International symposium on:

The mountain cryosphere – a holistic view on processes and their interactions

The aim of this symposium is to bring together leading specialists of mountain cryosphere research and to get a state of the art overview of recent findings as well as research needs and strategies facing the next decades. This shall be done with respect to glaciers and permafrost, as well as combined hazard analyses and predictions. As an outcome of this symposium we will define major gaps in knowledge and prepare recommendations for future initiatives. The results of this symposium will be published in a special issue of the Journal Geografiska Annaler.

Mountainous areas cover large parts of the world and significantly influence also adjacent or downstream areas of moderate relief. Natural systems in mountains, and particularly the cryosphere, are likely to react sensitively to changing environmental conditions such as global atmospheric warming. Furthermore, landscapes and climate as well as societies and infrastructure in mountainous areas are changing at high rates. As a consequence, robust understanding of processes and the ability to anticipate future environmental states is especially in mountain areas an important prerequisite for sustainable development. 

Date	Friday, January 20, 2012, 9:00-15:30
Place	Universität Zürich Irchel, Room Y15-G-20
Language	English

 

Presentations

09:00-09:30	Johannes Oerlemans (Utrecht University) The response of glaciers to climate change: basic concepts from simple modeling
09:30-10:00	Antoni Lewkowicz (University of Ottawa) Spatial and thermal characteristics of mountain permafrost without a lower elevational limit, Yukon, Canada
10:00–10:30	Sarah Springman (ETHZ) Multidisciplinary investigations on three rock glaciers in the Swiss Alps: legacies and future perspectives
10:30-11:00	Coffee break
11:00-11:30	Dietmar Wagenbach (University of Heidelberg) Cold, Alpine ice bodies revisited: What may we learn from their impurity and isotope content?
11:30-12:00	Philip Deline (Université de Savoie) The geomorphic evolution of the Mont Blanc massif: some responses, many questions
12:00-12:30	Per Holmlund (Stockholm University) The influence of thermal structure of glaciers on their response to climate change
12:30-13:45	Lunch
13:45-14:05	Holger Frey (University of Zurich) Assessing the state of Himalayan glaciers using remote sensing and digital elevation data
14:05-14:25	Demian Schneider (University of Zurich) Rapid mass movements in glacierized high-mountains: from rotating drum experiments to nature
14:25-14:45	Andreas Hasler (University of Zurich) Driving processes of deformations in steep bedrock permafrost: two hypotheses and their implications
14:45-15:00	Wilfried Haeberli (University of Zurich) Holistic views on ice, rock and water of high mountains - some challenges and research perspectives
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16:45-19:00	Farewell celebration for Wilfried Haeberli Room Y24-G-45 | followed by an «Apéro ice riche» in the main hall of University Irchel

 

Scientific committee

• Prof. Markus Egli, Department of Geography, University of Zurich
• Dr. Isabelle Gärtner-Roer, Department of Geography, University of Zurich
• Dr. Stephan Gruber, Department of Geography, University of Zurich
• Prof. Martin Hoelzle, Geography Unit, University of Fribourg

Questions to: secretary.physicalgeography@no.spam.geo.uzh.no.spam.ch

Flyer

Download Programm (PDF, 283 Kb)