Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4927-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4927-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 01 Sep 2026
| 01 Sep 2026
Annual changes in firn density and compaction under Alpine Climate conditions: first multi-year CMP radar observations from the Grosser Aletschgletscher
Akash M. Patil
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91508 Erlangen, Germany
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Geodesy and Glaciology, Alfons-Goppel Str. 11, 80539 Munich, Germany
Christoph Mayer
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Geodesy and Glaciology, Alfons-Goppel Str. 11, 80539 Munich, Germany
Theo M. Jenk
PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Astrid Lambrecht
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Geodesy and Glaciology, Alfons-Goppel Str. 11, 80539 Munich, Germany
Thorsten Seehaus
Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91508 Erlangen, Germany
Alexander R. Groos
Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91508 Erlangen, Germany
Michelle Worek
PSI Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Astrid Oetting, Emma C. Smith, Jan Erik Arndt, Boris Dorschel, Reinhard Drews, Todd A. Ehlers, Christoph Gaedicke, Coen Hofstede, Johann P. Klages, Gerhard Kuhn, Astrid Lambrecht, Andreas Läufer, Christoph Mayer, Ralf Tiedemann, Frank Wilhelms, and Olaf Eisen
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This study combines a variety of geophysical measurements in front of and beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf in order to identify and interpret geomorphological evidences of past ice sheet flow, extent and retreat.
The maximal extent of grounded ice in this region was 11 km away from the continental shelf break.
The thickness of palaeo-ice on the calving front around the LGM was estimated to be at least 305 to 320 m.
We provide essential boundary conditions for palaeo-ice-sheet models.
Wangbin Zhang, Shugui Hou, Shuang-Ye Wu, Hongxi Pang, Sharon B. Sneed, Elena V. Korotkikh, Paul A. Mayewski, Theo M. Jenk, and Margit Schwikowski
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Paolo Gabrielli, Theo Manuel Jenk, Michele Bertó, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Werner Kofler, Mai Winstrup, Klaus Oeggl, Margit Schwikowski, Barbara Stenni, and Carlo Barbante
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2022-20, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2022-20, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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We present a methodology that reduces the chronological uncertainty of an Alpine ice core record from the glacier Alto dell’Ortles, Italy. This chronology will allow the constraint of the Holocene climatic and environmental histories emerging from this archive of Central Europe. This method will allow to obtain accurate chronologies also from other ice cores from-low latitude/high-altitude glaciers that typically suffer from larger dating uncertainties compared with well dated polar records.
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 1043–1062, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1043-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1043-2022, 2022
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Continuous observations and measurements from high elevations are necessary to monitor recent climate and environmental changes in the tropical mountains of eastern Africa, but meteorological and ground temperature data from above 3000 m are very rare. Here we present a comprehensive ground temperature monitoring network that has been established between 3493 and 4377 m in the Bale Mountains (Ethiopian Highlands) to monitor and study the afro-alpine climate and ecosystem in this region.
Christian Sommer, Thorsten Seehaus, Andrey Glazovsky, and Matthias H. Braun
The Cryosphere, 16, 35–42, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-35-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-35-2022, 2022
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Arctic glaciers have been subject to extensive warming due to global climate change, yet their contribution to sea level rise has been relatively small in the past. In this study we provide mass changes of most glaciers of the Russian High Arctic (Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya, Novaya Zemlya). We use TanDEM-X satellite measurements to derive glacier surface elevation changes. Our results show an increase in glacier mass loss and a sea level rise contribution of 0.06 mm/a (2010–2017).
Peter Friedl, Thorsten Seehaus, and Matthias Braun
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4653–4675, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4653-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4653-2021, 2021
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Consistent and continuous data on glacier surface velocity are important inputs to time series analyses, numerical ice dynamic modeling and glacier mass flux computations. We present a new data set of glacier surface velocities derived from Sentinel-1 radar satellite data that covers 12 major glaciated regions outside the polar ice sheets. The data comprise continuously updated scene-pair velocity fields, as well as monthly and annually averaged velocity mosaics at 200 m spatial resolution.
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Short summary
Our study focused on understanding how a warming climate affects the Aletsch Glacier accumulation area. We used multi-year radar measurements and direct firn‑core analyses to estimate changes in density and compaction rate of snow-to-ice over a year. Our results show that the upper layers of the glacier are changing faster due to stronger summer melt in the lower parts of the accumulation zone. Our findings help to improve firn densification models and glacier mass-balance estimation.
Our study focused on understanding how a warming climate affects the Aletsch Glacier...
