Private

FS 26.120

Open Poster Session

Session status: Accepted

Content last updated: 2026-04-16 00:06:26

Online available since: 2026-01-21 21:30:42

Details

Full Title
Open Poster Session
Scheduled
TBA
TBA
Chair
Gurgiser, Wolfgang
Co-chair(s)
Mayr, Stefan
Thematic Focus
No focus defined
Keywords
Mountains, Open topics, Multidisciplinary

Abstract/Description

This poster session invites contributions to all topics relevant to the European Alps. There will be the option to introduce the poster by the presenter and if feasible (depending not only but also on the absolut number of submissions), the posters will be displayed during the entire conference.

Registered Abstracts

ID: 3.26

Sustaining the Summit: An Analysis of Nutritional Strategies and Eating Habits in Julius Payer’s High-Altitude Expeditions in the Italian Alps

Sara Marcolla

Abstract/Description

This paper aims to analyse the provisioning, food consumption, and nutritional strategies of the Austro-Hungarian explorer Julius Payer during his pioneering expeditions in the Italian Alps (specifically the Ortler Alps and Adamello-Presanella ranges) in the 1860s-1870s. It highlights the intersection of 19th-century food preservation technology, alpine cultural practices, and the physiological demands of high-altitude exploration, arguing that Payer’s foodways approach was a critical, yet understudied, factor in his successes and hardships.

ID: 3.19

Assimilation of satellite-based snow cover data into the snow-hydrological model openAMUNDSEN: A pilot study from the Rofental, Austria

Franz Wagner
Rottler, Erwin; Strasser, Ulrich

Abstract/Description

In this study, we present first results of snow simulations using the snow-hydrological model openAMUNDSEN including the ensemble-based assimilation of satellite-based snow cover data. Our ensemble-based snow modelling operates in a sequential prediction–update cycle and is based on a particle filter, enabling repeated integration of different type of snow observations. The snow model ensemble is generated by the perturbation of meteorological forcing variables. The assimilation framework is developed as a Python toolkit with a high-performance software architecture focusing on parallelization, supporting efficient regional-scale ensemble simulations. In a first model experiment, we assimilate wet snow maps based on Sentinel-1 data and fractional snow cover maps from Sentinel-2 imagery. Test site is the alpine headwater catchment Rofental, Tyrol, Austria (98.1 km2). Preliminary results point out that distributed snow cover simulations using openAMUNDSEN benefit from the ensemble-based assimilation of satellite-based snow cover data. Further testing of the assimilation framework is required to optimize existing assimilation parameters and facilitate regional-scale applications.

ID: 3.13

“Biennialisation” of the alpine landscape – a cultural approach to sustainable regional development?

Chantal Magnin

Abstract/Description

In alpine regions of Switzerland, so-called biennials – mostly in the form of outdoor art exhibitions – are enjoying increasing popularity. Visiting them is often combined with walks through the landscape, during which the distinctive character of the surroundings also becomes a topic of engagement. The promises associated with the biennial format are manifold: They include hopes for transformative change initiated by these events and extending beyond them, as well as an increase in tourist appeal or identity-forming effects for the local population. Unlike their urban counterparts, these biennials do not position themselves solely within a rich art scene but rather depend on the support of a wide range of local stakeholders. Curatorial programs and artistic projects take this circumstance into account by placing engagement with the local context at the center of their initiatives. This includes artistic explorations of local living conditions and cultural traditions.

ID: 3.43

Steppe plants in the Alps: Evolutionarily distinct but under severe pressure!

Roman Müller
Maylandt, Clemens; Schmiderer, Corinna; Kropf, Matthias; Tremetsberger, Karin

Abstract/Description

Eurasian steppe plants occur in the dry valleys of the Alps, in often south-exposed rocky steppes and dry, nutrient-poor meadows and pastures. The project, funded by the Biodiversity Fund, investigated the intraspecific genetic diversity of steppe plants in Austria. The results demonstrate the independence of the evolutionary lineages of Linum flavum, Onobrychis arenaria, Oxytropis pilosa, Pulsatilla styriaca, P. oenipontana and Stipa capillata in the alpine region. Compared to the Pannonian populations, those in the alpine region are typically smaller and genetically less diverse. In view of these findings and given the dramatic declines in the populations of these species across many parts of the Alps, greater efforts are needed to preserve them for the future. Among the most important measures is the provision of suitable habitat by recognising and promoting nature-oriented and traditional farming methods.

ID: 3.127

Vernagtferner: Long-term glaciological, meteorological and hydrological observations from a medium-sized alpine glacier

Anja Wendt
Mayer, Christoph; Siebers, Matthias; Lambrecht, Astrid; Hofmeister, Florentin

Abstract/Description

Vernagtferner in the Ötztal Alps is one of approximately 3900 glaciers in the Alps strongly affected by climate change. The first geodetic survey of the glacier was conducted in 1889 and observations intensified in the early 1970s with the construction of a hydro-meteorological observatory in the glacier forefield. Thus, time series of more than 50 years are available for seasonal glacier mass balance, meteorological conditions and runoff. The glacier is one of about 60 reference glaciers of the World Glacier Monitoring Service. The gauging station (2640 m) on its proglacial stream about 2 km downstream of the glacier tongue is probably the highest permanently-operated discharge gauge in the Alps.

These long-term observations document the continued glacier decline mainly due to increased summer ablation caused by rising temperatures. Years of extremely negative mass balance, like 2003 and 2022, seem to significantly change the melt conditions, with lasting consequences for subsequent years. The increase in summer melt also influences the characteristics and magnitude of runoff. The combined analysis of the variety of hydro-meteorological observations available at this site provides a comprehensive evaluation of the state and evolution of this high-alpine glacierized catchment.

ID: 3.136

A coupled snow-energy balance and glacier evolution model in the Alpine environment

Sohaib Baig
Goldberg, Daniel; Recinos Rivas, Beatriz; Essery, Richard

Abstract/Description

Glacier evolution modelling employs either temperature-index (TI) or energy-balance

formulations. Temperature-index requires only air temperature to simulate melt. However, the

parameters on which it depends (e.g. the Degree-Day factor) do not have any physical basis and

arise simply from calibration – and are expected to vary on a glacier-by-glacier basis, forcing

any projections made to rely on a curve-fitting exercise that may not apply in the future.

Energy-balance modelling takes account of transfer of heat through radiation and convection,

and in general processes within the snowpack such as refreezing. The former is very

computationally inexpensive and is used far more widely; while the latter is computationally

more expensive and requires more atmospheric inputs (often at higher frequencies) but is more

physically-based and more likely to apply to future scenarios.

This study integrates a energy-balance snow/glacier column model, factorial snowpack model

(FSM), with a glacier evolution model, the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM). Typically,

OGGM uses temperature-index technique (i.e. TI-OGGM) while this study replaces it with

FSM. Both are extremely computationally efficient. Additionally, FSM-OGGM generates

output at daily scale (instead of monthly outputs of OGGM), which is beneficial to hydrological

modelling. Here we carry out a comparison between TI-OGGM and FSM-OGGM applied to

the Rofental catchment, Austria. Climate data from the GSWP3-W5E5 are used as reference

from 1980 to 2020; TI-OGGM is calibrated to the region while FSM-OGGM is not. Both

models agree well with glacier-wide mass balance over this period, but both show large

deviations from observations when mass-balance profiles are considered, and this has impact

on modelled retreat. The results indicate shortcomings in the FSM-OGGM, but ones which can

be addressed by improved calibration; this is a subject of ongoing effort.

ID: 3.154

Sediment susceptibility index: a new methodology to measure the sediment torrential transit capacity in Alpin whatershed.

Anaïs Fichot

Abstract/Description

Cryosphere degradation in Alpine headwaters increases sediment supply, which can pose a hazard to valley bottoms only if sediments are both available for transport and effectively mobilized. Torrential systems play a crucial role in upstream-downstream sediment transfer. By re-establishing the torrent’s central role in propagating disturbances, we aim to assess a watershed’s susceptibility to transmitting sediments downstream. These processes are analyzed through sediment cascades, which characterize sediment fluxes and storage across catchment units. While sediment connectivity is often reduced to topographic parameters and fluxes are mesured by liquid flow estimations hat take little account of solid fluxes, a more comprehensive approach is required.

This study proposes a susceptibility index of sediment connectivity designed to quantify the efficiency of sediment cascades in Alpine watersheds. The objective is to compare and hierarchize catchments according to their capacity to transmit sediments downstream, within a hazard-oriented perspective. The approach combines regional-scale spatial analysis with local-scale process-based investigations.

At the regional scale, a semi-automated GIS-based methodology is applied to approximately 250 watersheds in the northern French Alps. Basin-scale morphometric and hypsometric parameters are used to characterize structural predisposition to sediment transfer. At the local scale, the analysis focuses on torrential reaches subdivided into longitudinal sections corresponding to functional channel segments. Within each section, indicators describing liquid and solid flow processes are quantified within the active channel band, defined as the full-bank activity zone.

Sediment connectivity is assessed using a pixel-based accumulation framework, whereby downstream conditions result from the cumulative influence of upstream sections. Spatial variability between successive sections allows the identification of functional discontinuities in sediment transfer, distinguishing sediment storage zones from efficient transport corridors. The resulting index integrates topographic controls, sediment stock availability, cryosphere-related sediment sources, and vegetation effects.

By explicitly restoring the role of torrential systems in controlling sediment cascade efficiency, this approach provides a quantitative and spatially explicit tool for assessing watershed susceptibility to upstream-to-downstream sediment transfer in Alpine environments.

Submitted Abstracts

Abstracts are only visible to (co-)chairs at the moment. Please log in with your account to see this list.

Live View from Obergurgl

Regional Mountain Conference

Obergurgl | Austria

Reg. Mount. Conference

FS 26.120

Open Poster Session

Details

Full Title

Scheduled

Chair

Co-chair(s)

Thematic Focus

Keywords

Abstract/Description

Registered Abstracts

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Submitted Abstracts

Details of the used icons/symbols

Details of the used icons/symbols

About us

Share this content

General Info

General Info

Get in contact