CHANGE · Climate, Hydrology, and Alpine Glaciers
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2018-06-01 → 2020-05-31
- EU contribution
- €183,455
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Climate, Hydrology, and Alpine Glaciers
Mountain glaciers are sensitive indicators of the current global change. The glaciers currently still present in the European Alps are projected to lose a substantial part of their volume in the coming century. Their relatively large volume losses will have a profound impact on river runoff. Despite the growing number of studies from mountain glaciers, our understanding of the functioning of their hydrological system and thus the future evolution of these glaciers is far from complete. The original concept upon which this project builds is that the geological setting of the glacier bed influences the subglacial hydrology and glacier motion, which is one of key aspects to be considered when quantifying the contribution of glacier melt to stream runoff. In the light of this view, the specific objectives of the action were: - to identify all glaciers (including the smallest) in the European Alps with the help of the most accurate and up-to-date global and regional glacier inventories, supported by remote sensing data, - to predict the future evolution of glaciers under a range of climate scenarios, and - to model hydrological system at the base of a glacier taking into account also the effects of different lithologies. This project addressed climate-change related issues on both local and regional scales. On a local scale, we demonstrated the impact of climate change on a decadal mass balance evolution of small glaciers in the European Alps, as well as the influence of different ice bed geology on the subglacial drainage system and glacier motion. These studies provided important insights into the future of similar mountain glaciers globally. On a regional scale (i.e. the entire European Alps), we revealed a 200-year response of mountain glaciers to climate change through studying their environmental equilibrium line altitude, providing a good basis for better understanding of regional differences in glacier response to a changing climate and their effect on river runoff, ecosystems, tourism and hydro-electric power generation.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Global warming is clearly evidenced by receding glaciers and is largely threatening water supplies. Future glacier retreat in the European Alps, known as the »water towers« of Europe, will drastically affect the regional hydrology, since it is estimated that about 55-85% of summer glacier runoff will be lost by the end of the 21st century. Future water security is dependent on sustainable management of water resources, which is one of key policy challenges in the Alpine region. For developing policies that will ensure an optimal level of adaptation to climate change, it is essential to understand climate change impacts by delivering reliable, accurate and up-to-date data from a scientific community. In the light of this view, the main research objective is to make more accurate predictions of anticipated changes in glacier behaviour and runoff in the Alps that will not be relevant only to a scientific community, but also to policy-makers. This project will deliver new data about glacier response to a changing climate and its impact on meltwater runoff in the main glacierized Alpine catchments by applying state-of-the-art glaciological field techniques and glacio-hydrological modelling. The developments of the glacio-hydrological model will further provide the information on glacier runoff and complex pathways of meltwater over different lihologies including a variety of permeable and non-permeable substrates that represent the range of Alpine bedrock lithologies. Scientists from different, but complementary research fields will collaborate on the project by exchanging new knowledge and bringing their expertise on the state-of-the-art techniques. Apart from the scientific purpose, the project holds a clear strategy on dissemination, public engagement and exploitation with special focus on developing links and providing scientific advice for policy-makers.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- ABERYSTWYTH UNIVERSITY · AberystwythCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union