Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5327-2026
© 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-20-5327-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 21 Sep 2026
| 21 Sep 2026
Substantial accumulation rates on a glacier avalanche cone from time-lapse photogrammetry and field measurements
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), bâtiment ALPOLE, Sion, Switzerland
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Patrick Wagnon
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Laurent Arnaud
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Louise Balmas
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Olivier Laarman
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Bruno Jourdain
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Amaury Dehecq
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Emmanuel Lemeur
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Fanny Brun
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Andrea Kneib-Walter
Glaciology and Geomorphodynamics Group, Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Ilaria Santin
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), bâtiment ALPOLE, Sion, Switzerland
Laurane Charrier
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Thierry Faug
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Giulia Mazzotti
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Antoine Rabatel
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Delphine Six
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble, France
Daniel Farinotti
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), bâtiment ALPOLE, Sion, Switzerland
Data sets
Data for 'Substantial accumulation rates on a glacier avalanche cone from time-lapse photogrammetry and field measurements' M. Kneib https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22712764
Model code and software
py4dgeo: library for change analysis in 4D point clouds py4dgeo Development Core Team https://github.com/3dgeo-heidelberg/py4dgeo
xDEM version 0.2 xDEM contributors https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19636034
MarinKneib/TimeLapse_photogrammetry: TLphotogrammetry_v0.0.1 M. Kneib https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22800142
Short summary
Avalanches are vital for glacier survival, yet their impact is difficult to quantify. We used low-cost cameras and drones to monitor an avalanche cone in the French Alps for two years. By accounting for ice flow, we found that avalanches can deposit 30 meters of snow annually – 50 times more than normal snowfall. This high-frequency data reveals that these cones fill until reaching a specific steepness, after which new snow slides further down to the base.
Avalanches are vital for glacier survival, yet their impact is difficult to quantify. We used...
