EGU Guest blogger

Summer 2022: A perfect storm for Alpine glaciers

Giovanni Baccolo and Lander Van Tricht July 1, 2022

The Kleinfleiss glacier in the Hohe Tauern region of the Eastern Alps. Credits: https://www.foto-webcam.eu/.

The summer of 2022 is shaping up to be a perfect storm for Alpine glaciers. By a strange coincidence, all the factors that could adversely affect glacial dynamics seem to have come into agreement. Let’s find out why. What controls the behavior of Alpine glaciers? Snow, temperature, weather conditions and the properties of snow and ice. These are the most important factors governing the life ...[Read More]

The Cryosphere meets the Twittersphere

Emma Pearce June 24, 2022

Twitter is a place that can be full of an overwhelming amount of information, and often it becomes difficult to hear about new information amongst the noise of all the tweeting. To help our fellow cryo-enthusiasts learn more about equality, diversity and accessibility within the cryosphere, we’re highlighting a few twitter accounts that we think everyone should follow! Gender equality: @womeninPol ...[Read More]

Cryo Adventures – Droning on glaciers and ice caps in Kyrgyzstan

Lander Van Tricht June 17, 2022

The Grigoriev ice cap, seen from drone perspective at about 1 km distance and at 4800 m a.s.l. [Credit: Lander Van Tricht]

Drones are not only a cool toy to play with. They are also a useful instrument to monitor and study glaciers and ice caps. By taking thousands of images flying above the ice, we can make 3D models of ice masses at centimetre resolution. Using drones, we can now survey small to medium sized glaciers and ice caps in unprecedented detail. In recent years, we have conducted several surveys on glaciers ...[Read More]

What are Snow Mechanics and why should we care?

Adrian McCallum June 10, 2022

Airbus A319 aircraft on Australian Antarctic Division's Wilkins ice runway. Photo credit: Australian Antarctic Division (@AusAntarctic #AusAntarctic).

Every time we walk, ski, drive or build upon snow, we’re relying upon the theory of Snow Mechanics; but what is that and why should we care? Mechanics is the engineering terminology used to describe “the branch of applied mathematics dealing with motion and forces producing motion” (Oxford Languages) or more simply, the study of motion, in our case the motion of snow. What causes snow to move? Ge ...[Read More]

Did you know… that glaciers can sing?

Ugo Nanni June 3, 2022

Figure 1: F. Gimbert and U. Nanni install seismic stations in the Alps before the winter to monitor the dynamics of the Argentiere Glacier in the framework of the SAUSSURE project (https://saussure.osug.fr/). Credits: Nathan Maier.

Have you ever wondered what the voice of a glacier sounds like? Well, listen here! And if you want to know how the glacier makes these sounds, then let’s take a walk on the ice side… Close your eyes and think of the time you were in the middle of the mountains. On a snow plain, a glacier or a frozen lake; just you. You hear your footsteps in the snow, crunching ice. The wind blows through your hoo ...[Read More]

Meet Carleen Tijm-Reijmer, our fearless CR Division President!

T.J. Young May 27, 2022

Carleen’s research is in polar meteorology, which is dependent on using in-situ observations from installed weather stations as well as regional climate models. Photo credit: Olaf Eisen

Every division within the European Geosciences Union is led by a senior and junior representative, who oversee the happenings within their respective divisions. The senior representative of the Cryosphere Division is Carleen Tijm-Reijmer, who we’ve managed to track down here at EGU! We ask Carleen to explain her role within EGU and the CR Division. Please tell us a little bit about yourself! ...[Read More]

What cryoscientists should expect for a Covid-regulated EGU22

T.J. Young May 20, 2022

After two (long) years of remote work and virtual conferencing, we are looking forward to engaging with fellow scientists in-person at the upcoming EGU22 General Assembly! But, with Covid-19 still in the air, this year’s conference will be held as a hybrid format. In this way, EGU22 will be modified to comply with Austrian pandemic restrictions, as well as introduce new elements to the programme to engage with those attending remotely.

After two (long) years of remote work and virtual conferencing, we are looking forward to engaging with fellow scientists in-person at the upcoming EGU22 General Assembly! But, with Covid-19 still in the air, this year’s conference will be held as a hybrid format. In this way, EGU22 will be modified to comply with Austrian pandemic restrictions, as well as introduce new elements to the programme t ...[Read More]

Ice-hot news: A cryo-summary of the new IPCC assessment report!

Clara Burgard, David Docquier, Maria Scheel and Larissa van der Laan May 13, 2022

Figure 1: An illustration of the Vernagtferner glacier in Austria, under the influence of climate change. Painting by Larissa van der Laan, based on historical photographs compiled by Markus Weber.

We have waited eight years for it, and it is finally out: the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a.k.a. « IPCC AR6 »)! And it is more than 10,000 pages long across Working Groups! Fortunately, a synthesis report integrating the findings of all three working groups should be released in Autumn 2022. However, we, at the EGU Cryosphere Blog, thought it might be us ...[Read More]

Taiwan’s Icy Past

TJ & CJ Young May 6, 2022

The bustling cityscape of Taipei at dusk. Notice the mountains that surround the entire city! [Credit: TJ & CJ Young]

The beautiful island of Taiwan (as given by its colonial name, Ilha Formosa) is primarily known for its lush tropical forests, delicious culinary cuisine, bubbling hot springs, and a bustling cityscape. But, what does Taiwan have to do with the cryosphere? Before you resist the urge to leave and get a bubble tea, read on to find out about Taiwan’s cryospheric past! From cities to mountains Taiwan ...[Read More]

Current challenges: high-altitude Chilean glacier monitoring in an extended drought

Sebastián Cisternas, Camilo Muñoz, Claudio Bravo, Pablo Paredes and The Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECs) Glaciology & Climate Change Team April 29, 2022

Olivares Alfa Glacier in January 2021, Photo credit: Alejandro Silva.

Central Chile has been facing a long dry period since 2010, marked by a high mean precipitation deficit, a so-called Mega Drought (MD) (Garreaud et al., 2019). This, besides long-term temperature increase (Burger et al., 2018; Falvey & Garreaud, 2009), has affected negatively the glaciers’ mass balance in the region mainly due to low snow accumulation throughout a hydrological year (which is f ...[Read More]