The Cryosphere and Mountain Hydrosphere group (a.k.a the Pellicciotti group https://ista.ac.at/en/research/pellicciotti-group/) is now established at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), in Klosterneuburg, near the fabulous city of Vienna. Led by Professor Francesca Pellicciotti, the group does research on a variety of topics with a focus on glaciology, but also on snow and ecohydrology in the world’s major mountains. One of the group’s largest lines of research in recent years has been on debris-covered glaciers, driven by Francesca’s ERC grant RAVEN (Rapid mass loss of debris-covered glaciers in High-Mountain Asia). This large, successful grant has now come to an end (2018-2024) with major publications and outcomes, shortly followed by the conclusion of phase I of the Debris-Cover Glacier Working group from the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (https://cryosphericsciences.org/activities/wgdebris/). We therefore feel it is timely to organise a workshop on debris-covered glaciers at ISTA to bring once more the community together, share current research findings, and discuss the future of debris-cover glacier research.
Research on debris-covered glaciers has experienced significant growth over the past decade. New lines of research include, among others: the first global maps of the extent of debris cover; debris thickness reconstructions across scales, from local to regional and global; substantial advances in understanding the movement of debris within glaciers and its impact on glacier flow and geometry; identifying the distinct large-scale thinning patterns of debris-covered glaciers compared to debris-free glaciers; improving our knowledge of the meteorology and surface characteristics of debris-covered glaciers; and gaining insights into the processes that control their mass balance, particularly the role of surface features like ice cliffs and ponds in enhancing mass loss both locally and across entire glaciers and regions.
The purpose of this meeting is to unite the research community, assess our current understanding, and share these insights within and possibly beyond the scientific community. We aim to identify knowledge gaps and future research directions that the community can collectively address, including a second Phase of the Debris-Covered Glaciers Working Group. We will discuss how research on debris-covered glaciers should progress. The need for a large, integrated network to advance this field will be examined, along with the potential to distil some of the new knowledge for stakeholders outside the scientific community in a white paper. The potential for a scientific perspective paper with a large co-authorship will be discussed and planned during the meeting.
In addition to invited talks, speakers will be selected from submitted abstracts, and the conference will assign time for a poster session featuring contributions from individuals at all career stages. There will also be breakout sessions and round table discussions. We aim to create a friendly and informal environment that is an excellent venue for showcasing your latest work and staying informed about developments in the field.
Debris – covered glacier Baralmos with a prominent supraglacial cliff and lake, Tajikistan, September 2023. Photo by Jason Klimatsas