mass balance reconstruc- statistical definition of the erodible snow cover. tion in the European Alps. Moreover, we found Also, definition of conditions of snowfall depth these reconstructions are more reliable for large based upon regional methods provides more ac- than for small glaciers (which are increasingly curate estimates as compared, on the one hand showing signs of downwasting and collapse due against single site estimation, and on the other to rapid warming rather than ‘retreat’) and may hand against country-wide valid maps as used not be able to reveal years of extreme ablation hitherto. Within this research line we developed that could have occurred in the past. a regional approach valid for the whole of Swit- Contact: [email protected] zerland based on index value to evaluate release depth and erodible snow cover for large return pe- SNOW AND AVALANCHES riods. The territory of Switzerland is divided into 7 climatologically homogenous regions. General Setup of regional methods for avalanche hazard extreme value distributions for the growth factors assessment in Northern Italy were developed valid within these seven regions, Daniele Bocchiola, Renzo Rosso, Michele together with index value estimation based upon Medagliani (POLIMI-DIIAR). altitude. We then used the snowfall so obtained Regional statistical methods have considerable bear- as input for avalanche hazard mapping using ing on the prediction of natural events with low fre- RAMMS, a 2D avalanche dynamics model includ- quency of occurrence, including snow avalanches ing snow entrainment. We studied a number of in mountain ranges. These methods trade the time reference study sites of the Swiss procedure. The variability of the involved variables for their spatial evaluation of the statistical uncertainties in the re- distribution and increase sample dimensionality for lease and erosion depth results in mapping proce- model estimation, so coping with shortness of usu- dure with well defined accuracy, greater than that ally available data base as compared to the high re- obtained using single site estimation. turn periods of the design events. In turn, regional Contact: [email protected] methods require accurate assessment of homogene- ous regions, where data pooling can be carried out Quick chemical–environmental snowpack profile confidently. In the Italian alpine range, the guide- in Italian mountains lines set out by AINEVA, and inspired to Swiss Pro- Massimo Pecci, Pinuccio D’Aquila (EIM), Mauro Valt, cedure, prescribe hazard mapping based on design Valter Cagnati, Tiziana Corso (ARPAV-CVA), Alfredo avalanches with release depth predicted using the 3 Praolini, Eraldo Meraldi, Flavio Berbenni (ARPAL- day snow depth H72, with return period up to 100 CNB), Giovanni Kappenberger (METEOSWISS), years. Considerable uncertainty is entailed in such Michele Freppaz, Paola Dellavedova, Gianluca prediction, mainly due to the average length of the Filippa (UNITO-DIVAPRA-LNSAUT) observed H72 series, of 20 years or so. Within this After 3 years of observations, experimental meas- research line, methods were introduced for regional urements, tests and technical–scientific debates, approach based on index value to predict H72 for started in winter 2005–06, over 700 measure- the case study area of Northern Italy, and then carry ments of pH and electrical conductivity were out hazard mapping based on the guidelines for elaborated in 2009 in order to provide a ‘photog- some case study sites. Also, regional methods were raphy’ of the state of the environmental quality of used to setup methods for performing continuous the Alps and Apennines, though being extremely 37 simplified and localized. All that has led to con- EURAC Accademia Europea Bozen/Bolzano sidering snow ‘in trench’ an environmental frame- FLA Fondazione Lombardia per L’Ambiente, work that needs to be analyzed in depth and kept Milano under control, also in the perspective of an ‘envi- FMS- Fondazione Montagna Sicura-Cabina di ronmental early warning’ and in a more effective CRGV Regia dei Ghiacciai Valdostani, Cour- evaluation of the water resources quality. mayeur Contact: [email protected] GEUS Nationale Geologiske Undersøgelser for Danmark og Grønland IMAGEO IMAGEO s.r.l., Torino ABBREVIATIONS IMAU Institute for Marine and Atmospheric AINEVA Associazione Italiana Neve e Valanghe Research University of Utrecht. ARPAV- Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione INGV Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e CVA dell’Ambiente del Veneto – Centro Vulcanologia, Roma Valanghe, Arabba INN.TEC. Innovation Technology Consortium, ARPA-VdA Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Brescia dell’Ambiente della Valle d’Aosta IREALP Istituto per L’Economia e L’Ecologia ARPAL- Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Applicate alle Aree Alpine (Regione CNB dell’Ambiente della Lombardia – Centro Lombardia, Milano) Nivometeorologico, Bormio LGGE Laboratoire de Glaciologie et BAS Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Géophysique de l’Environnement, Humanities, Munich, Germany Grenoble, France CAI Club Alpino Italiano METEO Meteo Swiss, Switzerland CBS Centraal Bureau voor Schimmelcultures, SWISS The Netherlands MTSN Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, CESI Centro Elettrotecnico Sperimentale Trento Italiano, Milano NERC Natural Environment Research Council, CGI Comitato Glaciologico Italiano, Torino UK CGT-SAT Comitato Glaciologico Trentino – OSU Ohio State University, USA Società Alpinisti Tridentini, Trento PAB-UG Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano– CKNP Central Karakoram National Park Sudtyrol–Ufficio Geologico CNR-IREA Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – PAB-UI Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano– Istituto per il Rilevamento Elettro­ Sudtyrol–Ufficio Idrografico magnetico dell’Ambiente, Milano PAT-M Provincia Autonoma di Trento– CNR-IRPI Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Meteotrentino Istituto per la Protezione Idrogeologica PAT-SG Provincia Autonoma di Trento – Servizio del Bacino Padano, Torino Geologico CNR-IRSA Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – PMS Pakistan Meteorological Service Istituto per la Ricerca sulle Acque, PNGP Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso Milano PRGS Parco Regionale Grigna Settentrionale CNR-ISAC Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – POLIMI- Politecnico di Milano – Dipartimento Istituto di Scienze dell’Atmosfera e del DIIAR di Ingegneria Idraulica, Ambientale, Clima, Bologna Infrastrutture viarie, e Rilevamento CNR- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – POLITO Politecnico di Torino ISMAR Istituto di Scienze Marine, Venezia POLITO- Politecnico di Torino, Dipartimento CNR-ITIM Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – DITAG di Ingegneria del Territorio, Istituto per le Tecnologie Informatiche dell’Ambiente e delle Geotecnologie Multimediali, Milano RL–IIT Regione Lombardia – Infrastruttura per CRUB Centro Regional Universitario, l’Informazione Territoriale Bariloche, Argentina SAT Società Alpinisti Tridentini, Trento CRUI Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università SG-CAIAA Servizio Glaciologico Club Alpino Italiane Italiano Alto Adige, Bolzano EIM Ente Italiano per la Montagna, Roma SGL Servizio Glaciologico Lombardo, ENEA Agenzia Nazionale Nuove Tecnologie, Milano Energia e Sviluppo Economico SLF Institut für Schnee und Lawinen­ Sostenibile, Roma forschung, Davos, Switzerland EvK2CNR EvK2CNR -URT del Consiglio Nazion- SIAT Società Impianti Adamello Tonale ale delle Ricerche (CNR) e Associazione SMI Società Meteorologica Italiana, Torino ‘Comitato EvK2CNR’, Bergamo TRI Trimble Italia TUM Technical University of Munich, Germany. 38 UIO-DG University of Oslo, Norway, Department UNIPD- Università di Padova – Dipartimento of Geosciences TeSAF Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali UNE-SBS University of New England, Australia – UNIPG- Università di Perugia – Dipartimento di School of Biological Sciences DBA Biologia Applicata UNIB University of Bern, Switzerland UNIPI-DST Università di Pisa – Dipartimento di UNIBO- Università di Bologna – Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra DISTART Strutture, Trasporti, Acque, Rilevamento, UNIPV- Università degli Studi di Pavia – Territorio DST Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra UNIBO- Università di Bologna – Dipartimento di UNITO Università di Torino DPS Scienze Farmacologiche UNITO- Università di Torino – Dipartimento di UNIBS- Università di Brescia – Dipartimento di DIVAPRA- Valorizzazione e Protezione delle DICATA Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio, LNSAUT Risorse Agroforestali, Laboratorio Neve Ambiente e Suoli Alpini UNIBU University of Bucarest, Romania UNITO- Università di Torino – Dipartimento di UNICH- Università di Chieti-Dipartimento di DST Scienze della Terra DST Scienze della Terra UNITO- Università di Torino – Geositlab Gis and UNIDUN- University of Dundee, School of Social GSL Geomatics Laboratory SSES and Environmental Sciences, UK UNITN- Università di Trento – Dipartimento di UNIFE Università di Ferrara DIA Ingegneria Ambientale UNIFI-DC Università di Firenze – Dipartimento di UNITS Università di Trieste Chimica UNIUD- Università di Udine - Dipartimento di UNIGE- Università di Genova – Dipartimento DSAA Scienze Agricole e Ambientali DIPTERIS per lo Studio del Territorio e sue Risorse UNIVE Università di Venezia UNIMIB Università di Milano Bicocca UNIVI University of Vienna, Austria UNIMI- Università di Milano – Dipartimento di USN The University in Svalbard, Norway DST Scienze della Terra UZH-DG University of Zurich, Department of UNIMI-DB Università di Milano – Dipartimento di Geography, Switzerland Biologia WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow UNIMORE- Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia – and Landscape, Birmensdorf, DC Dipartimento di Chimica Switzerland UNINN- University of Innsbruck – Institute of IG Geography, Austria UNINN- University of Innsbruck – Institute of IMG Meteorology and Geophysics, Austria UNINS Università dell’Insubria, Varese UNIPD- Università di Padova – Dipartimento di Geografia Claudio Smiraglia and Guglielmina Diolaiuti

39 International Glaciological Society

JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY

Papers accepted for publication between 3 December 2009 and 31 March 2010. The papers are listed in alphabetical order by first author. Some of these papers have already been published.

Kelly M. Brunt, Matt A. King, Helen Amanda Liu Qiao, Liu Shiyin, Zhang Yong, Wang Xin, Fricker, Douglas R. MacAyeal Zhang Yingsong, Guo Wanqin, Xu Junli Flow of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, is modulated Recent shrinkage and hydrological response of by the ocean tide Hailuogou glacier, a monsoon temperate glacier on the east slope of Mount Gongga, China Caidong Caidong, Asgeir Sorteberg Modelled mass balance of Xibu Glacier, Tibetan Sebastian H. Mernild Glen E. Liston Plateau: sensitivity to climatic change Konrad Steffen Petr Chylek Meltwater flux and runoff modeling in the ablation Helen Amanda Fricker, Ted Scambos, Sasha area of Jakobshavn Isbræ, West Greenland Carter, Curt Davis, Terry Haran, Ian Joughin Synthesizing multiple remote-sensing techniques M. Montagnat, J. Weiss, B. Cinquin-Lapierre, for subglacial hydrologic mapping: application to P.A. Labory, L. Moreau, F. Damilano, D. Lavigne a lake system beneath MacAyeal Ice Stream, West Waterfall ice: formation, structure and evolution Antarctica Tsutomu Nakamura, Osamu Abe, K. Grunewald, J. Scheithauer Ryuhei Hashimoto, Takeshi Ohta Europe’s southernmost glaciers: response and Dynamic method to measure the shear strength adaptation to climate change of snow Alessio Gusmeroli, Roger A. Clark, Tavi Murray, Daiki Nomura, Hisayuki Yoshikawa-Inoue, Adam D. Booth, Bernd Kulessa, Brian E. Barrett Takenobu Toyota, Kunio Shirasawa Seismic wave attenuation in the uppermost Effects of snow, snowmelting and refreezing glacier-ice of Storglaciären, Sweden processes on air–sea-ice CO2 flux Han Haidong, Wang Jian, Wei Junfeng, Liu Shiyin Jaime Otero, Francisco J. Navarro, Carlos Martin, Backwasting rate on debris-covered Koxkar Maria L. Cuadrado, Maria I. Corcuera Glacier, Tuomuer mountain, China A three-dimensional calving model: numerical experiments on Johnsons Glacier, Livingston Andy Hodson, Karen Cameron, Carl Bøggild, Island, Antarctica Tristram Irvine-Fynn, Harry Langford, Dave Pearce, Steven Banwart Patrick Riesen, Shin Sugiyama, Martin Funk The structure, biological activity and biogeo­ The influence of the presence and drainage of an chemistry of cryoconite aggregates upon an Arctic ice-marginal lake on the ice flow of Gornergletscher, valley glacier: Longyearbreen, Svalbard Switzerland Tristram D.L. Irvine-Fynn, Jonathan W. Bridge, Sam Roberson, Bryn Hubbard Andrew J. Hodson Application of borehole optical televiewing Rapid quantification of cryoconite: granule to investigating the 3-D structure of glaciers: geometry and in situ supraglacial extents, using implications for the formation of longitudinal examples from Svalbard and Greenland debris ridges, midre Lovénbreen, Svalbard Anne-Marie Kietzig, Savvas G Hatzikiriakos, David E. Shean, David R. Marchant Peter Englezos Seismic and GPR surveys of Mullins Glacier, Ice friction: the effect of thermal conductivity McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: ice thickness, internal structure, and implications for surface- Matt A. King, Tavi Murray, Andy M. Smith ridge formation Non-linear responses of Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica, to semi-diurnal and diurnal tidal forcing

40 Bert de Smedt, Frank Pattyn, Pieter de Groen Kai Ueltzhöffer, Verena Bendel, Johannes Freitag, Using the unstable manifold correction in a Picard Sepp Kipfstuhl, Dietmar Wagenbach, Sérgio H. iteration to solve the velocity field in higher-order Faria, Christoph S. Garbe ice-flow models Distribution of air bubbles in the EDML and EDC ice cores from a new method of automatic image Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, analysis Edwin D. Waddington, Michelle R. Koutnik Formulating an inverse problem to infer the Ioanna Vlahou, M. Grae Worster accumulation-rate pattern from deep internal Ice growth in a spherical cavity of a porous layering in an ice sheet using a Monte Carlo medium approach Jiahong Wen, Yafeng Wang, Weili Wang, Ken D. Tape, Nick Rutter, Hans-Peter Marshall, K.C. Jezek, Hongxing Liu, I. Allison Richard Essery, Matthew Sturm Basal melting and freezing under the Amery Ice Recording microscale variations in snowpack Shelf, East Antarctica layering using near-infrared photography

ANNALS OF GLACIOLOGY 51(54)

The folowing papers have been selected for publication in Annals of Glaciology 51(54) (thematic issue on Snow and Avalanches), edited by Perry Bartelt and Jürg Schweizer

Agraj Upadhyay, Amod Kumar, Arun Chaudhary Prem Datt, P.K. Srivastava, G.K. Sood, Velocity measurements of wet snow avalanche on P.K. Satyawali the Dhundi snow chute Estimation of equivalent permeability of snowpack using a snowmelt lysimeter at Patsio, northwest Marc Christen, Perry Bartelt, Julia Kowalski Himalaya Back calculation of the In den Arelen avalanche with RAMMS: interpretation of model results Ashok K. Keshari, Deba P. Satapathy, Amod Kumar J.C. Kapil, Anupam Kumar, P S Negi The influence of vertical density and velocity Measurements of mid-winter spatial distribution distributions on snow avalanche runout of meltwater saturation Annals 51(54) is now complete and has been P. Mahajan, R. Kalakuntla, C. Chandel published Numerical simulation of failure in a layered thin snowpack under skier load

ANNALS OF GLACIOLOGY 51(55)

The folowing paper has been selected for publication in Annals of Glaciology 51(55) (thematic issue on Glaciology in the International Polar Year), edited by G. Hilmar Gudmundsson

Kelly M. Brunt, Helen A. Fricker, Laurie Padman, Annals 51(55) is now complete and has been Ted A. Scambos, Shad O’Neel published Mapping the grounding zone of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, using ICESat laser altimetry

41 REPORT FROM THE Nordic branch meeting Höfn i Hornafjörður, east Iceland

The Nordic branch IGS meeting was held for the The meeting continued during Friday and we first time in Iceland on 29–30 October, followed learned about the various projects in Norway, by a excursion to the outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull Svalbard, Iceland and other places where there is on the way back to Reykjavík. The meeting was still ice, and mass balance records were presented held on the east coast of Iceland, where the view that gave a rather bad outlook for the future of the to Vatnajökull and its outlet glaciers is fantastic glaciers. The lunch was given by the local hosts and the closeness to the glacier is amazing – if and we were treated to a wonderful meat soup only the fog would lift and reveal it. The first two served the Icelandic way, with a cultural event or- days we had to do with the pictures the local peo- ganized by the local organizer. A short but most ple projected onto the walls to compensate for the interesting programme of the male choir Jökull bad visibility and believe their account of how culminated when Glacier sang the song Glacier, great the views are. The weather improved, how- for the glaciologists. The day ended with a poster ever, and during the excursion we were given the session with a number of interesting posters pre- chance to confirm the stories and see the views sented in the library of Nýheimar, the new build- with our own eyes. ing in Höfn where the meeting was held. On Thursday morning everybody was flown Singing continued to be a theme of the meet- from Reykjavík to Höfn in a small aircraft and, ing. During the dinner all the countries repre- had the conditions been good, we would have got sented provided an insight in the singing culture a fantastic view over the glaciers in southern Ice- of each country. The Finns sang a drinking song, land, but it was not granted this time. The meeting the French invited us to Paris and a stroll along started in the afternoon, after registration, with the the Champs Elysées, the Dutch …sang ein, zwei, report from the IGS Secretary General who con- drei (can you remember?) and the sole Brit stood vinced us that the production time of the Journal up and toasted everybody, the Norwegians gave a and Annals has reduced so much that there is no indoor ski performance, and the solitary Chileno excuse any longer not to submit papers to them. sang a song about a broken Latin heart, and we This was followed by a comprehensive talk by even got a special vallon song from the Belgian Finnur Pálsson about the evolution of of Vatna- participants, who managed also to team up with jökull ice cap from the settlement of the island. the Dutch and French (but skipped the Swedes al- Two full sessions on various interesting topics fol- though he was sponsored by them....). No wonder lowed before the meeting was treated to an excel- the EU selected a Belgian as president a few weeks lent photo exhibition by Oddur Sigurðsson, who later! The food was wonderful, left-over fish with vividly told us interesting things about the glaciers bread made from left-over Danish pastries in the in Iceland. The day ended with an icebreaker at form of rye bread and then the main dish was the the Glacier Museum in Höfn, where a very inter- ugly fish lobster, which has not been considered esting exhibition was presented. human food until very recently (to quote Magnús

Fig. 1 En-route to the new lake in front of Fig. 2 Meeting participants at the margin of Hoffellsjökull, an outlet glacier from Vatnajökull Hoffellsjökull. The glacier has retreated in recent ice cap near Höfn. years forming a new lake at the terminus.

42 had beautiful pictures of the glacier environment around Höfn and discussed the Glacier blues. Generous and loud applause thanked Þorvarður for his exposé – only drowned out by a cough at- tack from our beloved Secretary General, who had apparently joined the party the day before. The day was then completed by a half-day excursion to two glaciers, Hoffellsjökull and SV, and an ice cream producer. We were also warmly welcomed by the local farmer, who produced coffee and cake on the rock as well as mysterious meat pieces that the farmer had made himself from a secret recipe. The taste was interesting, a cross between beef jerky Fig. 3 National Park Superintendent Regína and bacon – which turned out to be boiled and Hreinsdóttir lectures about Skaftafell National Park dried horsemeat, a very tasty local delicacy. Jump- to meeting participants. Model of the vicinity in ing onto ice floes, or more correctly single pieces the foreground and Öræfajökull central volcano of dead ice on the fore field of Flájökull, was one and glacier in the background. of the attractions of the excursion – who was to be the first in the proglacial lake? Tomas and Jon Ove Már, in the old days people on farms around the led the way (you remember who fell in??). village even had in their contract that they did not The meeting was a great success and we are have to eat lobster more than six days a week!). very grateful for the local organizers for giving us Saturday was spent half in the lecture hall, such a great time on the east coast of Iceland, the where we got the final dose of information, about food was good and the entertaining excellent. We tefra from subglacial volcanoes, deglaciation his- thank Tómas Jóhannesson, Sverrir Guðmundsson, tory and numerical simulations of both retreating Hrafnhildur Hannesdóttir, Eyjólfur Magnússon, glaciers and collapsing ice bricks. Some of the Finnur Pálsson and the local host Þorvarður Árna- participants had caught a cold, perhaps from the son for a very generous and successful IGS Nordic rather wet party the day before (the rain poured branch meeting 2009. down all that day), and coughs and sneezes were sometimes loud in the hall. The final presentation Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir was given by our host, Þorvarður Árnason, who Veijo Pohjola

Notes from the Production Team

Submissions Facebook and Twitter We’re delighted that the average time between If you are on Facebook, please join our group Friends original submission and publication is at an all of the International Glaciological Society (http://www. time low in the Journal and that, at this point in facebook.com/group.php?gid=161647451062). the year (March 2010), we’ve received more sub- We are trying to instigate some lively forums and missions than we did at the equivalent point in discussions on glaciological matters, but so far, 2009 (itself a record-breaking year). although to date we have 87 friends, only Craig, It would be a great help, and speed up our time Magnus, Sukie and myself have posted any com- from submission to acceptance further, if we could ments. Please give us your thoughts! For those of reduce the number of papers we receive written you on Twitter, Craig has also begun tweeting at in unintelligible English! So if you are worried that www.twitter.com/igsoc. your command of written English is not very good, please ask a friend or colleague with excellent Eng- lish skills to check your paper before submission. Alternatively, we can give you details of profes- sional copy editors who will be able to help. Christine Butler

43 Meetings of other societies

Northwest Glaciologists Meeting 2009

On Friday 23 October many of the glaciologists of the Pacific Northwest were meeting at Vancou- ver’s University of British Columbia for the annual meeting of the Northwest Glaciologists. During two wonderful days we had the opportunity to hear about research progress in a great variety of topics and once more I was reminded why this remains my favorite scientific meeting. In tradi- tional fashion the meeting participants showed up without abstract submission, so the program had to be assembled on the fly. Despite the fact that this is explicitly not a branch meeting of the IGS, we were very happy to welcome the esteemed Secretary General of the IGS, Magnús Magnús- Fig. 2 Those University of Washington students son. He opened the meeting by showing various are all the same – they can never be serious graphs of journal publications and membership whether in or out of class. numbers. The Journal of Glaciology appears very healthy and in a remarkable turnaround has be- even her own student would adhere to the new come one of the fastest publications in the field. recommendations. Magnús presented a very thorough analysis and MacDougall then continued by explaining even pointed out the effects of the Chief Editor’s some methods to extrapolate local mass balance summer vacation! Membership numbers are re- measurements to the regional level. This was fol- maining lower than desired, however, and eve- lowed with talks by Borstad and MacClung on rybody was encouraged to join the society. These fracture mechanisms in avalanches. After coffee opening remarks were followed by an introduc- break the attention shifted back to glaciers. Pfef- tion to a new Glossary of Mass Balance Terms by fer gave a nice overview of all recent assessments one of its authors, Regine Hock. She reminded us of the cryosphere’s contribution to sea level rise that mass balance terms were often used in con- and projections for the next decade. Current fusing and different ways. This immediately sent change and projections for the next few decades the IGS Secretary General off to a peaceful sleep. are still dominated by mountain glaciers and ice The glossary is still at the revision stage, so the caps, but Greenland is contributing at the same precise use of mass balance, specific balance, etc, order of magnitude and Antarctica is no longer a had not caught on yet, and in what followed, not

Fig. 3 Charlie Raymond came out of retirement Fig. 1 The standard of the presentations was, as to attend the NWG meeting and to see some of always, very high. his old students, such as Neil Humphrey. 44 Fig. 4a The NWG meeting attracts a lot of interesting people.... negligible component of eustatic sea level rise. Fig. 4b ... Some come from far away, like Tad Obviously, all components have to be monitored Pfeffer from Boulder. and studied closely. As an example, Menounos presented work from co-author Berthier showing with the hope of expanding this to other calving large changes in Alaska and neighboring Canada glaciers. Bartholomaus introduced a new project by analyzing digital elevation models produced of motion, seismicity and calving at the Alaskan from satellite imagery. Garry Clarke spoiled our Yahtse Glacier. Picking up on the theme of mode- picture of white landscapes and reminded us that ling again, Andy Aschwanden presented his work glaciers are often quite dirty, which has a pro- on an enthalpy formulation for polythermal gla- found effect on their mass balance. He showed ciers that avoids having to track a free boundary some ideas on how to incorporate this into glacier between cold and temperate ice. After a coffee models. The topic then shifted rather abruptly to break, Matsuoka presented some insights into ra- microbiology and Lanoil showed some evidence dar wave attenuation in ice and some of the cave- for life in subglacial environments. The morning ats in trying to distinguish wet from frozen beds was rounded out by a presentation from Miles. using radar returns. Dan Shugar picked up on the He does environmental consulting and showed subject of dirty glaciers by looking at the evolu- many examples of changes in stream flow and tion of Black Rapids Glacier, which was covered sediment discharge caused by glacier change. in landslides during the 2002 Denali Fault earth- It was a nice reminder that the most immediate quake. Florentine talked about rock glaciers and effect of glacier change is usually not sea level the potential to extract paleoclimate informa- rise, but the geomorphological and hydrological tion from them. The day closed with Campbell’s changes in glaciated basins. presentation of the changes at Crane Glacier and After lunch, Piementel showed how to in- other glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. clude hydrology into a higher order ice flow model. This was followed by Tsai’s presentation of a fracture model for the rapid drainage of a supraglacial lake. McNabb presented a simple model for volume changes on Columbia Glacier,

Fig. 6 The meeting is an excellent opportunity to sit down to some face to face (computer) Fig. 5 When Gwenn talks, the world listens. discussions. 45 Fudge was analyzing radar layers to infer past ice flow at Thwaites Glacier and Winberry presented a model for tidally induced seismicity that implies that the stagnant Kamb Ice Stream is still subject to very high basal water pressure. After coffee break Truffer talked about season- ality in ocean temperatures and its effect on ice calving and proposed the term ‘calving season’ for the Mass Balance Glossary. Pettit talked about screaming infant bubbles breaking away from their icy confinements as she took on the novel subject of underwater acoustics near tidewater glaciers. The next two talks by Kennedy and Cairns were about the development of ice fabric in the snow and firn pack and in the interior of the ice sheets. Fig. 7 The bar staff at the dinner held at Garry Finally, Poinar presented a combined thermal and and Julia’s house. flow model to deduce both thickness of temperate layers and the magnitude of basal motion. Everybody’s favorite part of Northwest Glaci­ The afternoon was opened by Humphrey who ologists is the Friday party, which was again gra- presented fascinating year-round measurements of ciously hosted by Julie Cruikshank and Garry temperature in the upper 10 m of firn in Green- Clarke. Good food and wine and plenty of op- land with evidence for water motion and refreez- portunity for catching up with old friends rounded ing at all times of the year and at depths of more out a fine day. than 10 m. Jiskoot and her graduate student Juhlin Despite the previous night’s party, people were presented an inventory of glaciers in Central East off to a feisty start on Saturday morning. Jarosch Greenland, which represents a large volume of ice had us all convinced that glacier dynamics really that is not connected to the ice sheet proper. Dadic do matter, but he had most of us confused as to pointed out that there is a lack of good distributed how he actually showed this. Things were clari- accumulation models and proceeded to present fied after heated discussion. Burke then followed one that was field tested on Haut Glacier d’Arolla. by talking about climate glacier interactions and Anslow presented a model of regional glacier claiming that glacier reaction to random fluctua- change in Western Canada on the centennial time tions in climate can be very large. The attention scale. Koutnik gave a nice overview of the use of subsequently shifted back to Antarctica where inverse methods in glaciology, together with the many opportunities and pitfalls of such methods. The meeting was closed by Lundstrom who ven- tured into glacial geology and talked about tunnel valleys under the Laurentide Icesheet. Approximately 50 people attended the meet- ing, of which 34 elected to give talks. This left plenty of time for questions and discussion. A majority of the talks was given by graduate stu- dents or very recent post-graduates, while many of the ‘old-timers’, such as Charlie Raymond, Ed Waddington, and Bernhard Hallet, chose to listen and offer good advice. This has been a typical and welcome feature of many NWG meetings. The organizing committee under the able leadership of Gwenn Flowers deserves many thanks and so do Julie Cruikshank and Garry Clarke for hosting the wonderful party. The tradition of the Northwest Glaciologists Meeting will continue in Fairbanks, Alaska, next year and we hope to welcome many of you up here.

Fig. 8 Clarke cuts the meat with the same dedication he gives to all his projects. Martin Truffer 46 INTERNATIONAL GLACIOLOGICAL SOCIETY International symposium ON sNOW, ICE AND HUMANITY IN A CHANGING CLIMATE Sapporo, Japan 21–25 June 2010

CO-SPONSORED BY:

Japanese Society of Snow and Ice

SECOND CIRCULAR

December 2009

http://www.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/IGS-Sapporo/

Registered Charity 47 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM on Snow, Ice 5. Paleoclimate and paleoenvironment, inclu­ and Humanity in a Changing Climate ding: Ice core records, Past glaciation, Glaci­ The International Glaciological Society will lacustrine and glacimarine deposits, Subglacial hold an International Symposium on Snow, Ice and proglacial sediment-landform record and Humanity in a Changing Climate in 2010. 6. Prediction of changes in the cryosphere, The symposium will be held from 21–25 June in including: Arctic sea ice, Area and property of Sapporo, Japan. snow cover, Glacier advance and retreat, Sea- Theme level change Snow and ice in the natural environment are fac- Sessions ing drastic changes under the influence of rapidly Oral sessions are scheduled on four days from changing global and regional climates. Since snow Monday to Friday (except for Wednesday, which is and ice play crucial roles in cold regions, such allocated for an excursion). Each oral presentation changes have substantial impacts on human socie- should last 20 minutes, including 5 minutes for ques- ties and activities. For example, the amount of snow- tions and discussion. Poster sessions are planned on fall and the duration of seasonal snow cover have Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The room for the been affected in many places, with consequences poster sessions will be open from Monday to Thurs- for the water resources and avalanche risks. Thaw- day and posters may be displayed for approximately ing permafrost causes destruction of infrastructure, two days. Rooms are available during the symposi- and formation of glacier-dammed lakes poses po- um period for participants who wish to arrange small tential hazards in mountainous regions. On the meetings. Please contact the local organizers (igs@ other hand, reduction of the summer sea ice extent lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp) in advance to book a room in the Arctic creates new possibilities to use open for your meeting. water as a sea route for commercial vessels. This symposium focuses on recent changes in Thematic publication the cryospheric components (snow, glaciers, ice The Council of the IGS has decided to dedicate sheets, permafrost, sea ice, lake ice, river ice) with an issue of the Annals of Glaciology to the theme respect to their influences on humanity. We invite ‘Snow, Ice and Humanity in a Changing Climate’. contributions related to this subject in a broad A first call for papers will be made in January 2010. sense, including ground-based observations, re- Paper submission is open to anyone provided the mote sensing, laboratory experiments, numeri- topic of the paper is consistent with the theme of the cal modelling, data compilations and analyses, Annals issue. Deadline for manuscript submission is risk management and social impact assessment. 10 May 2010. Papers should be submitted through Topics are not restricted to present-day issues, the IGS system and will be refereed according to the but also open for paleo-environmental records as Society’s normal standards before a publication de- they are important for understanding the present cision is made. Every effort will be made to complete and predicting the future. The conference will the reviews before the symposium so the associate bring together researchers engaged in different editor and authors can discuss revisions during the fields of cryospheric science in order to discuss symposium week. When submitting abstracts to the interactions of snow and ice with humanity in the symposium, you will be asked to indicate whether past, present and future. you intend to submit a paper for the Annals issue, so that reviewers may be sought in advance. Papers Topics submitted for consideration in the Annals issue must The suggested topics include: comply with the normal submission criteria of IGS 1. Land ice and snow, including: Snow cover, publications. Glaciers, Ice sheets, Permafrost, Snow and gla- cier melt Abstracts Participants who would like to contribute to the 2. Ice and snow in the hydrosphere, including: Symposium should submit an abstract of their pro- Sea ice, Ice shelves, Icebergs, River and lake posed presentation. This abstract must contain suf- ice ficient details, scientific merit and relevance to the 3. Hazards and social problems related to snow symposium theme to be evaluated by the Scientific and ice, including: Snow avalanches, Glacier- Steering Committee. The abstract should be less dammed lake outbursts, Permafrost thawing, than 400 words with no references or illustrations. Snow and ice accretion, Blowing snow, Snow Please submit your abstract and relevant informa- removal tion online from the IGS or conference website. Au- thors may indicate a preference for an oral or poster 4. Use of snow and ice, including: Snow air presentation, although the number of oral presen- conditioning, Tourism, Teaching materials, tations is limited by time. Those unable to submit Recreation their abstract online can send electronic files to 48 the IGS office where a member of staff will upload Social programme them onto the website. The icebreaker reception will be on the evening of 20 June (Sun) after registration at Faculty House DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ‘Enreiso’ in the university campus. The excursion ABSTRACTS IS 5 MARCH 2010 will be organized on 23 June (Wed). There will be Each abstract will be assessed on its scien- a one day excursion to the natural and cultural tific quality and relevance to the symposium sights of Sapporo and its vicinity. Details will be theme. Corresponding authors will be notified by updated on the conference website. The sympo- 26 March 2010 regarding abstract acceptance. sium dinner will be held on 24 June (Thu) evening Please contact the IGS office if you do not re- at ‘The Sapporo Beer Garden’ located in a former ceive the notification by this date. The accepted factory of Sapporo Brewery. More information abstracts will be compiled into a booklet which will be listed on the conference website. will be provided to participants upon registration Venue on 20 June 2010. The symposium will be held at Hokkaido Uni- Participation versity in Sapporo. Sapporo is the capital city Online registration through the IGS system is en- of Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of couraged. A link to the site will be available on the Japan, and is well known for its snowy winter, IGS and conference websites once the registration with a cumulative snowfall of more than 5 me- is open. For those who wish to register by post or tres. There is no other city in the world with a FAX, a registration form is attached to this circular. population of nearly 2 million that accumulates Registration and the accompanying payment are this amount of snow. The university campus is due on 23 April 2010. There is a surcharge of £50 located close to the heart of the city. The venue for later registration. The participant’s registration of the symposium is the University Conference fee includes organization costs, a set of abstracts, Hall, 10 minutes walk from Sapporo’s main rail- the ice breaker, coffee breaks, mid-week excur- way station and within easy reach of the city sion, the symposium dinner and an issue of the centre. June is a wonderful season to visit the Annals of Glaciology. region. The city is filled with fresh green along with a feast of flowers and the climate is ideal Registration fees for enjoying outdoor activities. Daily minimum All fees are in Pounds Sterling, GBP and maximum temperatures in June are 12 and Participant (IGS member) £400 21°C, respectively. Hokkaido escapes the rainy Participant (non-member) £479 season, which lasts from June to July in the other Student or retired IGS member £200 regions of Japan. Further information on Sapporo Accompanying person (18+) £200 is available at http://www.welcome.city.sapporo. Accompanying person (12–17) £160 jp/english/. Late registration surcharge £ 5 0 Travel to Sapporo (after 23 April 2010) Sapporo’s main airport is New Chitose Airport, which Registration by mail is connected to the city centre by JR (Japan Railways Though we strongly prefer registration through the Company) airport express train. The train runs about website, it can also be done by filling in and re- every 15 minutes, takes about 40 minutes and costs turning the back page of this circular. If payment 1,040 yen (one way). JAL (Japan Air Lines), ANA (All by credit card is not possible, contact the IGS of- Nippon Airways) and some other carriers operate fice to arrange for a bank transfer. Payments made 40–50 flights per day between Tokyo Haneda- Air after 23 April 2010 must include the additional port and New Chitose Airport (the world’s busiest air £50 late-registration fee. When completed, please route!). Several flights from Japan’s main internation- send the form to Magnús Már Magnússon at the al airports, Tokyo Narita, Kansai Osaka and Nagoya IGS address. Central Japan, as well as other regional airports are available per day. International flights are also op- Accompanying persons erated from Korea (Incheon Seoul and Pusan) and The accompanying person’s registration fee (£200 China (Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Dalian). for 18 and over; £160 for ages 12 to 17; under 12 free) includes the icebreaker, the mid-week excur- Accommodation sion, and the symposium dinner. Short excursions A number of hotels ranging in price from in and around Sapporo will be offered on request budget to higher-end are available within a at additional cost. These include short trips to sight- walking distance of the symposium venue. A seeing spots in the city, day trip to the surrounding limited number of rooms are reserved at these regions and experience of Japanese traditional cul- hotels for the symposium period. Available ture (e.g. tea ceremony, dressing Kimono). accommodation as well as booking instructions 49 will be provided on the conference website. To Contacts for further information take advantage of the block bookings, please Further information may be obtained from: reserve your rooms online by 31 May. Please contact the travel agency of the conference (JTB: Magnús Már Magnússon Japan Travel Bureau) at [email protected] for International Glaciological Society inquiries on the accommodation booking and Scott Polar Research Institute any other domestic travel information. Lensfield Road, Cambridge. CB2 1ER, UK Tel: +44 (0)1223 355 974; Symposium organization Fax: +44 (0)1223 354 931 Magnús Már Magnússon (International Glacio- Email: [email protected] logical Society) Web: http://www.igsoc.org/symposia/2010/ Scientific steering and editorial committee sapporo/ Perry Bartelt (Co-Chief Scientific Editor), Douglas R. MacAyeal (Co-Chief Scientific Editor), Atsushi Sato Luca Egli, Ed Adams, Kalle Kronholm, Snow and Ice Research Center Florence Naaim, Jo Jacka, Ralf Greve, National Research Institute of Earth Science and Shuhei Takahashi Disaster Prevention 187–16, Maeyama, Suyoshi Local organizing committee Nagaoka, Niigata 940-0821, Japan Atsushi Sato (Chairman), Osamu Abe, Tel: +81 (0)258 35 7522; Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Yoshiyuki Ishii, Fax: +81 (0)258 35 0020 Yuji Kodama, Sumito Matoba, Hiroki Matsushita, Email: [email protected] Kazuki Nakamura, Koichi Nishimura, Web: http://www.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/ Toshihiro Ozeki,Shin Sugiyama, Nozomu Takeuchi IGS-Sapporo/index.html

Dates and deadlines Abstract submission deadline 5 March 2010 Notification of acceptance 26 March 2010 Preregistration deadline 23 April 2010 Paper submission deadline 10 May 2010 Deadline for refund 14 May 2010 Registration and Icebreaker 20 June 2010 Conference begins 21 June 2010 Final revised papers deadline 9 August 2010

50 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SNOW, ICE AND HUMANITY IN A CHANGING CLIMATE

Sapporo, Japan, 21–25 June 2010

REGISTRATION FORM Register online at www.igsoc.org/symposia/2010/sapporo/registration

Family Name: ______

Given Name(s): ______

Address: ______

______

______

Tel: ______Fax: ______

E-mail: ______

Accompanied by:

Name: ______Age (if under 18) ______

Name: ______Age (if under 18) ______

Dietary requirements (vegetarian, pescetarian, gluten, lavtose, etc.)

______

Registration fees (British pounds)

Participant (IGS member) £400

Participant (not IGS member) £479

Student or retired IGS member £200

Accompanying person (18+/12–17) £200/£160

Late registration surcharcge (after 23 April 2010 £50

TOTAL REGISTRATION FEES £______

Payment of registration fee by Access/Eurocard/MasterCard or VISA/Delta

Card number

Expiration (yy/mm) CVV (last 3 numbers on signature strip)

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51 INTERNATIONAL GLACIOLOGICAL SOCIETY International symposium ON earth’s disappearing ice: Drivers, responses and impacts A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Byrd Polar Research Center (formerly the Institute of Polar Studies) Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA 15–20 August 2010

CO-SPONSORED BY: Byrd Polar Research Center Climate, Water & Carbon Program The Ohio State University SECOND CIRCULAR

January 2010

http://www.igsoc.org/symposia/ http://bprc.osu.edu/workshops/igs_2010/

Registered Charity 52 The International Glaciological Society will hold modes of climate variability, observational meth- an International Symposium on ‘Earth’s Disap­­ ­ ods, modeling approaches and predictions, up- pearing Ice’ in 2010. The symposium will be held in scaling, partitioning into climatic and dynamic Columbus, Ohio, USA, from 15–20 August 2010. mass balance components, key unknowns, criti- cal observations and limitations to progress. THEME One of the most visible indicators of climate 6. Alpine glaciers (at all latitudes), including obser- change is the response of Earth’s ice cover. Over vations, driving mechanisms, modeling, impact the second half of the 20th century alpine glaciers on associated watersheds and associated soci- worldwide retreated. Satellite observations over etal impact. Special emphasis on alpine glacier the last two decades reveal rapid changes in many changes in regions where traditional forms of outlet glaciers that drain large sections of the glaciological survey are limited and that may be Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Ice-shelf dis- especially vulnerable to climate change (such as integration is becoming more frequent with con- the Himalayas and South American Andes). sequences for the discharge of land-based ice to 7. Records of past glacier changes, including proxy the oceans. The extent of summer sea ice on the histories that elucidate key drivers, responses Arctic Ocean is declining and the possibility of and response rates. ice-free summer conditions well before the end of the century is not outside the realm of possibility. SESSIONS This symposium will focus on the drivers for such Oral sessions are scheduled on four days from changes, the potential feedback and responses of Monday to Friday (except for Wednesday, which the climate system to these changes and the likely is allocated for an excursion). Each oral presenta- impact that might be expected in response to the tion should last 20 minutes, including 5 minutes ongoing large-scale deglaciation of the planet. for questions and discussion. Poster sessions are An additional goal of the conference is to identify planned on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The major gaps in our scientific understanding, obser- room for the poster sessions will be open from vational databases, modeling approaches and the Monday to Thursday and posters may be displayed need for enhanced human capital and fiscal re- for approximately two days. Rooms are available sources to advance our predictive capability. during the symposium period for participants who TOPICS wish to arrange small meetings. Please contact the The suggested topics include: local organizers ([email protected]) in advance to book a room for your meeting. 1. Sea ice extent and thickness changes in the Arctic and Antarctic, focusing on the different driving THEMATIC PUBLICATION mechanisms, responses in the Arctic versus the The Council of the IGS has decided to dedicate Antarctic, potential impact on the ocean–atmos- an issue of the Annals of Glaciology to the theme phere system, regional climate variability, polar ‘Earth’s Disappearing Ice’. A first call for papers ecosystems, human systems and infrastructure. will be made in March 2010. Paper submission 2. Tidewater glacier dynamics, iceberg calving and is open to anyone provided the topic of the pa- sedimentation dynamics, including observations per is consistent with the theme of the Annals is- and parameterizations of calving from floating sue. Deadline for manuscript submission is 5 July and grounded termini, the role of sedimentation 2010. Papers should be submitted through the IGS in grounding line stability, and interactions be- system and will be refereed according to the Soci- tween ice-marginal processes and glacier speed. ety’s normal standards before a publication deci- sion is made. Every effort will be made to com- 3. Ice shelf dynamics, including the precondition- plete the reviews before the symposium so the ing and eventual mechanisms by which breakup associate editor and authors can discuss revisions occurs, impacts of breakup on the ocean–at- during the symposium week. When submitting mosphere system and adjacent land-based ice, abstracts to the symposium, you will be asked to limitations to ice-shelf break-up suggested by indicate whether you intend to submit a paper for past ice-sheet and ice-shelf configurations, and the Annals issue, so that reviewers may be sought break-up scenarios under other climate regimes in advance. Papers submitted for consideration suggested by paleo-oceanographic and glacial in the Annals issue must comply with the normal geologic inference. submission criteria of IGS publications. 4. Ice streams and outlet glacier dynamics, in- cluding observations and modeling to eluci- ABSTRACTS date the key mechanisms controlling flow and Participants who would like to contribute to the discharge with particular emphasis on subgla- Symposium should submit an abstract of their cial processes. proposed presentation. This abstract must contain sufficient details, scientific merit and relevance to 5. Glacier and ice-sheet mass balance, including a the symposium theme to be evaluated by the Sci- global inventory and assessments, atmospheric entific Steering Committee. The abstract should and oceanic forcing, response to large-scale be less than 400 words with no references or illus- 53 trations. Please submit your abstract and relevant and older) accompanying persons who do not wish information online from the IGS or conference to participate in the field trip can attend the ice- website. Authors may indicate a preference for an breaker and banquet for a fee of $75. oral or poster presentation, although the number of oral presentations is limited by time. Those un- Social programme able to submit their abstract online can send elec- An icebreaker reception will be on Sunday evening tronic files to the IGS office where a staff member at the newly renovated William Oxley Thompson will upload them onto the website. Library Campus Reading Room located on the 11th floor at the west end of the OSU Oval. The DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF window-filled room provides a spectacular birds- ABSTRACTS IS 23 APRIL 2010 eye view of the OSU campus, including the often photographed Oval Mall and Orton Hall. Each abstract will be assessed on its scientific qual- Tuesday evening conference attendees will ity and relevance to the symposium theme. Corre- have the opportunity to visit the Byrd Polar Re- sponding authors will be notified by 21 May 2010 search Center. Guided tours and video presenta- regarding abstract acceptance. Please contact the tions will give conference participants a first hand IGS office if you do not receive the notification by look at the extensive research that has been con- this date. The accepted abstracts will be compiled ducted by faculty, research scientists, post-docs into a booklet that will be provided to participants and students at the Center since 1960. upon registration on 15 August 2010. The symposium banquet will be held on Thurs- PARTICIPATION day evening at the Ohio State University Faculty Online registration through the IGS system is en- Club. The Faculty Club is located on the historic couraged. A link to the site will be available on the Oval between Mirror Lake and Orton Hall, home IGS and conference websites once the registration to the Geology Library and the Orton Geologi- is open. For those who wish to register by post or cal Museum. The Faculty Club has been serving fax, a registration form is attached to this circular. the OSU Community since the late 1930s and its Registration and the accompanying payment are quiet ambience makes it an excellent venue for due on 18 June 2010. There is a surcharge of £50 dining and conversation. for later registration. The partici-pant’s registration Venue fee includes organization costs, a set of abstracts, The symposium will be held at the Ohio State the ice breaker, coffee breaks, mid-week excur- University (OSU), Columbus, Ohio in the New sion, the symposium dinner and an issue of the Ohio Union on High Street. OSU is a public Annals of Glaciology. research university founded in 1870 as a land- Registration fees $ £ € grant university and is currently the second larg- Participant (IGS member) 510 310 350 est university campus in the USA. Columbus is Participant (non-member) 650 400 440 the state capital, located in the heart of Ohio, and Student/Retired 255 155 175 the city has numerous historic areas including Accompanying person (adult) 325 198 223 German Village, the Short North, and Victorian Accompanying person 75 46 52 Village. Other attractions include the Arena Dis- (no field trip) trict, Franklin Park Conservatory, Ohio Historical Accompanying person (<18) 260 158 179 Society, Columbus Art Museum and the Center Accompanying person (<12) Free of Science and Industry. The city features restau- Late registration fee 85 50 58 rants of every cuisine including American, Ital- ian, German, Japanese, Korean and Indian, with Note that all online credit card payments will be prices for all budgets. Weather in August can be in £ sterling (GBP) very hot and humid, reaching 31°C / 88°F, and Registration by mail on occasion even higher. Short sleeves and light- Though we strongly prefer registration through weight clothing are recommended. Be prepared the website, it can also be done by filling in for rain or a cool spell, as in Columbus we say, and returning the back page of this circular. If ‘wait five minutes and the weather will change!’ payment by credit card is not possible, con- More information on OSU is available at http:// tact the IGS office to arrange for a bank transfer. www.osu.edu/ and details on Columbus can be Payments made after 18 June 2010 must include found at http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/. the additional £50 late-registration fee. When FIELD EXCURSION completed, please send the form to Magnús Már Wednesday field trip: Visualizing Changing Land- Magnússon at the IGS address. scapes: Disappearance of the Scioto Lobe of the Accompanying persons Laurentide Ice Sheet, Ohio (the trip includes sev- The accompanying person’s registration fee ($325 eral other points of geologic and cultural interest). for 18 and over; $260 for ages 12–17; under 12 Landforms associated with the Scioto Lobe in east- free) includes the icebreaker, the mid-week field central Ohio during the Last Glacial Maximum trip, and the symposium dinner. Those adult (18 (LGM) reveal the processes, materials and envi- 54 ronments of the glacier system. We reconstruct igs_2010/). To ensure a room please reserve it by the paleogeography and glacial history to provide 30 June and mention the OSU–IGS Symposium a model of changes at and near the ice margin on to get the conference rate. A conference bus this glaciated section of the Appalachian Plateaus will pick up participants at designated locations Province at 40°N. In eastern Licking County, for transportation to and from the conference kames, terraces, moraines, ice-marginal lake de- site. A list of available accommodation is on posits and reversed drainage systems record the the conference website (http://bprc.osu.edu/ impact of the glacier at and beyond the terminus. workshops/igs_2010/) with individual hotel Field stops will highlight glacial, glacifluvial, and information and booking instructions included. glacilacustrine landforms and related materials (e.g. till, outwash gravel, lake sediments and peat SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZATION deposits) as we seek to improve our understand- Magnús Már Magnússon (International ing and visualization of the glacier system. Glaciological Society) As the ice disappeared, landforms continued SCIENCE STEERING AND EDITORIAL to evolve and lake basins and kettles accumulated COMMITTEE the record of a changing biosphere, one in which Kees van der Veen, Chief Editor (U. Kansas), northern species of trees gave way to hardwoods Gudfinna Adalgeirsdottir (Danish Meteorological and some Ice Age animals disappeared. Research Institute), Jason Box (Ohio State U.), Adrian on materials from the Burning Tree mastodon site Jenkins (British Antarctic Survey), Ian Joughin (1989) in Licking County has provided new insight (U. Washington), Nina Kirchner (Stockholm to the paleoenvironment, the mastodon diet, viabil- U.), Doug MacAyeal (U. Chicago), Ellen ity of bacteria, and our understanding of human oc- Mosley-Thompson (Ohio State U.), Tad Pfeffer cupation of Ohio 13,000 years ago. After viewing a (U. Colorado), Stephen Price (Los Alamos time-line of ancient cultures at the Great Circle Earth- National Lab.), Leigh Stearns (U. Kansas), Lonnie works Museum in Heath, participants can explore Thompson (Ohio State U.), Slawek Tulaczyk (U. the adjacent Newark Earthworks, ‘the largest set of California Santa Cruz), Dirk van As (Geological geometric earthen enclosures in the world’. Built by Survey of Denmark and Greenland) the prehistoric Hopewell about 2000 years ago, the earthworks had ceremonial, social and astronomical LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE functions. The evening meal will be in the Newark Ellen Mosley-Thompson (Chair), Michele Cook, area, possibly overlooking ancient Earthworks, while Lynn Everett, David Elliot, Paolo Gabrielli, Ian we reflect on natural and human-induced landscape Howat, Lynn Lay, Garry McKenzie and Lonnie changes since the Scioto Lobe disappeared and we Thompson attempt to visualize future landscapes in response to CONTACTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION continuing loss of ice far from here. The trip will con- Magnús Már Magnússon clude in Columbus by 10:00 pm. International Glaciological Society Travel to COLUMBUS Scott Polar Research Institute Port Columbus International Airport is located ap- Lensfield Road, Cambridge. CB2 1ER, UK proximately 20 minutes from the OSU campus. The Tel: +44 (0)1223 355 974; Fax: (0)1223 354 931 airport is 7 miles (11 km) NE of the city center. Taxis, Email: [email protected] hotel shuttles and rental cars are available from the Web: http://www.igsoc.org/symposia/2010/ohio/ airport into the city. Columbus has connections Local Organizing Committee throughout the USA with Washington DC, Chicago, Byrd Polar Research Center Atlanta, Minneapolis and New York non-stops con- The Ohio State University, 108 Scott Hall necting with many international flights. Delta, Unit- 1090 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210 ed, Northwest and US Airways have daily flights USA in and out of Columbus with over a dozen airlines Tel: +1 614-292-6531 or 614-292-9909 serving the area. For more information on Port Fax: +1 614-292-4697 Columbus please visit their website: http://www. Email: [email protected] port-columbus.com/home.asp. Accommodation IMPORTANT DATES Block bookings have been arranged at Abstract submission deadline 23 April 2010 hotels in Columbus on or near the OSU Notification of acceptance 21 May 2010 campus. A large block of individual dorm rooms Preregistration deadline 18 June 2010 (single & double accommodation) have been Paper submission deadline 5 July 2010 reserved in the OSU North Campus area. Prices Deadline for refund 9 July 2010 range from budget dorms to high-end hotels. Registration and Icebreaker 15 August 2010 For those interested, bed and breakfast offerings Conference begins 16 August 2010 near the campus are also listed on the BPRC Final revised papers deadline 4 October 2010 IGS web page (http://bprc.osu.edu/workshops/

55 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON EARTH’S DISAPPEARING ICE COVER Columbus, Ohio, USA, 15–20 August 2010

REGISTRATION FORM Register online at www.igsoc.org/symposia/2010/ohio/registration

Family Name: ______

Given Name(s): ______

Address: ______

______

______

Tel: ______Fax: ______

E-mail: ______

Accompanied by:

Name: ______Age (if under 18) ______

Name: ______Age (if under 18) ______

Dietary and other requirements

______

Registration fee $ £ € Participant (IGS member) 510 310 350 Participant (non-member) 650 400 440 Student/Retired 255 155 175 Accompanying person (adult) 325 198 223 Accompanying person (no field trip) 75 46 52 Accompanying person (<18) 260 158 179 Accompanying person (<12) Free Late registration fee (after 18 June) 85 50 58

TOTAL REGISTRATION FEES £______

Payment of registration fee by Access/Eurocard/MasterCard or VISA/Delta

Card number

Expiration (yy/mm) CVV (last 3 numbers on signature strip)

Name of card holder as shown on card: ______

Signature: ______

56 Future meetings of other societies

11th International Circumpolar Remote Sensing Symposium Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, UK 20–24 September 2010

The 11th International Circumpolar Remote applications, and many others. The deadline for Sensing Symposium (http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/ abstract submission is 31 May 2010. geography/CRSS2010/) will be held in September Prior to the conference, the UKPN Work- 2010 at Cambridge's Scott Polar Research Institute. shop is directed at graduate students and other Prior to the conference (Monday, 20 September early career researchers. Sessions in develop- 2010), there will be a one day UK Polar Network ment include Open source remote sensing and Workshop on Circumpolar Remote Sensing. GIS, Imaging climate change and Innovating new The conference deals specifically with remote techniques; suggestions from potential partici- sensing applications in the polar environments, pants are encouraged. The day will also feature a both Arctic and Antarctic. It will provide an inter- career mentoring panel and will culminate with national forum for the discussion of work current- the CRSS Icebreaker Reception. ly being carried out in the circumpolar regions. Further details of the conference and work- Topics that have been discussed at previous CRSS shop are under development – please contact meetings have included environmental monitor- Allen Pope at [email protected] with ing, the cryosphere, resource prospecting, vegeta- questions and input. tion measurement, LiDAR, RADARSAT, Polar GIS

Books received

Eicken, H., R. Gradinger, M. Salganek, K. Shiras- Pellikka, P. and W.G. Rees, eds. 2010. Remote awa, D. Perovich and M. Leppäranta, eds. 2009. sensing of glaciers; techniques for topographic, Field techniques for sea ice research. Fairbanks, spatial and thematic mapping of glaciers. London, Alaska, University of Alaska Press. 588 pp, 218 CRC Press/Balkema (Taylor & Francis Group). graphs and figures, DVD. (ISBN: 978-1-60223- 340pp. (ISBN: 978-0-415-40166-1, (Cloth) £89). 059-0, (Cloth) US$65.00.) Bennett, M.M. and N.F. Glasser, eds. 2009. Thomas, D.N. and G.S. Dieckmann, eds. 2009. Glacial geology: ice sheets and landforms, Second Sea ice, Second edition. Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell. edition. Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell. 400 pp. (ISBN: 640 pp. (ISBN: 978-1-4051-8580-6, (Cloth) £89.99/ 978-0-470-51690-4, (Cloth) £85.00 / €97.80, ISBN: €103.50.) 978-0-470-51691-1, (paperback) £ 29.95 / €34.50).

57 News

Obituary: Hans Röthlisberger

Dr Hans Röthlisberger, professor emeritus at ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) Zurich, and 9th president of the International Glaciological So- ciety, died at his home in Uerikon, Zurich, on 10 September 10 2009. Hans, who used jokingly to call himself ‘Tschoon’ in a Swiss German pronun- ciation of his Anglicized name, had a rich life. Hans was born on 1 February 1923 in Lang- nau in Emmental, the youngest of the three chil- dren of Johann and Marie Röthlisberger-Stucki, who were both teachers. Emmental, best known for the famous Swiss cheese, is a valley located in the middle of the tertiary pre-alpine uplifted ter- races. These terraces are dissected by many small valley systems, forming a gently undulating hilly landscape covered with rich vegetation and pas- ture. At the southern end of the Emmental Valley the Alps soar abruptly to above 2000 meters. Hans’s father died when he was a year old, Baffin Island Expedition. In the summer of 1951 leaving his mother to raise three children and he worked in East Greenland, accompanying Dr to support the family as a teacher. He spent his Hans Rudolf Katz, a geologist. In 1953 he was childhood in Emmental with his two older sisters, back in Baffin Island, on Penny Highland. During attending local primary and secondary schools, these expeditions, his contributions were cen- before moving to the Cantonal Seminar in Berne. tered on seismology. His doctoral thesis, com- In 1943 he entered the Faculty of Natural Scienc- pleted in 1954, was entitled ‘On seismic and es at ETH. Between university semesters, he was petrographic characterization of several Molasse a substitute teacher at a primary school in Kalber- rocks, including a description of the methods for höni, a beautiful side valley of Saanen-Gstaad. It determining grain size in solid material’. Upon was there that he developed his life-long love of completion of his doctoral thesis, Hans obtained mountains. In 1947, he completed his ‘Diplo- a position as a research fellow at the Institute of marbeit’ (equivalent to an MSc thesis) at the De- Water and Foundation Engineering at ETH. Here partment of Petrography with the theme ‘Profile Hans came in con­tact with Prof. Peter Kasser and through Gotthardmassiv between Ulrichen and Robert Haefeli­, who influenced his future inter- the Gries Pass with special reference to structural est in glaciers. geology’. Prof. Paul Niggli, discoverer of the iso- Hans met a young woman named Miss Doris tope/paeleo-temperature principle, supervised Baechi in Zurich and led her to the altar in 1954. him. In that year he became a member of the Two years later their first daughter, Annelis, was Academic Alpine Club of Berne. He grew into an born. In 1957 the young family moved to Wilmette, accomplished rock and ice climber. Hans started IL, USA, where Hans worked at the US Army Snow, his doctoral studies in the same year at the De- Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment (SIPRE, partment of Geophysics under the supervision of the predecessor of CRREL). He was engaged in Prof. Fritz Gassmann, who was also the director seismological applications in the northwestern re- of the Swiss Earthquake Service. gion on the Greenland ice sheet. In Wilmette he During his time as a doctoral student, Hans shared an office with Prof. Ukichiro Nakaya. Hans participated in three expeditions to the Arctic. spoke of their stimulating discussions on the de- In 1950 he spent half a year on the Barnes ice formation of single crystal ice, a lesser-known part cap with the Arctic Institute of North America’s of Nakaya’s work. In 1958, their second daughter,

58 Susan, was born, so that when the Röthlisbergers of sub-glacier channel conditions had never been returned to Switzerland and Hans to ETH in 1961, made in such a comprehensive manner; many they were now a family of four. of the theoretical assumptions in his model were At ETH Hans’s work was very much concerned based on Gornergletscher, whose Gornersee made with the engineering side of glaciology, in partic- occasional bursts through the sub-glacier channel ular of the safety and risk issues of ice. He was to flood the village of Zermatt. Following this paper engaged in the decision-making process on the Hans made significant and valued contributions to safety of the frozen Lake of Zurich in 1962/63; the research whenever water in glaciers was involved. catastrophic collapse of Allalingletscher in 1965; One of the later tasks he personally took in hand an estimation of the risk of glacier collapse near was the study of the flow of Jakobshavn Isbrae on Mauvoisin and Les Diableret in 1966; the danger west Greenland, a rare ice stream in the Northern of a glacier collapse in Gasterentales in 1967; the Hemisphere. flood from the moraine-dammed lakes of the Gru- Owing to his significant and numerous ac- bengletscher; an ice avalanche problem above complishments in research and teaching, the Felskinn in 1969; the breaking-off of Biesgletscher Swiss Federal Council bestowed on him the title on Weisshorn in 1972/73; safety considerations of of Professor in 1984. He was the president of the water intake facilities of the hydroelectric com- International Glaciological Society from 1984 to pany Oberhasli in face of a glacier advance in 1987, receiving many honors including the Selig- 1982/83; and the danger posed by an ice-dammed man Crystal in 1992, and was elected an honorary lake at Austdalsbreen in 1987. He closely cooper- member of the society in 2008. Even after Hans’s ated with the Swiss Federal Institute of Snow and retirement from ETH in 1988, he actively partici- Avalanche, Weissfluhjoch, Davos, especially with pated in glaciology seminars, sharing his extensive the late Prof. Marcel de Quervain and Dr Bruno knowledge and experience with young scientists. Salm. In many problems presented above, his of- In discussions Hans was always extremely modest ten technical solutions to actively mitigate dan- and respected the ideas of others. gers are pioneering works in engineering glaciol- Throughout their marriage, Doris cared for the ogy. Hans did not draw any sharp lines between family and her excellent organization and tireless these highly applied fields and the basic research support created the ideal environment for Hans for which he is better known. to make his significant and unique contribution In 1972 after completing his Habilitation (post- to glaciology. doctoral) thesis, which was concerned with flood In 2007 Hans was diagnosed with cancer. and ice catastrophes related to glaciers, he began While he fought the disease, he never allowed his two year lecture series ‘Physical and technical his illness to rule his life. He continued to attend glaciology’, a title which aptly describes how he glaciology seminars, took part in symposia, and viewed glaciology. Each of the four semesters cov- attended lectures in other scientific disciplines. ered a theme: first semester, basic physics of ice; He enjoyed an active social life with family and second semester, physics of glaciers; third semes- friends. He never lost his wonderful sense of ter, physics of lake ice, river ice, sea ice and per- humour. I visited Hans on Sunday 6 September mafrost; forth semester, prospect and sounding of to deliver a bottle of wine from Tramin. He said ice bodies. The lectures were extremely demand- cheerfully, ‘Oh, we should open the bottle now, ing, requiring a sound knowledge of mathematics so that Atsumu can also enjoy it’, knowing that I and physics. Students who attended these lectures could not drink a drop of wine. This was just four gained a deep appreciation for glacial processes. days before he left us, and three days before he At the same time as preparing his lectures, Hans fell into a coma. We will deeply miss this genu- was making significant advances in his research ine, optimistic and warmhearted man, but the area. One of his most prominent achievements, courage he showed to the end is an invaluable the hydraulics of glacier channels, was published gift to all of us. in 1972 (J. Glaciol., Vol.11, No. 62). This work Hans is survived by his wife, Doris, his two opened a new chapter in glaciology, by introducing daughters, Annelis and Susan, and his three the opening and maintaining mechanisms of the granddaughters, Esther, Kathrin and Miriam, and sub-glacier channel. This was probably the most both sisters, Klara and Verena. important step after the earlier lubrication mecha- nisms had been proposed. Theoretical estimations Atsumu Ohmura

59 Glaciological diary ** IGS sponsored * IGS co-sponsored

2009 29–31 October 2009 1–3 October 2009 *Nordic Branch meeting of the International International Forum for Research into Ice Glaciological Society Shelf Processes (FRISP)/ Höfn in Hornafjörður, Iceland West Antarctic Ice Sheet Initiative (WAIS) Contact: Sverrir Guðmundsson, Helgi Joint Workshop Björnsson, Tómas Jóhannesson at Pack Forest Conference Center, WA, USA [email protected] Contact: Adrian Jenkins [[email protected]] Website: http://www.raunvis.hi.is/NIGS-09/ 7–10 October 2009 3–5 November 2009 Polar Science and the Chemistry of Climate Northern Governance Policy Research Change Conference Northeast Regional Meeting, American Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada Chemical Society Contact: Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox Hartford, Connecticut [[email protected]] Website: http://membership.acs.org/N/nerm/ 4–6 November 2009 Contact: Kathy Gorski [kmgorski@concentric. UK Polar Network Cryospheric Science net] Workshop 12–13 October 2009 University of Sheffield, UK UK Polar Network Arctic Marine Sciences Contact: [email protected] Workshop 7–9 November 2009 Plymouth, UK Arctic in Rapid Transition Initiation Website: http://www.polarnetwork.org/new/ Workshop index.php?option=com_content&view=article International Arctic Research Center &id=93&Itemid=88) Fairbanks, Alaska Contact: Claudia Halsband-Lenk [clau1@pml. Website: http://www.aosb.org/art.html ac.uk] Contact: Carolyn Wegner [cwegner@ifm- or Angelika Renner [angelika.renner@ geomar.de] polarnetwork.org] 10–12 November 2009 23–24 October 2009 Acqua Alta: International Conference and Northwest Glaciologists’ Meeting Exhibition on Consequences of Climate Vancouver, BC, Canada Change and Flood Protection Website: http://www.sfu.ca/~gflowers/nwg2009 Hamburg, Germany Contact: Gwenn Flowers [[email protected]] or Website: http://www.acqua-alta.de/ Christian Schoof [[email protected]] 10–13 November 2009 28–31 October 2009 International Workshop on Glacier Hazards, Environments, Movements, Narratives in the Permafrost Hazards and GLOFs in Mountain Circumpolar North Areas: Processes, Assessment, Prevention, Rovaniemi, Finland Mitigation Website: http://www.arcticcentre. Vienna, Austria org/?Deptid=28867 Website: http://www.geo.uio.no/ Contact: Karl Mertens [karlmertens@u. remotesensing/gaphaz/ boisestate.edu] 13–14 November 2009 27–31 October 2009 17th Arctic Conference of the Institute of International Colloquium – Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) Climate Change in Magellan and Antarctic Boulder, CO, USA Regions: Evidence and Challenge for the Future Website: http://instaar.colorado.edu/ Punta Arenas, Chile ArcticConference Website: http://www.umag.cl/ Contact: Craig Lee [[email protected]] cambioclimatico/en or John Hoffecker [John.Hoffecker@colorado. edu]

60 30 November–3 December 2009 27–29 January 2010 Antarctic Treaty Summit: Science – Policy Arctic Frontiers 2010 Interactions in International Governance Tromsø, Norway Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC Website: http://www.arcticfrontiers.com/ Website: http://www.atsummit50.aq/ Contact: Arntraut Götsch [arntraut.gotsch@ Contact: Michael Lang [[email protected]] akvaplan.niva.no] 4–8 December 2009 1–3 February 2010 IPY International Early Career Researcher *International Glaciological Conference Symposium Ice and Climate Change: A View from the Victoria, BC, Canada South Website: http://www.apecs.is/victoria09 Valdivia, Chile Contact: Amy Wiita [[email protected]] Website: http://www.cecs.cl/VICC2010/ Contact: Claudia Flores [[email protected]] 14 December 2009 Second Annual Open Meeting: International 1–3 February 2010 Study of Arctic Change Polar Climate and Environmental Change in San Francisco, CA, USA the Last Millennium Website: http://www.arcticchange.org/ Torun, Poland Contact: Maribeth Murray [murray@ Website: http://www.zklim.umk.pl/nowa/ arcticchange.org] polarna – for information in English, please click on the ‘english_torun-1-circular.doc’ link 2010 Contact: Rajmund Przybylak [[email protected]] 5–8 January 2010 or Andrzej Arazny [[email protected]] Quaternary Research Association (QRA) – Annual Discussion Meeting 21–24 February 2010 Sea-Level Changes: the Science of a Changing Western Regional Science Association 49th World Annual Meeting: Remote Regions/Northern Durham, UK Development sessions Website: http://www.geography.dur.ac.uk/ Sedona, Arizona conf/sealevelchanges Website: http://www.u.arizona.edu/~plane/ Contact: Sarah Woodroffe [s.a.woodroffe@ wrsa.html durham.ac.uk] Contact: Lee Huskey [[email protected]] 13-15 January 2010 22–26 February 2010 EUREKA 2010: Canadian Arctic Science at Climate Change Impacts On the Bering Sea 80N and Related Polar Seas: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada From Observation to Prediction A flier with complete information can be American Geophysical Union Ocean downloaded by clicking on the ‘EUREKA Sciences Meeting 2010: Canadian Arctic Science at 80N’ link Portland, Oregon on http://www.candac.ca/candac/index.php Contact: Rodger Harvey [[email protected]. edu] or 18–22 January 2010 Michael F. Sigler [[email protected]] 2010 Alaska Marine Science Symposium Anchorage, Alaska, USA 7–10 March 2010 Website: http://www.alaskamarinescience.org/ Workshop on the dynamics and mass Contact: Carolyn Rosner [carolyn.rosner@ budget of Arctic glaciers/GLACIODYN (IPY) nprb.org] meeting 24 January–3 February 2010 University of Innsbruck, Obergurgl, Austria Marine Biodiversity Under Change Workshop Arranged by the International Arctic Science For PhD students interested in the pan-Arctic Committee – Network for Arctic Glaciology region – registration at the Arctic Frontiers (IASC-NAG). conference also required. Contact: Andreas P. Ahlstrøm [[email protected]]; Tromsø, Norway 9–10 March 2010 Website: http://tinyurl.com/ARCTOS-wkshp 2010 Alaska Weather Symposium Contact: Matias Langgaard Madsen [matias. University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK [email protected]] Website: http://weather.arsc.edu/Events/ AWS10/ Contact: Don Morton [[email protected]] 61 10–12 March 2010 14–18 April 2010 40th Annual International Arctic Workshop Annual Meeting of the Association of Winter Park Mountain Lodge, Colorado American Geographers Website: http://instaar.colorado.edu/AW Washington, DC, USA Contact: [email protected] Sessions (co) sponsored by the Cryosphere Specialty Group include: State and Fate of 13–20 March 2010 Frozen Ground and Periglacial Environments; Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement Glaciers & changing environments; Land, of Climate Change Research Ocean, and Atmosphere in a Changing Arctic; (an interdisciplinary climate change research Hydroclimatology; Re-exploring the North symposium) Website: http://www.igsoc.org/www.aag.org/ Mesa, Arizona Website: http://www.disccrs.org/ 15–18 April 2010 Contact: organisers [[email protected]] Arctic Science Summit Week 2010 15–17 March 2010 Nuuk, Greenland AGU Chapman Conference on the Website: http://www.assw2010.org/ Exploration and Study of Antarctic Subglacial 28–30 April 2010 Aquatic Environments Workshop on Cold Regions Hydrology Baltimore, Maryland, USA Innsbruck, Austria Website: http://www.agu.org/meetings/ Organized by the Network of Climate and chapman/2010/ccall/ Cryosphere Research at the University of 16–19 March 2010 Innsbruck, the European Space Agency (ESA) 2010 State of the Arctic Conference and ENVEO IT Miami, Florida The Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) Website: http://soa.arcus.org/ Programme of WCRP and ICSIH-IAHS are Contact: Helen V. Wiggins [[email protected]] scientific co-sponsors or (for questions about abstract submission) Website: http://www.congrex.nl/10c06/ Judy Fahnestock [[email protected]] 29–30 April 2010 25–26 March 2010 **SPIRIT (Spot 5 stereoscopic survey of 6th Annual Polar Technology Conference Polar Ice: Reference Images & Topographies) Boulder, Colorado, USA workshop Website: http://polartechnologyconference.org/ Toulouse, France Contact: register@ Website: http://etienne.berthier.free.fr/SPIRIT/ PolarTechnologyConference.org Home.html 25–26 March 2010 2–7 May 2010 The 14th Alpine Glaciology Meeting EGU General Assembly Milan, Italy Session ‘Modeling the Spatial Dynamics of Website to be announced Permafrost and Seasonally Frozen Ground at Diverse Scales (CR4.2)’ 8–9 April 2010 Vienna, Austria UK Polar Network Workshop – Investigating Website: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus. variability in polar climates: Past, present org/EGU2010/session/2662 and future Contact: Stephan Gruber [stephan.gruber@ Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland geo.uzh.ch] Website: http://www.polarnetwork. Session ‘Climate of the Polar Regions (CL2.1)’ org/new/index.php?option=com_ Website: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus. content&view=article&id=122 org/EGU2010/session/1868 Contact: [email protected] Contact: Peter Wadhams [p.wadhams@damtp. ac.uk] or Steve Piacsek [[email protected]. 11–16 April 2010 mil] Triggering of rapid mass movements in steep Session ‘Boundary Layers in High Latitudes: terrains – mechanisms and risks Physical and Chemical Processes, Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland Observational and Monitoring Programs, Website: http://www.cces.ethz.ch/projects/ Modeling, and Analysis (AS2.4)’ hazri/tramm/conference Website: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus. org/EGU2010/session/1853 Contact: William Neff [william.neff@noaa. 62 gov], Gunther Heinemann [heinemann@ 8–12 June 2010 uni-trier.de], Anna Jones [[email protected]], International Polar Year open science Stefania Argentini [[email protected]] or conference Philip Anderson [[email protected]] Oslo, Norway Session ‘Sea Ice and Sea Ice-Climate Website: http://www.ipy-osc.no/ Interactions (CR9.1)’ Website: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus. 8–19 June 2010 org/EGU2010/session/1890 Advanced Climate Dynamics Course on Ice- Contact: Daniel Feltham [[email protected]] Sheet Ocean Interactions MIT FabLab, Lyngen, northern Norway 17–20 May 2010 Website: http://www.bccr.no/filer/318. Seventh International Workshop on the BYQIEx.pdf Micromorphology of Glacial Sediments Queen Mary University of London, London, UK 13–17 June 2010 Contact: Jaap JM van der Meer [j.meer@qmul. Third European Conference on Permafrost ac.uk] (EUCOPP2010) Longyearbyen, Svalbard 20 May–4 June 2010 Website: http://www.eucop2010.no/ Arctic in a Changing Climate: Physical and 5–11 June 2010 Biological Linkages to Permafrost 4th International Workshop on Ice Caves Summer School program organized by the (IWIC-IV) International Arctic Research Center at the Obertraun, Austria University of Alaska Fairbanks Website: http://www.iwic2010.info/ Fairbanks, Alaska, USA Contact: [[email protected]] Website: http://www.iarc.uaf.edu/education_ outreach/summer/2010/ 8–10 June 2010 Contact: Tohru Saito [[email protected]] 67th Eastern Snow Conference: Here today gone tomorrow, the Eastern North America 18 May–11 June 2010 Cryosphere Summer Field Course in Arctic Science Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Hancock, MA University of Alaska Fairbanks and Toolik USA Field Station Website: http://www.easternsnow.org/annual_ Contact: Anja Kade [[email protected]] meeting.html 30 May 2010 Contact: Mauri Pelto [[email protected]] SCAR/AGCS Antarctic Sea Ice Workshop II 8–12 June 2010 Tromsø, Norway IPY Oslo Science Conference Contact: Stephen Ackley [Stephen.ackley@ Session T2-3: Snow and ice dynamics and utsa.edu] processes 31 May–4 June 2010 Oslo, Norway International Glaciological Symposium: Ice Website: http://www.ipy-osc.no/ and Snow in the Climatic System Contact: Jon Ove Hagen[[email protected]] Kazan, Russia 14–18 June 2010 Website (address to be announced) will open The 20th IAHR International Symposium on on 15 December 2009 Ice 31 May–4 June 2010 Lahti, Finland **International Symposium on Sea Ice in the Website: http://www.geo.physics.helsinki.fi/ Physical and Biogeochemical System IAHR2010/IAHR2010_2.html Tromsø, Norway 21–24 June 2010 Contact: Secretary General, International 24th international Forum for Research into Glaciological Society Ice Shelf Processes (FRISP) 4–11 June 2010 Evangelisches Bildungszentrum, Bad 4th International Workshop on Ice Caves Bederkesa, Germany Obertraun, Austria Website: http://www.gfi.uib.no/forskning/frisp/ Workshop theme: meteorology, glaciology Contact: Adrian Jenkins[[email protected]] and paleoclimatology in ice caves Website: http://www.iwic2010.info/ E-mail: [email protected]

63 21–25 June 2010 12–16 September 2010 **International Symposium on Snow, Ice and 6th Canadian Conference on Permafrost Humanity in a Changing Climate Calgary, Alberta, Canada Sapporo, Japan Website: http://ninja.pro.net/disk2/ Contact: Secretary General, International geocalgary10/index.php?lang=en Glaciological Society Contact: Jim Henderson [permafrost@ 22–23 July 2010 geo2010.ca] 6th Antarctic Peninsula Climate Change 14–25 September 2010 workshop Karthaus course on Ice Sheets and Glaciers Leeds, UK in the Climate System Contact: Noel Gourmelen [n.gourmelen@ Karthaus, Italy leeds.ac.uk] Website: http://www.phys.uu.nl/~wwwimau/ A follow-up announcement will appear education/summer_school (coming soon) shortly on the 2010 APCC workshop website 20–23 September 2010 3–6 August 2010 HydroPredict’2010 4th SCAR Open Science Conference: Witness 2nd International Interdisciplinary to the Past and Guide to the Future Conference on Predictions for Hydrology, Buenos Aires, Argentina Ecology, and Water Resources Management: A session titled ‘An interdisciplinary Changes and Hazards caused by Direct approach to understanding Antarctic ice shelf Human Interventions and Climate Change disintegration’ will be convened by Eugene Prague, Czech Republic Domack [[email protected]] and Amy Website: http://www.natur.cuni.cz/ Leventer [[email protected]] hydropredict2010/ Website: http://www.dna.gov.ar/scar2010/ 20–24 September 2010 8–13 August 2010 11th International Circumpolar Remote AGU Meeting of the Americas: Dynamic Sensing Symposium Cryosphere session Cambridge, UK Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil Website: http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/ Convened by Drs.Paul Winberry & Audrey geography/CRSS2010/ Huerta (CWU) and Slawek Tulaczyk (UCSC) 26–30 September 2010 Website: http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja10/ International conference: Global Change and 12–14 August 2010 the World’s Mountains Cryospheric Changes and Influence – Perth, UK Cryospheric Issues in Regional Sustainable Website: http://www.perth.uhi.ac.uk/ Development mountainstudies/2010 International Joint Conference by CliC/IACS 27–30 September 2010 Lijiang, Yunnan Province, China Remote Sensing in Hydrology 2010 Website: http://www.casnw.net/ Symposium Contact: Xie Aihong [[email protected]] Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA 16–20 August 2010 Website: http://www.remotesensinghydrology. **International Symposium on Earth’s org/ Disappearing Ice: Drivers, Reponses Contact: Christopher Neale (VP ICRS) and Impacts: A celebration of the 50th [[email protected]] Anniversary of Byrd Polar Research Center 8–9 October 2010 Byrd Center, Ohio State University, USA Northwest Glaciologists Meeting 2010 Contact: Secretary General, International University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Glaciological Society Alaska, USA 5–10 September 2010 Further details to be announced. Please note 12th International Conference on the Physics that the date agreed on at the 2009 meeting and Chemistry of Ice has had to be changed Sapporo, Japan 15–17 October 2010 Contact: Chairperson Yoshinori Furukawa 4th Graduate Climate Conference (Hokkaido University) Pack Experimental Forest, Mount Rainier, Website: http://www.lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp/ Washington, USA PCI-2010/ Website: http://uwpcc.washington.edu/gcc 64 24–27 October 2010 24–28 October 2011 Northern Research Forum 6th Open World Climate Research Programme Open Assembly – Our Ice Dependent World Science Conference: Climate Research in Oslo and Kirkenes, Norway Service to Society Website: http://www.nrf.is/ Denver, Colorado 2011 Website: http://www.wcrp-climate.org/ 29 March–2 April 2011 conference2011 Arctic Science Summit Week 2011 2012 Coex Center, Seoul, South Korea 22–27 April 2012 ASSW 2011 will have an integrated Science IPY From Knowledge to Action Conference Symposium covering the theme: ‘The Arctic: Montreal, Québec, Canada The New Frontier for Global Science’. Further See news release at: http://www.ainc-inac. details to be announced gc.ca/ai/mr/nr/s-d2009/23301-eng.asp 5–10 June 2011 June 2012 **International Symposium on Interactions of **International Symposium on seasonal snow Ice Sheets and Glaciers with the Ocean and ice Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Helsinki, Finland California, USA Contact: Secretary General, International Contact: Secretary General, International Glaciological Society Glaciological Society 25–29 June 2012 27 June–8 July 2011 **International Symposium on Glaciers and International Union of Geodesy and Ice Sheets in a Warming Climate Geophysics Fairbanks, Alaska, USA IUGG XXV General Assembly Contact: Secretary General, International Earth on the Edge: Science for a Sustainable Glaciological Society Planet Melbourne, Australia Late summer 2012 Website: http://www.iugg.org/ **International Symposium on Ice Core assemblies/2011melbourne/ Science Contact: Regine Hock (Regine.hock@ Location to be determined gi.alaska.edu) Contact: Secretary General, International Glaciological Society

65 New members

Mr Leif Anderson Ms Laura Cordero Llana Geological Sciences, University of Colorado – Geography Department, Swansea University Boulder School of Environment and Society, Singleton 399 UCB, 2200 Colorado Ave., Boulder, Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK Colorado 80309-0399, USA [email protected] [email protected] Mrs Christina Coulter Mr Michel Baraer PO Box 60949, Fairbanks, Alaska 99706, USA Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University Tel +1 208-964-3623 3450 University, Room FDA 232, Montreal, [email protected] Quebec H3A 2A7, Canada Mr Tom R. Cowton Tel +1 514-398-3833 School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh [email protected] Institute of Geography, Drummond Street, Mr Richard Becker Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK 408 Eagle Hts Apt K, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, Tel +44(0)131 650 9172 USA [email protected] Tel +1 608 628 9010 Mr Christopher Cox [email protected] Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming Ms Katherine Boldt 1000 University Ave, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, School of Oceanography, University of USA Washington Tel +1 307-766-6752 Box 357940, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA [email protected] Tel +1 206-543-6454 Dr Gijs de Boer Miss Victoria Brown Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Department of Geography, University of Durham Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Science Laboratories, South Road, MS90KR107 LBNL, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, Durham DH1 3LH, UK California 94720, USA Tel +44 (0)1913 241 972 Tel +1 510 486 4556 [email protected] [email protected] Mr Gauthier Carnat Miss Siobhan Dunne CEOS, University of Manitoba School of Geography, University of Birmingham, 470 Wallace Building, 125 Dysart Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T2N2, Canada [email protected] Tel +1 204 990 4424 Mr Robert Dykes [email protected] Geography Programme, Massey University Dr Sasha Carter School of People, Environment and Planning, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, of California San Diego Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, Tel +64 06 356 9099 ext 2342 California 92093-0225, USA [email protected] [email protected] Dr Alexey A. Ekaykin Mr Knut Christianson Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State 38 Beringa Street, St. Petersburg 194295, Russia University [email protected] 441 Deike Building, University Park, Ms Natalia Galin Pennsylvania 16802, USA 34 Victoria Street, Revesby, NSW 2212, Australia [email protected] [email protected]

66 Dr Patrick Harkness Ms Vicki Sahanatien University of Glasgow 174 Valleyview Dr., Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 3C9, James Watt Building, University Avenue, Canada Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK Tel +1 867 633 5001 Tel +44 (0)141 330 3233 [email protected] [email protected] Dr Olga V Sergienko Mr Peter M. Haugan 201 Forrestal Road, Princeton, New Jersey Applied Physics Laboratory, University of 08540, USA Washington [email protected] Polar Science Center, 1013 N.E. 40th Street, Mr Robert Sidjak Seattle, Washington 98195-5640, USA PO Box 337, Revelstoke, British Columbia V0E [email protected] 2S0, Canada Miss Joy A. Jarvie Tel 250-837-0079 Department of Geography, Durham University Ms Kate E Sinclair Science Laboratories, South Road, National Isotope Centre, GNS Science Durham DH1 3LE, UK 30 Gracefield Road, Gracefield, PO Box 31312, [email protected] Lower Hutt 5010, New Zealand Mr Matthias Kunz Tel +64 4 570 4646 School of Civil Engineering & Geosciences, [email protected] Newcastle University Mr Andrew Sole Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen Tel +44 (0)191 222 6544 Geography and Environment, St Marys, [email protected] Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, UK Miss Kathryn Nye [email protected] Department of Geography, Durham University Mr Derek Sweeney Science Laboratories, South Road, 654 Homestead St, Lafayette, Colorado 80026, Durham DH1 3LE, UK USA [email protected] [email protected] Mr Tsutao Oizumi Mr Fabian Walter Department of Engineering, Kyoto University Ver f. Wasserbau/Hydrologie/Glaziologie, ETH Graduate School, Gokasyou Kyoto University Zürich DPRI, Takara Lab E314D, UJI, Kyoto 6110011, VAW A 14.1, Gloriastrasse 37/39, Zurich CH- Japan 8092, Switzerland Tel +81 (0)774 38 4131 [email protected] [email protected] Mr Stephen Wilson Mr Satoshi Omiya 3684 NW 124th Place, Portland, Oregon 97229, Snow and Ice Research Center, Maeyama, Suyoshi, USA Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan 940-0821, Japan Tel +1 503-701-1534 Tel +81 258 37 1671 [email protected]

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