Mountain Changes
Cold Mountains
My scientific research and consulting focus on the characteristics and long-term evolution of cold mountains with snow and ice.
Natural Hazard
Climate-induced changes in complex, interconnected cold-mountain systems are changing hazards and risks for people and their infrastructure, often beyond historical precedence.
Climate Change Impacts
Snow and ice in cold mountains are especially sensitive to global warming. As a result, landscapes and habitats are undergoing rapid and often irreversible changes.
Public Communication
Communicating scientific knowledge to authorities and the public is essential for raising awareness of ongoing environmental changes and their consequences for society and future living conditions.
Paleoglaciology
Investigating and quantitatively reconstructing glacier and permafrost conditions during past cold periods, such as the last Ice Age, or the colder past centuries – the so-called Little Ice Age – helps us understand complex environmental changes. This knowledge is also important for assessing the long-term safety of radioactive waste repositories.
Glacier and Permafrost Monitoring
Systematic monitoring of glaciers and permafrost using advanced technologies is an important component of global climate observation. It provides the foundation for future-oriented hazard and risk assessments.