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VAW Glaciology

@vaw-glaciology.bsky.social
1.4K followers 55 following 280 posts

This is the voice of ETH Zurich's Glaciology group (Prof. Farinotti), jointly affiliated to @wslresearch.bsky.social.

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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Switzerland's glacier report 2026 is out. Swiss glaciers have lost 5% of their ice volume this year. Only the last 5 years accounted for nearly 20% of the total ice loss across Switzerland. The numbers are devastating. Full report → doi.glamos.ch/pubs/annualr...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Congratulations to Marijn van der Meer on defending her PhD on machine learning-based glacier mass balance models! 🎓 We wish you all the best at your next job at MeteoSwiss. And last but not least: former office dog Ollie also graduated yesterday as freshly baked Dr. Dog. 🐾
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New paper from our group, led by PhD student @beerjanosch.bsky.social: "Polythermal conditions in small glaciers in the Swiss Alps" The paper presents a comprehensive borehole and radar dataset on the thermal structure of six small Swiss glaciers. doi.org/10.5194/tc-2...
doi.org
Polythermal conditions in small glaciers in the Swiss Alps
Abstract. Englacial temperature measurements in the Alps remain sparse and biased toward high-elevation accumulation areas, leaving the thermal state of ablation zones poorly constrained. Here, we pre...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What lies beneath Greenland's glaciers? As part of the CASCADES expedition, our team is conducting helicopter-borne radar surveys along Greenland's west coast, mapping ice thickness and subglacial topography to improve predictions of future glacier melt and sea-level rise. #CASCADESexpedition
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Transformers have revolutionised weather forecasting and hydrology. What about glaciology? New preprint from our PhD student Marijn van der Meer introduces a Transformer-based glacier mass balance model across 6 regions globally. Preprint: doi.org/10.22541/ess... #Glaciology #MachineLearning
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This weekend we are at Scientifica 2026 at ETH Zurich! Together with GIUZ and ZHdK, our stand "Touching Glaciers" lets visitors measure, understand and model glaciers hands-on. 📍 ETH Hauptgebäude (Zentrum) 🗓️ Sat & Sun 29–30 August ⏰ 11:00–17:00 More info: scientifica.ch/ausstellunge...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This week, four of our group members are attending the Global Glacier Modelling Workshop in beautiful Obergurgl, Austria! Thanks to IACS and the OGGM community for organising this great event! We are already looking forward to next year's edition #GGMW26 #IACS #OGGM #GloGEM @iacscryo.bsky.social
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
🥳 New paper alert! What happens to bottles left behind on a glacier? A new paper led by Elisa Götz, with Matthias Huss and Lander Van Tricht, traces hundreds of old bottles found near Piz Murtèl and Corvatsch. Buried by snow, transported by ice, revealed by glacier retreat. doi.org/10.1080/1523...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Now published in Engineering Geology! Our PhD student Jane Walden investigates paraglacial landslide motion during glacier retreat at Portage Glacier, Alaska. Congrats Jane! Paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
New preprint by our PhD student Sandra Wells introduces GlaDS-2, a subglacial drainage model capturing ice uplift and free-surface flow for the first time in 2D. Preprint: doi.org/10.5194/egus... Image: Laura A. Stevens (Western Greenland)
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
A new preprint by Michelle Worek presents the first ice core from Tödi summit glacier (Swiss Alps), co-authored by our group members Matthias Huss and Raphael Moser. Basal ice is dating back ~10,000 years! Link to preprint: egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/20...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Our team member Marin Kneib was interviewed for RTS (Swiss French radio) for a 5-episode podcast series on glaciers, part of "Dis, pourquoi ?". From what is a glacier to the future of glaciers. Listen here: www.rts.ch/audio-podcas...
rts.ch
Quʹest-ce quʹun glacier? (glaciers 1/5)
Avec Marin Kneib, chercheur en glaciologie.
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Our colleagues are out on Gornergletscher this week, together with the #LMU Munich Glaciology group, drilling boreholes to the bed and installing fiber optic cables to study englacial strain rates. Double digit temperatures, and meltwater rivers everywhere. @lmu.de
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
How much longer will we be able to see the front of #Rhone Glacier from our webcam? The glacier front has retreated dramatically over the past years, while the proglacial lake has continued to expand. The change is striking to observe, from a fixed camera perspective.
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
This week we welcomed Maaike Izeboud (VUB) to our glaciological seminar! She presented a scalable continuity-based approach to estimate surface mass balance patterns for Swiss glaciers, and shared progress on the #ContinuIX working group. Thanks Maaike for a great talk!
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
New preprint from our group! Our PhD student Janosch Beer and several VAW members present a borehole thermometry and radar dataset on englacial temperatures across 6 small Swiss glaciers. The paper is open for community discussion on EGUsphere! Preprint: doi.org/10.5194/egus...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Ogives are fascinating wave-like surface features that form below icefalls. Yesterday our team was out on Morteratsch Glacier drilling mass balance stakes on ogives to investigate their influence on local mass balance, as part of an ongoing MSc thesis project.
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
🧊 New paper! A new study co-authored by @matthias-huss.bsky.social looks at why glacier mass-balance estimates are often difficult to compare across methods, regions and time periods, and provides recommendations for more transparent and reproducible reporting. Read more: doi.org/10.1017/jog....
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
The #GloGEM team just wrapped up a productive week in Sion: model development, GlacierMIP4 preparation, a sunset hike to Mont Carré, and apparently we are now also music producers. Next up: the global glacier modelling workshop in Obergurgl. We are very much looking forward to it!
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
This week we welcomed Samuel Weber from SLF Davos to our glaciological seminar! He presented a physically based framework for understanding permafrost rock slope destabilization, combining lab experiments, field data, and mechanical modelling, with the Matterhorn as study site. @slfdavos.bsky.social
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
🏔️ A new study by Aaron Cremona, @matthias-huss.bsky.social , Marijn van der Meer, Daniel Farinotti and colleagues reconstructs daily mass balance for every glacier in the Swiss Alps from 2010-2024. Swiss glaciers lost ~25% of their ice volume in just 14 years! 🔗 doi.org/10.5194/tc-2...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Last chance to register! 🔔 Mylène Jacquemart is organising a SPI Field & Safety Course this Friday (29 May) at ALPOLE, EPFL Sion. Free, open to all career stages. Topics: field team culture, leadership, decision-making, bystander intervention. More info: swisspolar.ch/building-a-p...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
🏔️ New paper: 2025 saw record-breaking glacier mass loss in #CentralAsia ❄️📉 Glaciers lost ~30 ± 6 km³ of ice in a single year, about 2% of their remaining mass. Another alarming record after the Alps (2022), Western Canada & USA (2023) and Svalbard (2024). 🔗 iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Swiss glacier melt season starts today, and immediately with an early-season #heatwave. 🇨🇭🧊☀️ Snow cover on Swiss #glaciers is currently ~25% below average after a too dry winter, while forecasts show rapid mass loss in the coming week. Bad news for our glaciers :( #GLAMOS
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Looking for a thesis in glaciology? VAW Glaciology at ETH Zurich has 4 Master's theses open, covering topics from ice temperatures and mountain hazards to gravimetry and ice avalanche dynamics. Full descriptions: vaw.ethz.ch/en/education...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Today we welcomed Dia Martinez Gracey to our glaciological seminar at ETH Zurich! She presented a proxy-based framework to assess glacier thermal structure at the regional scale, applied to Alaska and Svalbard, no coupled thermomechanical modelling required. Thank you Dia!
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Goodbye Vienna! #EGU26 was the biggest General Assembly ever: 22,497 participants from 125 countries. We contributed 17 presentations and 9 sessions convened. Thanks to the organizers of @egu.eu for a week of great discussions within the cryo community and beyond. See you at #EGU27!
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
1/3 The #GLAMOS winter snow accumulation report for Swiss glaciers in 2026 is out! Snow depth measurements on 25 glaciers across Switzerland were carried out in April/May together with colleagues from the Universities of Zurich and Fribourg. #Glaciology #SwissGlaciers
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Vienna, here we come! VAW glaciology will be at #EGU2026 (04-08 May) with a packed programme across the whole week. #Glaciology #Cryosphere #ETHZurich @egu.eu
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
These numbers tell a bigger story.~15% of global #glaciers are within #UNESCO sites, yet >40 could reach critical thresholds by 2050. Even our most protected landscapes are under pressure. 🔗 www.unesco.org/en/articles/...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Our #VAW Annual Report 2025 is out! From the Blatten rockfall and its interplay between glaciology and hydraulic engineering to six completed doctoral theses, 2025 was a full year at VAW. Full report: ethz.ch/content/dam/...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
1/2 Earth's glaciers lost 408 Gt of ice in 2025 alone, equal to 1.1 mm of sea-level rise. Six of the highest mass-loss years on record have occurred in the past seven years. Our group contributed via #GLAMOS, the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network. 🧊
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
#GLAMOS winter surveys are underway. On April 7, measurements on #Aletsch Glacier showed ~0.5–4.5 m of snow, close to the recent average. In contrast, #Pers Glacier had much less snow, with maximum depths of only 1–2 m. More updates in the coming weeks, stay tuned :)
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Safe and effective fieldwork goes beyond logistics and equipment, it also depends on strong team culture and communication. Our colleague Mylène Jacquemart is offering a course on "Building a positive team culture for safe and effective fieldwork". 📅 29 May 2026 🔗 swisspolar.ch/building-a-p...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
1/2 A first in glacier modeling from our PhD student Marijn van der Meer and colleagues! Their preprint introduces the first LSTM neural network applied to glacier mass balance modeling, built within the Mass Balance Machine (#MBM) framework. 🏔️❄️
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
1/2 The biggest airborne GPR frame ever flown, hovering over the thickest ice in the European Alps. Our team just tested the new 12.5 MHz #AirETH system above Aletsch Glacier with #AirZermatt.
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
How stable are the world’s mountain water sources? VAW Glaciology joins MountAInWater, a USD 9.5M project at ISTA using AI to reanalyze glacier, snow, and permafrost changes, with a focus on tipping points and future water availability. ista.ac.at/en/news/unde... @schmidtsciences.bsky.social
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Glaciers need our attention more than ever. On 21 March (World Day for Glaciers), join us at ETH Zurich for a unique programme between research, fairy tales & virtual reality.
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Could avalanches explain extreme local glacier accumulation? A new preprint by our colleague @marinkneib.bsky.social shows 2 years of monitoring of an avalanche cone on Argentière Glacier using UAV surveys and a 7-camera time-lapse photogrammetry array. egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/20...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Why did glaciers reach their peak size at such different times during the last Ice Age? 🏔️❄️ New research led by VAW colleague Lukas Rettig explores why some Alpine glaciers stayed massive while others retreated. The secret? It’s all about seasonality.
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
A new Perspective paper in Nature Communications Earth & Environment compares the 2021 Chamoli disaster with the recent Blatten avalanche. Why did one kill >200 people while the other caused only one casualty? Link to paper: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
The winter surveys of #GLAMOS are just around the corner! ❄️⛰️ Yesterday we headed into the field with a big group for a safety training to refresh our techniques and safety protocols. Now let’s hope the #glaciers get plenty of snow so they’re well prepared for spring and summer. 🌨️
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Life on Svalbard, in the northernmost town in the world. Two of our team members, PhD student Janosch Beer and master student Valentin Künzler, spent 2 months at 78°N, from polar night, when the sun never rises, into the first light of the Arctic dawn in February.
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
📢 New paper in Nature Climate Change! Congrats to our colleague Marit van Tiel on co-authoring “Cascading downstream impacts of water cycle changes in mountain regions”, now featured on the cover! 🌍🎉 How mountain water changes ripple far downstream 👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
🚁❄️ Can we measure ice thickness with a GPR system attached to a helicopter in #Greenland? Yes, we can! Our new preprint shows successful helicopter-borne radar surveys over outlet glaciers, opening new possibilities for mapping ice thickness. 📄 egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/20...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
🧊 When melting ice becomes a tourist attraction New comment (incl. @matthias-huss.bsky.social ) on the paradox of #glacier tourism: last-chance visits, short-term fixes, and glaciers as symbols of #climateaction. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... Photo: Rhône glacier (Sept 2023)
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
📄 New preprint by Christophe Ogier et al. 🏔️💧 Hidden subglacial water storage may have contributed to the June 2024 #LaBérarde flood. Model results point to up to ~10⁵ m³ stored beneath Glacier de Bonne Pierre. 🔗 doi.org/10.5194/egus... 📷 Benoît Lagneux
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
💧Glaciers are water towers for Central Asia, but for how long? In our study on the Tien Shan, we show that #glacier melt can temporarily boost #runoff until mid-century, but continued ice loss leads to a growing risk of unmet water demand in summer. agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Reduced Future Summer Water Availability in the Tien Shan Due To Glacier Wastage
Glaciers in the Tien Shan are projected to lose between 69% and 93% of their current volume by 2100 Runoff from glacier areas will rise 15%–24% before 2050, then decline 14%–20% by 2100, compared...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Latest #GLAMOS report on #glacier change in #Switzerland (2025) out today🧊🇨🇭 ** Swiss glaciers lost ~3% of their remaining ice in one year due to a dry winter and a warm summer. **159 glaciers (11%) have already disappeared. 👉 Full report: doi.glamos.ch/pubs/glbulle...
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VAW Glaciology @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
We’re advertising a fully funded 4-year PhD position on modelling firn changes at the glacier scale within the SNF-funded deFIRN project, based at ETH Zurich & WSL. Apply here: jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOP... @wslresearch.bsky.social @slfdavos.bsky.social
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