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Snow, glaciers and permafrost in cold mountain areas such as the Swiss Alps are especially sensitive to changes in environmental conditions due to their proximity to melting conditions. In addition, mass wasting is most intensive in those mountain areas with high relief energy. Environmental changes in high mountain regions substantially influence the potential for glacial and periglacial hazards. Ice- and moraine-dammed lakes represent a widespread hazard potential closely related to glacier fluctuations. Magnitude and frequency of ice avalanches from steep glaciers - in principle a normal expression of mass exchange under such topographic conditions - are coupled with stability conditions affected by glacier advance/retreat and, hence, with long-term atmospheric impacts. Steep and unstable reservoirs of loose debris, a potential source of debris flows, are often the result of glacier shrinkage. In a similar way, changes in the stress regime due to vanishing glaciers lead to potential destabilization of adjacent valley flanks.
Since the Alps are among the most densely populated high mountain areas in the world, Switzerland is particularly impacted by glacial and periglacial hazards but, on the other hand, also has an extensive and well-recognized tradition in investigating such processes. A number of specific monitoring and modelling studies related to single hazardous situations have been performed, mainly based on recent catastrophes or imminent hazard situations. An urgent need exists for area-wide modelling of glacier hazard potentials with a view to establishing an integrated and adequate information base for planning and detailed monitoring, but a corresponding systematic approach is, for the present, still lacking.
The proposed project aims at closing this gap in several ways: Work Package (WP) (1): By developing techniques for detection of glacier hazard potentials based on optical spaceborne remote sensing data which rarely has been used to date in Swiss glacier monitoring; multispectral analyses and multitemporal and multiscale fusion will play a major role in this, with a special focus on recent or upcoming high resolution sensors. WP (2): By integrating empirical models for glacier hazard assessment into geographical information systems (GIS) which have proven to be successful for hazard simulation but have not been used yet for determining glacier hazard potentials; GIS modelling especially allows for the fusion of remote sensing and elevation data for spatial (3D) analyses. To ensure high synergy, WPs (1) and (2) will be closely related to the ongoing SNF project "The Swiss Glacier Inventory 2000" (SWI 2000) (no. 21-54073.98) and the international project "Global Land Ice Monitoring from Space" (GLIMS). WP (3): By applying the methods from WPs (1) and (2), an initial attempt will be undertaken to implement an area-wide model for integrating glacier hazard potentials of extensive regions in the Swiss Alps following a downscaling strategy with varying resolution and accuracy levels, both with respect to data and to models. As hazard management in Switzerland is the domain of local and regional authorities, the proposed project does not aim at preparing detailed local hazard maps (Gefahrenkarten), but rather will provide new remote sensing and modelling techniques for decision support. It should demonstrate the usefulness of these techniques for overview mapping (Gefahrenhinweiskarten) as a basis for decision-making and for scenario simulations in connection with climate change effects. The efforts made in this project will contribute to handle economically complex mathematical and physical models and represent a decision basis for the specific need of further detailed case studies. A further outcome will be a documentation of historical glacier catastrophes in the Swiss Alps, which will - among others - be used for model calibration and verification.
Due to the dense data and experience base in Alpine glaciology and its long tradition of disaster relief (Swiss disaster relief organisation, SKH), Switzerland is especially well qualified to provide knowledge transfer and exchange of experience in the field of glacier hazards in high mountains. Therefore, the methods developed within the proposed project will also be adapted to, and applied in, remote areas (Mexico, Himalaya) in close cooperation with local researchers and the SKH. Furthermore, the developed techniques will be available for the support of SKH missions via its expert group.
key words: high mountains, glaciers, hazard potentials, glacier floods, ice avalanches, debris flows, remote sensing, geo-informatics, fusion, downscaling, modelling.