MOUNTAIN GLACIER SENSITIVITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE EASTERN ALPS
Abstract
The core of this proposal is a cross-cutting glacier and climate study in the Silvretta range (AUT/CH), a carefully selected melt-dominated study site with pronounced moraine records as well as simple glacier geometries. The research strategy will comprise: (i) ground truth geomorphological mapping including the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and state of the art geodata management plus research on historical documents, instrumental time series and complementary climate records. (ii) the collection of new geochronological data reflecting Holocene climate variations. High-precision 10Be surface exposure dating of multiple moraine sequences found in the study area will clarify patterns of climate deterioration during the Holocene. Preexisting radiocarbon and tree-ring data of the region - being valuable complementary records - will be evaluated and potentially extended. (iii) the design and application of a glacier model for the Silvretta catchment, which will serve to reconstruct glacier fluctuations based on overlapping geochronological and instrumental records and which will be used as frameworkto estimate the magnitude of future glacier change considering climate trends projected for the 21st century. With the paleoclimatological component of this study it is intended to make a contribution to the debate on variability of glacier oscillations on a regional and Alpine scale, thereby also addressing the unanswered question of driving mechanisms for climate fluctuations in the study area. A robust glacier model of selected areas at the Silvretta will provide for an estimation of glacier parameters (e.g. meltwater flux, front variations, equilibrium line altitude) quantifying future effects of climate change relevant to ecology, economy and society in Alpine regions. The proposed Ph.D. project, centered at the University of Life Sciences and Natural Resources (BOKU), Vienna (AUT), will be carried out in collaboration with Columbia University, New York (USA), the University of Utah, Salt Lake City (USA) and the Geological Survey of Austria, Vienna (AUT). The project holds the opportunity for the Ph.D. candidate to pursue an academic career in an excellent scientific environment and can bring the BOKU into leadership role of aninternational partnership with well-reputed US-collaborators, paving the way for exchange of expertise within an crosscutting- edge Earth Science project.
Publikationen
Project staff
Markus Fiebig
Univ.Prof. Dipl.Geol. Dr.rer.nat. Markus Fiebig
markus.fiebig@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-87212
Project Leader
01.09.2017 - 30.06.2022
Sandra Braumann
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Sandra Braumann B.Sc.
sandra.braumann@boku.ac.at
Project Staff
01.09.2017 - 30.06.2022