Region Tyrol, Kaunertal, Austria

Research on glacial dynamics at Gepatschferner, Tyrol, Austria

in cooperation with Prof. U.C. Herzfeld, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, Colorado

research aims:

Research is oriented at documenting glacier dynamics of the second largest glacier of the Eastern Alps and its immediate surroundings of the Kaunertal (Kauner valley). Digital elevation models of the glacier surface extracted from aerial photographs with digital photogrammetry are compared with DEMs derived from digitized historical glacier maps (geodetic mass balance).
In contrast to most programs that monitor only glacier area changes our aim is to derive glacier volume changes to clarify melt and mass balance dynamics since the first exact glacier survey in the late 19th century. We augment this study with analysis of glacier micro-relief, geomorphological and botanical surveys of formerly glaciated areas as well as studies on climatic variations and run-off.
Recent research concentrates on deriving DEMs from historical glacier maps. In the next step we will evaluate in how far current remote sensing methods are suitable to monitor glacier surface changes with high precision. Methods evaluated will involve:

• photogrammetric methods with high resolution optical sensors
• radarinterferometric methods
• laser altimetry (CRYOSAT data, in cooperation with U.Herzfeld, NSDIC)

publications:

In preparation: A multi-temporal multi-sensor time series of glacier elevation models from 1873 to 2003 at Gepatschferner, Austria. Journal of Glaciology.

Keutterling, A. and Thomas, A. 2006 Monitoring glacier elevation and volume changes with digital photogrammetry and GIS at Gepatschferner glacier, Austria.  International Journal of Remote Sensing 27, (19),  4371-4380

Thomas, A. and Keutterling, A. 2004 Bemerkungen zur digitalen Orthophotokarte Gepatschferner. Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie 39, 59-64
 
Thomas, A. and Keutterling, A. 2004  Orthophotokarte Gepatschferner 1:10000.  Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie 39, map supplement

Herzfeld, U.C., Kausch, B., Stauber, M. and Thomas, A. 1997 Analysis of subscale ice-surface roughness from ultrasound measurements and its relevance for monitoring environmental changes from satellite. Trierer Geographische Studien 16, 203 - 228. 

Thomas, A. 1994 Abfluß und Klima am Gepatschferner (Ötztaler Alpen) 1988 - 1993.  Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie 30, 119 - 124.

published at 1:10.000 scale in Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie 39

Hardcopies or pdfs of the map can be requested from the author.