Mass exchange and motion of glacier tongues and subglacial sediments, under present conditions and conditions of ongoing rapid deglaciation

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Michael Becht
• Subject Area: Physical Geography
• Term: from 2011 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 209752940

With the joint proposal the relief changes in the glacier forefield are investigated by bringing several scientific disciplines together. Theproject glaciology and geomorphology deals with the contribution of glaciers to the suspended load and bed load transport within theglacial stream. The focus is on the relationships of the interacting processes of meltwater production, glacier motion, supply of sediment from the catchment and the subglacial sediment transport (sediment cascade model). The subproject glaciology and geomorphology is closely connected to the other subprojects and is conducting fundamental research of intrasystematic feedbacks. The separation of surface and subglacial melting by measurements of the surface ablation and total volume changes derived from laser scans is new. The high temporal and spatial resolution of the measurements at the glacier tongue with a thickness of about 100 meters is new as well as the use of the vibroseismic at the temperate glacier tongue to investigate ice thickness and the properties of the zone of loosening.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants