The Swiss Alps are an area of outstanding natural beauty, with the snow-capped mountains a source of pleasure for walkers, skiers and tourists, as well as providing shelter for the many thousands who live on or around them. While spectacularly beautiful,
the Alpine cryosphere – a
collective term for the portion of the mountains covered by snow and glaciers or underlain by permafrost – is particularly sensitive to atmospheric warming.
For
years, scientists have sought to understand and quantify the shifting dynamic of these snow-capped peaks. Historically, accumulation measurements on glaciers have comprised of in-situ probing carried out by teams with rudimentary measuring equipment. More recently, new technology like airborne light detection and ranging
snow depth and the water stored therein enables scientists to better quantify ongoing trends. It also allows them to forecast potential issues like increased water run-off from fast-melting snow.
In
the future, researchers hope that the information gathered from several high alpine glaciers could provide a rich source of data, enabling accurate computer modelling technologies to be created – with reliable results for hazard-assessment and decision-making in public services.
Attention to detail Alpine glaciers – and indeed those of other snow-capped mountain ranges across the world – comprise of a body of ice that forms where accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation. Formed over many years, glaciers
“The advances in GPR technology could be beneficial to teams attempting to find people affected by an avalanche and potentially buried in the snow”
measurements (LiDAR) has been used to understand and map the changes, but it is expensive and the measurements are often unreliable because of glacier flow. In an innovative new project, researchers
in Switzerland are using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), mounted on helicopters, to accurately map the spatial distribution of snow that is highly variable even on small scale. Understanding the distribution of
contain a climatic record of the past. They are known to be excellent source of information on past and present changes in the climate system. . The Findelengletscher and Colle Gnifetti
may not be the most famous glaciers in the Alps, but are chosen as the setting for this project
due to a wealth of historic
information and data available. The initial stage of the project involved the collection
Figure 1: Snow depth derived from LiDAR DEMs corrected for emergence velocity, rn compaction and autumn melt
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