Life on Svalbard, in the northernmost town in the world.
Two of our team members, PhD student Janosch Beer and master student Valentin KΓΌnzler, spent 2 months at 78Β°N, from polar night, when the sun never rises, into the first light of the Arctic dawn in February.
A New study by LΓ©on Russel et al. (with #VAW member Marin Kneib) shows Saharan dust boosted melt on ArgentiΓ¨re Glacier π«π· by ~10%, and up to 13% in 2022. Desert dust darkens the ice, lowers albedo, and can thereby accelerate glacier loss. βοΈ
tc.copernicus.org/articles/19/...
@meteofrance.com
[1/2] π’ GLAMOS @scnat.ch press release out today: Swiss glaciers lost another 3% of their volume in 2025, the 4th-largest decline ever measured. In just 10 years, theyβve lost a quarter of their ice mass. Over 1k small glaciers have already vanished.
π to press release: scnat.ch/en/uuid/i/9d...
Ever wondered what glaciologists actually do behind the scenes? π§βοΈ
Weβre launching The Glaciologistβs Logbook, short reels showing our day-to-day work.
First up: ice thickness drilling on #Titlis glacier.
π₯ by Dominika Teluchova
#VAW #Glaciology #Engelberg #Titlis #ScienceCommunication
#GLAMOS measurements have started last week with measurements on Rhone, Allalin, Corvatsch & Murtèl. Stay posted for the press release via @scnat.ch on 1st of October on the 2025 situation of #Swiss #glaciers.
βοΈ How does mining-driven ice removal affect glacier evolution? In a new study led by #VAW colleague @landervt.bsky.social, we model π°π¬ Davydov Glacier (1850β2100), which lost huge ice volumes through a combination of mining & climate change. π lnkd.in/eru5Xgur
On 28 Aug 2025, our new exhibition Deglaciation β Measuring the Ice opens at extract (ETH Zurich Collections & Archives). Join the vernissage at ETH Zurich, HG E7, 17:30 with remarks by Prof. Farinotti & team + apΓ©ro.
π ETH Zurich, HG E7 (Main Building)
π 28 Aug 2025, 17:30
[1/4] New paper π£ this study, led by PhD student @jane-walden.bsky.social, was recently published in NHESS: doi.org/10.5194/nhes....
A VAW team was out on #Griesgletscher yesterday, a chance to raise awareness for the #1400ReasonsToAct challenge by @powswitzerland.bsky.social. Glaciers are in bad shape this year. Cooler conditions canβt come soon enough.
Take action here: www.1400-reasons-to-act.ch
#KeepSwissGlaciersCool
What a unique honour: during yesterdayβs visit of former #Federal #Councillor Adolf Ogi to the LΓΆtschental, we shared our current understanding of the #Blatten β€οΈβπ©Ή event-cascade. We hope the importance of learning from this disaster to reduce future risks will be as clear to others as it was to him. π
Weβve updated the #Birchgletscher factsheet β the π¨π#glacier that collapsed on 28 May. It took just ~40s for the ice-rock avalanche to hit the valley equalling an average speed of ~200β―km/h. New data on volumes & timing now included: polybox.ethz.ch/index.php/s/... #Blatten β€οΈ
[2/2] The update includes new information on the glacier's behavior, the role of permafrost, and possible links to climate. Our thoughts remain with the community of #Blatten β€ and the incredible work the local authorities and other actors are performing on the ground ππͺ.
Heartbreaking scenes from #Blatten, where cascading landslides triggered a #glacier #collapse and lowered Nesthorn by 101m. ~90% of the village is destroyed. A rare, but deeply devastating event. My thoughts are with all affected families. πβ€οΈβπ©Ή
Mixed feelings on this #bluebird #day below Weissmies on #Hohlaubgletscher. Measured snow depths as low as 1m on a high alpine glacier at the very end of the winter. Tough times ahead for Swiss Glaciers. π¦π§
Ukraine is not alone.
Germany together with our European allies stands united alongside #Ukraine - and against the Russian aggression. Ukraine can build on unwavering support from Germany, Europe and beyond. Their defence of democracy & their quest for peace & security is ours.
Thatβs a wrap βοΈHad some really great three days in Oslo attending the Global Glacier Modelling Workshop. βοΈπ³π΄ Hope this format will be kept alive in the future.
Spend a productive Hackathon week at #EPFL Sion. Looking forward to future developments on the Global Glacier Evolution Model #GloGEM. π¨βπ»βοΈπ€
Congratulations Laura! Great to see this hard work published. π₯³π
Welcome to our group Sandra! π₯³π¦πΆπͺ
Check out this PostDoc opportunity opening up within my group. Really exciting project about subglacial lake formation in Antarctica. ππ¦πΆ
Some recent climbing footage.
One of the most thrilling climbs DomΔa and I have done! The limestone cliffs here in Railey, Thailand are packed with insane overhangs and stalactites, a pure paradise for rock climbing.
Also, the sweatiest spot ever! Climb early or late to beat the heat. π₯΅βοΈ
Pretty cool project by Marin Kneib and colleagues from @EPFL robotics!
"We cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice!" π§ I've got nothing to add to this. Check out the recent State of the Cryosphere 2024 report here β‘οΈ iccinet.org/statecryo24/
Another paper alert! π¨ This time, our journey takes us to Eastern Antarctica, where #VAW member Ilaria Santin & colleagues studied brine characteristics using GPR, FDEM, borehole data & chemical analysis. Stunning images from the field! πβοΈ [Photos Β©οΈPNRA]
βοΈ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
After doubts about reaching such a remote spot, the journey was worth it! While drilling, a water fountain erupted π¦ from a borehole, an interesting find for future studies on the glacier's stability. Weβll be back next year to explore more of this stunning site! #zermatt #alphubel4206m
Final Stop of this summer's field campaign: Alphubel South Face. π This tiny, high-altitude glacier, tucked into the south face of #alphubel, caught our eye on the map. Its steep incline and south-facing exposure make it vulnerable to summer melt despite the high elevation.
Exciting news! π A new study on global glacier melt, led by former #VAW member Harry Zekollari, with co-authors Matthias Huss and team head Daniel Farinotti, is now out! The study refines our understanding of glacier loss at the glacier-specific scale. [1/2]
βΆοΈ tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/...
π₯οΈ Impressive talk by Phillip Schuster from Humboldt-UniversitΓ€t! Thanks for diving into #MATILDA, an open-source toolkit to assess climate impacts on glacierized catchments. βοΈπ§
Discover more on MATILDA's #GitHub here π github.com/phiscu/matil...
#SGM24 β π! Huge thanks for the great interest in my poster, where I shared results from this summerβs field campaign. Grateful for the valuable insights and discussions and a big shoutout to the amazing fieldwork team who made it all possible! @vaw-glaciology.bsky.social @wslresearch.bsky.social
