Glacier change in Austria
What? Figuring out how and how fast individual glaciers and glaciers at the scale of mountain ranges are changing. Why? Long term monitoring of glacier change contributes to our understanding of how climate change impacts glaciers. Rising temperatures make ice melt, but there is considerable variability within that general trend. This is relevant for future projections of glacier evolution and downstream impacts like changing runoff.
Summary: Patterns in surface elevation change (geodetic method) for glaciers in western Austria indicate that glaciers in the region have moved further from equilibrium state over the course of the last two decades. 2022 stands out as an exceptional year of mass loss in observational time series of surface mass balance (glaciological method). Modeling results for the Ötztal and Stubai (Tyrol) indicate that even in an "optimistic” scenario of +1.5°C warming above pre-industrial levels until 2100, almost all glaciers in the region will vanish before the end of the century.
Some of this work was part of ongoing mass balance monitoring programs, some of it was the result of unfunded side projects.
Hartl*, L.; Schmitt*, P., Schuster, L., Helfricht, K., Abermann, J., and Maussion, F. (2025) Recent observations and glacier modeling point towards near complete glacier loss in western Austria (Ötztal and Stubai mountain range) if 1.5°C is not met. The Cryosphere, 19, 1431–1452, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1431-2025 (* equal contributions by P. Schmitt and L. Hartl)
Hartl, L., Seiser, B., Stocker-Waldhuber, M., Baldo, A., Lauria, M. V., & Fischer, A. (2024). Glaciological and meteorological monitoring at LTER sites Mullwitzkees and Venedigerkees, Austria, 2006–2022. Earth System Science Data, 16-9, 4077–4101, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4077.
Hartl, L., Helfricht, K., Stocker-Waldhuber, M., Seiser, B., & Fischer, A. (2021). Classifying disequilibrium of small mountain glaciers from patterns of surface elevation change distributions. Journal of Glaciology, 1-16. doi:10.1017/jog.2021.90
Fischer, A.; Helfricht, K.; Wiesenegger, H.; Hartl, L.; Seiser, B. & Stocker-Waldhuber, M. (2016) Chapter 9 - What Future for Mountain Glaciers? Insights and Implications From Long-Term Monitoring in the Austrian Alps, In: Gregory B. Greenwood and J.F. Shroder, Editor(s), Developments in Earth Surface Processes, Elsevier, 21, 325-382.
Stocker-Waldhuber, M., Helfricht, K., Hartl, L. & Fischer, A. (2015): Glacier Surface Mass Balance 2006-2014 on Mullwitzkees and Hallstätter Gletscher, Austria. Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie, 47, 101-119.
Glacial sediment in Alaskan fjords
What? Mapping sediment plumes from glacial runoff in Kachemak Bay (Gulf of Alaska) using airborne imaging spectroscopy and multi-spectral satellite data Why? Glacial runoff is a major source of freshwater in the Gulf of Alaska. The runoff transports glacial sediments into the ocean, creating turbid plumes that impact estuarine ecosystems. Marine habitats in the Gulf of Alaska are highly structured, with varying species composition and abundance depending on proximity to glacial river input. Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of the sediment plumes can improve our understanding of ecosytem process in the near-shore waters of the Gulf of Alaska.
Summary: High resolution hyperspectral imagery is helpful for figuring out which bands of Landsat and Sentinel 2 imagery are best for mapping sediment plumes. Plume extent follows the seasonality of glacier runoff; plumes are largest in July and August when runoff from the glacierized catchments draining into Kachemak Bay is also highest. The plumes are brightes (highest reflectance values) relatively close to the river mouths, suggesting that most sediment settles out close to the shore. Superficial layers of turbid water regularly spread across much of the Bay in the summer months.
Link: NASA earth observatory image of the day: The cloudy waters of Kachemak Bay