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Department of Geography Glaciology and Geomorphodynamics

Completed projects

AKSU-TARIM-RS: Spaceborne Glacier Monitoring of the Aksu-Tarim Catchment (Xinjiang/China, Kyrgyzstan)

Funding:

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [2010–2013]

GIUZ PI:

T. Bolch

Project PIs:

Shiyin Liu (CAREERI/China), V. Kuzmichenok (Kyrgyzstan)

GIUZ Staff

T. Pieczonka (TU Dresden, Germany)

Keywords:

glaciers, measurement, modeling, climate change, remote sensing, cryosphere

links:

Research database

Geographic focus:

Central Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan, Xinjiang/China)

This DFG-founded project is part of a bundle project dealing with climate change and water resources in the Central Tien Shan. The glacier variability since the Little Ice Age will be investigated based on various remote sensing data. The integrated approach focuses on glacier mass changes, glacier velocity and surface characteristics. Special emphasizes are put onto the common debris-covered glaciers. The future of the glacier will be estimated based on distributed mass balance models.

 

AndesPlus

Funding:

Comunidad Andina / World Bank [2010-2012]

GIUZ PI:

C. Huggel, N. Salzmann

Project PIs:

 

GIUZ Staff

N. Salzmann, C. Huggel, C. Jurt

Keywords:

Climate change, scientific basis, adaptation, Andes

links

Research database

Geographic focus:

Andes and mountain regions

AndesPlus develops and reviews methods that are feasible for producing scientific bases for climate change adaptation projects in mountain regions. Adaptation to climate change has been recognized as an unavoidable measure, and the number of related projects is strongly increasing. However, the information basis is often very limited. AndesPlus aims at closing the gap between data demand and data availability by providing a guideline for the development of scientific bases. The focus of the project is in the Andes, but several methods should be transferable to other mountain regions. The projects is a collaboration between several Peruvian, Colombian, Swiss and international research institutions including the University of Zurich, MeteoSwiss, Meteodat, WSL-SLF, Agroscope ART and the University of Geneva, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Instituto de Geofísico del Perú (IGP) and the Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología and Estudios Ambientales, Colombia (IDEAM).

 

 

CATCOS: Capacity Building and Twinning for Climate Observing Systems

Funding:

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland [2011-2013]

GIUZ PI:

M. Zemp

Project PIs:

M. Zemp (UZH), M. Hoelzle (UFR), Nando Foppa (MeteoSwiss), Gabriela Seiz (MeteoSwiss)

GIUZ Staff

M. Zemp (UZH)

Keywords:

glacier, mass balance monitoring, high mountains

links

Research database

Geographic focus:

Ecuador, Colombia, Kirghiztan

In the context of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the project CATCOS aims at improving the capacity for measurements of greenhouse gases, aerosols and glacier mass balances in different regions of the world with data gaps. In close collaboration with regional partners, the glaciological work packages of the project aim at (i) continuing in-situ mass balance measurements at La Conejera (CO) and Antizana 15 Alpa (EC) in combination with (ii) new geodetic surveys of these glaciers, as well as (iii) re-initiating in-situ mass balance measurements at Abramov Glacier (KG).

 

CCGlinCH: Climate change impacts on glaciers in Switzerland

Funding:

FOEN & Swisselectric/FMV [2009-2011]

GIUZ PI:

F. Paul

Project PIs:

M. Zappa, M. Staehli (WSL), R. Weingartner (GIUB), D. Volken (FOEN)

GIUZ Staff

A. Linsbauer

Keywords:

climate change, glacier change, Swiss Alps, impact modelling, hydrology, run-off

links

Research database

Geographic focus:

Swiss Alps, Valais

The project CCglinCH is composed of two different studies which both aim in assessing future run-off and hydrology for large catchments of the Swiss Alps. Both studies are operationally led by WSL (Birmensdorf) and were funded by the Swiss Federal Office of Environment (FOEN) and the electricity company of the Valais (Forces Motrices Valaisannes, FMV). The two projects are different in the considered regional coverage (entire Switzerland vs. Valais), and the level of detail that will be considered in the modelling approach. The Dept. of Geography is responsible for the subproject GLAC in the FOEN project and module B in the FMV project. The two major steps of methodological development include the calculation of maps of future glacier extent as an input in the hydrological model PREVAH and the calculation of glacier thickness distribution for all Swiss glaciers using a GIS approach.

 

Glaciers_cci

Funding:

ESA [2010-2013]

GIUZ PI:

F. Paul

Project PIs:

A. Kääb (University of Oslo), T. Nagler (Enveo, Innsbruck), A. Shepherd (University of Leeds), T. Strozzi (Gamma Remote Sensing)

GIUZ Staff

T. Bolch (Project Manager), N. Moelg

Keywords:

glaciers and icecaps, remote sensing, monitoring, GCOS, GTN-G, GLIMS, CCI, ESA

links

Research database
Project website

Geographic focus:

glacierized key regions in different parts of the World

During the 3-year phase 1 of the ESA CCI project, the major goal of the Glaciers_cci sub-project is to develop and implement automated algorithms for generation of the three products glacier outlines, elevation changes and velocity fields. These activities will be performed in close collaboration with a dedicated climate research group and a climate modelling user group (CMUG). Special emphasis will be on quality assessment and definition of data standards to enhance the integrity of existing datasets by round-robin experiments. Product generation will focus on key regions which are given by current data demands (e.g. existing gaps in the world glacier inventory).

 

GLAXPO: Glacier Laserscanning Experiment Oberwallis

Funding:

Swiss Energy Utility AXPO Holding AG [2009-2012]

GIUZ PI:

M. Zemp

Project PIs:

F. Morsdorf (RSL, UZH), M. Schaepman (RSL, UZH), P. Rastner (3G, UZH), W. Haeberli (3G, UZH), M. Zemp (3G, UZH), M. Huss (UFR)

GIUZ Staff

P.C. Joerg (3G, UZH), P. Rastner (3G, UZH

Keywords:

glacier, monitoring, laserscanning, high mountains

links:

Research database

Geographic focus:

Findelengletscher, Valaisan Alps, Switzerland

In this joint project of the RSL and the 3G groups of the GIUZ, airborne laserscanning is used for operational glacier monitoring. At Findelengletscher, close to Zermatt, this technology is used to check the traditional in-situ mass balance measurements and to further exploit its potential for the understanding of the winter accumulation and the spectral albedo distribution on glaciers.

 

HighNoon: Adaptation to Changing Water Resources Availability in Northern India with respect to Himalayan Glacier Retreat and Changing Monsoon Pattern

Funding:

European Commision, FP7 [2009-2012]

GIUZ PI:

C. Huggel

Project PIs:

 

GIUZ Staff

H. Frey, R. Worni, C. Huggel

Keywords:

Climate change, glacier retreat, water resources, glacier lake outburst floods, adaptation

links

Research database

Geographic focus:

Indian Himalaya

The HighNoon project aims to assess the impact of Himalayan glaciers retreat and possible changes of the Indian summer monsoon on the spatial and temporal distribution of water resources in Northern India. The project further aims to provide recommendations for appropriate and efficient adaptation strategies to hydrological extreme events through a participatory process. The component at the University of Zurich concentrates on extremes, ie, mainly on glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) in close collaboration with the Universities of Geneva and Bern (M. Stoffel).

 

ice2sea

Funding:

EU FP7 [2009-2013]

GIUZ PI:

F. Paul

Project PIs:

 

GIUZ Staff

T. Bolch, H. Machguth, P. Rastner

Keywords:

global sea level rise, glacier inventory, distributed mass balance modelling

links

Research database
Project website

Geographic focus:

Polar regions

The contribution of UZH is mainly related to two sub-workpackes, WP3.3 and WP 5.3. WP3.3. is related to the generation of an improved database of glaciers and icecaps for global scale calculations (led by T. Bolch). In WP 5.3 distributed glacier mass balance models that operate on a regional scale and that can be driven by climate model output are used to improve projections of future glacier change (led by H. Machguth). The ultimate goal is to couple the datasets generated in WP 3.3 to the results of WP 5.3 for improved global scale assessments of future glacier evolution and melt.

 

NELAK: New Lakes in Deglaciating High-Mountain Regions – Climate-Related Development and Challenges for Sustainable Use

Funding:

SNF [2010-2011]

GIUZ PI:

W. Haeberli

Project PIs:

 

GIUZ Staff

C. Huggel, M. Künzler

Keywords:

glaciers, lakes, climate change, natural hazards, tourism, hydropower, high mountains

links:

Research database
Project website

Geographic focus:

Entire Swiss Alps

New lakes forming as a consequence of anticipated atmospheric warming and glacier vanishing scenarios are modeled and assessed with respect to aspects of natural hazards, hydropower production, tourism, landscape protection and related legal questions.

 

PACC: Climate Change Adaptation Project Peru

Funding:

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC [2008-2011]

GIUZ PI:

C. Huggel, N. Salzmann

Project PIs:

 

GIUZ Staff

N. Salzmann, C. Huggel, C. Jurt, M. Scheel

Keywords:

Climate change, water resources, disaster, food security, adaptation, scientific baseline, Peru, Andes

links

Research database

Geographic focus:

Peru

The PACC project is a pilot project in climate change adaptation in the Andes of Peru. Thematically, the focus lies on water resources, disaster risk reduction and food security. The project is implemented by a consortium led by an NGO (Intercooperation). A scientific collaboration between several Peruvian and Swiss research institutions provides the scientific and technical basis for the adaptation measures. The Swiss Scientific Consortium is led by the University of Zurich and includes MeteoSwiss, Meteodat, WSL-SLF, Agroscope ART and the University of Geneva.

 

 

Tajhaz

Funding:

FOCUS, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation [2009-2010]

GIUZ PI:

D. Schneider, C. Huggel

Project PIs:

 

GIUZ Staff

D. Schneider, R. Worni, C. Huggel

Keywords:

Glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF), debris flows, remote geohazards, numerical modelling, FLO-2D, RAMMS

links

Research database

Geographic focus:

Tajikistan

In 2002 a glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF) caused several deaths and severe damage of the village of Dasht in the Shakhdara Valley. The TajHaz project - which is led by the Institute of Applied Geology at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna - aims to assess the hazard potential for GLOFs within most high mountain areas of Tajikistan. In a first step, lakes which are prone for outbursts were detected by satellite imagery and within a local helicopter survey. The stability of the dams and local characteristics of selected lakes were assessed in the field. The next step included scenario building for lake outburst floods and numerical modelling of possible flood waves and debris flows. The results should help to constrain populated or cultivated areas which can possibly be affected by remote geohazards and to estimate the arrival times of the flow front. An important aim of the project is also on capacity building and knowledge transfer to the local authorities.