Jeannette Noetzli

• PhD
• Permafrost researcher / head PERMOS at WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF

Mountain permafrost, constituting 30% of the global permafrost area, is sensitive to climate change and strongly impacts mountain ecosystems and communities. This study examines 21st century permafrost warming in European mountains using decadal ground temperature data from sixty-four boreholes in the Alps, Scandinavia, Iceland, Sierra Nevada and S...

This is a correction for Kellerer-Pirklbauer et al (2024 Environ. Res. Lett. 19 034022).

Cryospheric long-term timeseries get increasingly important. To document climate-related effects on long-term viscous creep of ice-rich mountain permafrost, we investigated timeseries (1995–2022) of geodetically-derived Rock Glacier Velocity (RGV), i.e., spatially averaged interannual velocity timeseries related to a rock glacier unit or part of it...

Climate-related permafrost is widespread in cold mountains and heavily affects slope stability. As a subsurface phenomenon, however, it is often still absent in the perception of key partners concerning the discussion and anticipation of long-term impacts on high mountain regions from continued global warming. Outreach and knowledge transfer, there...

Le permafrost (pergélisol) lié au climat est très répandu dans les montagnes froides et affecte fortement la stabilité des pentes. Cependant, en tant que phénomène de subsurface, il est encore souvent absent de la perception des partenaires clés en ce qui concerne la discussion et l’anticipation des impacts à long terme sur les régions de haute mon...

Ground temperatures in alpine terrain are variable over short distances, particularly due to differences in elevation and incoming solar radiation. To allow direct comparisons between sites, regions, and disciplines, we use a new parameter called the potential 0 °C isotherm (PZDI) in ground. This parameter is aspect- and elevation-independent and r...

Monitoring of the periglacial environment is relevant for many disciplines including glaciology, natural hazard management, geomorphology, and geodesy. Since October 2022, Rock Glacier Velocity (RGV) is a new Essential Climate Variable (ECV) product within the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). However, geodetic surveys at high elevation remai...

Permafrost temperatures are increasing globally with the potential of adverse environmental and socio-economic impacts. Nonetheless, the attribution of observed permafrost warming to anthropogenic climate change has relied mostly on qualitative evidence. Here, we compare long permafrost temperature records from 15 boreholes in the northern hemisphe...

Mountain permafrost • Thermal subsurface phenomenon | T ≤ 0°C | independent of ice content • Found hidden in debris and bedrock slopes above the treeline • Inhomogeneous characteristics and distribution, e.g. varying ice contents, from ice-poor (rock walls) to ice-rich (rock glaciers) • Affects landscape evolution, infrastructure, and natural haza...

The surface energy balance is a key factor influencing the ground thermal regime. With ongoing climate change, it is crucial to understand the interactions of the individual heat fluxes at the surface and within the subsurface layers, as well as their relative impacts on the permafrost thermal regime. A unique set of high-altitude meteorological me...

Permafrost temperatures have increased in polar and high-elevation regions, affecting the climate system and the integrity of natural and built environments. In this Review, we outline changes in the thermal state of permafrost, focusing on permafrost temperatures and active-layer thickness. Increases in permafrost temperature vary spatially owing...

Permafrost warming is coinciding with accelerated mass movements, talking place especially in steep, mountainous topography. While this observation is backed up by evidence and analysis of both remote sensing as well as repeat terrestrial surveys undertaken since decades much knowledge is to be gained about the specific details, the variability and...

A deadly cascade A catastrophic landslide in Uttarakhand state in India on February 2021 damaged two hydropower plants, and more than 200 people were killed or are missing. Shugar et al. describe the cascade of events that led to this disaster. A massive rock and ice avalanche roared down a Himalayan valley, turning into a deadly debris flow upstre...

The surface energy balance is a key factor influencing the ground thermal regime. With ongoing climate change, it is crucial to understand the interactions of the individual heat fluxes at the surface and within the subsurface layers as well as their relative impacts on permafrost thermal regime. A unique set of high-altitude meteorological measure...

Temperature measurements in boreholes are the most common method allowing the quantitative and direct observation of permafrost evolution in the context of climate change. Existing boreholes and monitoring networks often emerged in a scientific context targeting different objectives and with different setups. A standardized, well-planned and robust...

Rising air temperatures and increasingly intense precipitation are being observed in the Swiss Alps. These changes strongly affect the evolution of the temperature regime and the dynamics of mountain permafrost. Changes occur at different rates depending on ground ice content. Long-term monitoring reveals progressive warming and degradation of perm...

Alpine permafrost is currently warming, leading to changes such as active layer deepening and talik formation. Frequency domain electro-magnetometry (FDEM) measurements were tested as a simple and efficient method to investigate ground characteristics along two transects on the ice-rich Schafberg rock glacier in the Eastern Swiss Alps. The results...

This paper reviews and analyses the past 20 years of change and variability of European mountain permafrost in response to climate change based on time series of ground temperatures along a south–north transect of deep boreholes from Sierra Nevada in Spain (37°N) to Svalbard (78°N), established between 1998 and 2000 during the EU-funded PACE (Perma...

The cryosphere (including, snow, glaciers, permafrost, lake and river ice) is an integral element of high mountain regions, which are home to roughly 10% of the global population. Widespread cryosphere changes affect physical, biological and human systems in the mountains and surrounding lowlands, with impacts evident even in the ocean. Building on...

Mountain permafrost is invisible, and mapping it is still a challenge. Available permafrost distribution maps often overestimate the permafrost extent and include large permafrost-free areas in their permafrost zonation. In addition, the representation of the lower belt of permafrost consisting of ice-rich features such as rock glaciers or ice-rich...

Permafrost warming has the potential to amplify global climate change, because when frozen sediments thaw it unlocks soil organic carbon. Yet to date, no globally consistent assessment of permafrost temperature change has been compiled. Here we use a global data set of permafrost temperature time series from the Global Terrestrial Network for Perma...

A new countrywide permafrost distribution map of Switzerland is presented, indicating ground temperatures and ice content. The new representation of ground temperatures is achieved by distinguishing ice-poor and ice-rich permafrost in the modelling process. There is a very significant correlation of ground temperatures with elevation and potential...

On 26 June 2008, a rock avalanche detached in the northeast facing slope of Polvartinden, a high-alpine mountain in Signaldalen, northern Norway. Here, we report on the observed and modelled past and present near-surface temperature regime close to the failure zone, as well as on a subsequent simulation of the subsurface temperature regime, and on...

Permafrost is recognized as Essential Climate Variable (ECV) within the Global Climate Observing System of UN and ICSU organisations. The Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) is the primary international programme concerned with long-term monitoring of permafrost. The core mission of the GTN-P is sustained comprehensive long-term monit...

Permafrost is a widespread phenomenon in mountainous regions of the world such as the European Alps. Many important topics such as the future evolution of permafrost related to climate change and the detection of permafrost related to potential natural hazards sites are of major concern to our society. Numerical permafrost models are the only tools...

In June 2008, a rockslide detached in the northeast facing slope of Polvartinden, a high-alpine mountain in Signaldalen, Northern Norway. Here, we report on the observed and modelled past and present near-surface temperature regime close to the failure zone, as well as on a subsequent simulation of the subsurface temperature regime, and on initial...

The present report on permafrost in the Swiss Alps covers the four hydrological years 2010/2011 to 2013/2014, that is the contract period 2011–2014 of the Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network (PERMOS). State and changes of permafrost in the Swiss Alps are observed based on temperature measurements at the ground surface and at depth, changes in unfro...

Ground surface temperatures (GST) are widely measured in mountain permafrost areas, but their time series data can be interrupted by gaps. Gaps complicate the calculation of aggregates and indices required for analysing temporal and spatial variability between loggers and sites. We present an algorithm to estimate daily mean GST and the resulting u...

Permafrost is a widespread phenomenon in the European Alps. Many important topics such as the future evolution of permafrost related to climate change and the detection of permafrost related to potential natural hazards sites are of major concern to our society. Numerical permafrost models are the only tools which facilitate the projection of the f...

ABSTRACT The Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P, gtnp.org) established the new ‘dynamic’ GTN-P Database (gtnpdatabase.org), which targets the Essential Climate Variable (ECV) permafrost, described by the thermal state of permafrost (TSP) and active layer thickness (ALT). This paper outlines the requirements for assessing the GTN-P dat...

Thermal and surface offsets describe mean annual ground temperature relative to mean annual air temperature, and for permafrost modelling they are often predicted as a function of surface characteristics and topography. As macroclimatic conditions influence the effectiveness of the underlying processes, knowledge of surface- and topography-specific...

Permafrost and related thermo-hydro-mechanical processes are thought to influence high alpine rock wall stability, but a lack of field measurements means that the characteristics and processes of rock wall permafrost are poorly understood. To help remedy this situation, in 2005 work began to install a monitoring system at the Aiguille du Midi (3842...

Permafrost and related thermo-hydro-mechanical processes are thought to influence high alpine rock wall stability, but a lack of field measurements means that the characteristics and processes of rock wall permafrost are poorly understood. To help remedy this situation, in 2005 work began to install a monitoring system at the Aiguille du Midi (3842...

Grosse Nord-Süd-Unterschiede bei den Schneefällen und ein warmer, aber wechselhafter Sommer resultierten in entsprechenden Unterschieden hinsichtlich Schneedecke, Gletschermas­senbilanz und Permafrosterwärmung. Als Folge einer langfristigen Entwicklung trennte sich erneut bei drei Gletschern ein Teil der Zunge ab.

the-cryosphere-discuss.net/8/4779/2014/ doi:10.5194/tcd-8-4779-2014 © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License. This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal The Cryosphere (TC). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in TC if available. Abstract Abstract Thermal offset and surface offset are terms that describe the deviat...

In June 2008 a rock slide with an estimated volume of 500,000 m3 detached from the NE-slope of Polvartinden, a mountain in the Signal valley, Northern Norway. Ground surface temperature measurements were initiated in 2009. Several locations along the NNW-ridge of Polvartinden and in the valley ground were instrumented with miniature temperature dat...

For the first time in serveral years, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation did not dominate regional climate conditions around the globe. A weak La Ni a dissipated to ENSOneutral conditions by spring, and while El Nino appeared to be emerging during summer, this phase never fully developed as sea surface temperatures in the eastern conditions. Neverthe...

Ground Surface Temperatures (GST) are mainly controlled by atmospheric factors and topographical effects and represent an important standard element within the operational permafrost monitoring network PERMOS in Switzerland. Due to its shape, position and extent the Alpine arc is influenced by prevailing winds from several directions provoking a co...

This report on permafrost in the Swiss Alps covers the two hydrological years 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. It is the second report of the implementation phase 2007–2010 of the Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network PERMOS and the 5th of its kind. It completes the first 10 years of official PERMOS operation, which started with a first pilot phase in the ye...

The objective of this study is the production of an Alpine Permafrost Index Map (APIM) covering the entire European Alps. A unified statistical model that is based on Alpine-wide permafrost observations is used for debris and bedrock surfaces across the entire Alps. The explanatory variables of the model are mean annual air temperatures, potential...

Many high‐mountain environments of the world have seen dramatic changes in the past years and decades. Glaciers are retreating and downwasting, often at a dramatically fast pace, leaving large amounts of potentially unstable debris, moraines and rock slopes behind. Although in the main invisible to the eye of an observer, permafrost, i.e. rock and...

Permafrost in the Alps occurs within three main landforms - rock glaciers, debris slopes and steep bedrock. In contrast to rock glaciers and debris slopes, permafrost in steep bedrock reacts directly, fast and sensitively to changes in atmospheric conditions and these areas are therefore important for monitoring purposes. In addition, the observati...

The objective of this study is the production of an Alpine Permafrost Index Map (APIM) covering the entire European Alps. A unified statistical model that is based on Alpine-wide permafrost observations is used for debris and bedrock surfaces across the entire Alps. The explanatory variables of the model are mean annual air temperatures, potential...

The ongoing debate about the effects of changes in the high-mountain cryosphere on rockfalls and rock avalanches suggests a need for more knowledge about characteristics and distribution of recent rock-slope instabilities. This paper investigates 56 sites with slope failures between 1900 and 2007 in the central European Alps with respect to their g...

Estimates of permafrost distribution in mountain regions are important for the assessment of climate change effects on natural and human systems. In order to make permafrost analyses and the establishment of guidelines for e.g. construction or hazard assessment comparable and compatible between regions, one consistent and traceable model for the en...

Für die Erstellung einer Karte zur potentiellen Verbreitung von Permafrost in den europäischen Alpen vereinen Forschende zwei Ansätze: Blockgletscherinventardaten informieren über Permafrostvorkommen im grobblockigen Schutt, Temperaturmessungen im steilen Fels geben Auskunft über das Auftreten im kompakten Fels.

Since permafrost in steep rockwalls is mainly climatically controlled, the ongoing climate warming potentially strongly impacts frequency and magnitude of rockfalls in high-alpine rock faces in the near future. However, knowledge about the role of permafrost is still limited. This is especially because of measurement difficulties (invisibility of p...

The objective of this study is the production of an Alpine Permafrost Index Map (APIM) covering the entire European Alps. A unified statistical model that is based on Alpine-wide permafrost observations is used for debris and bedrock surfaces across the entire Alps. The explanatory variables of the model are mean annual air temperatures, potential...

The investigation and modelling of permafrost distribution, particularly in areas of discontinuous permafrost, is challenging due to spatial heterogeneity, remoteness of measurement sites and data scarcity. We have designed a strategy for standardizing different local data sets containing evidence of the presence or absence of permafrost into an in...

Permafrost distribution modeling in densely populated mountain regions is an important task to support the construction of infrastructure and for the assessment of climate change effects on permafrost and related natural systems. In order to analyze permafrost distribution and evolution on an Alpine-wide scale, one consistent model for the entire d...

The investigation and modelling of permafrost distribution, particularly in areas of discontinuous permafrost, is challenging due to spatial heterogeneity, remoteness of measurement sites and data scarcity. We have designed a strategy for standardizing different local data sets containing evidence of the presence or absence of permafrost into an in...

An overview is given of the relatively short history, important issues and primary challenges of research on permafrost in cold mountain regions. The systematic application of diverse approaches and technologies contributes to a rapidly growing knowledge base about the existence, characteristics and evolution in time of perennially frozen ground at...

Die Gletscher ziehen sich weiterhin zurück, ihre Masseänderungen waren regional sehr unterschiedlich, die Dauer und Mächtigkeit der Schneedecke war zumeist überdurchschnittlich, und der Permafrost erwärmte sich stark. So lauten die Resultate der Kryosphärenbeobachtung für den Zeitraum 2008/09. Sie sind die Folge von intensivem Schneefall im Winter...

Viel Schnee heisst nicht unbedingt, dass die Gletscher an Masse zulegen und der Permafrost gut gekühlt bleibt. Es kommt darauf an, wann die weisse Pracht fällt.

Im Gebiet der Zugspitze, dem mit 2962 m ü.M. höchsten Berg Deutschlands, sind auch die bedeutendsten Permafrostvorkommen des Landes zu finden. Der Felsgrat der Zugspitze ist steil und stark bebaut. Schon während der Bauarbeiten in den 1960er Jahren wurden massives Eis in Klüften und gefrorene Lockersedimente entdeckt. Allfällige Stabilitätsprobleme...

Permafrost distribution modelling in highly populated mountain regions is an important task and several differing modelling approaches exist. Most permafrost models in the Alps are calibrated for a local region and only applicable for a specific area. For analyzing the permafrost distribution and evolution on an alpine-wide scale, one consistent mo...

The network for permafrost monitoring in Switzerland (PERMOS) has been built up since the early 1990s aiming to document the state and changes of mountain permafrost on a long-term basis. Following a 6 year pilot-phase starting in 2000, the PERMOS network is now funded and integrated into the national and international monitoring structures. The ob...

The occurrence and changes of permafrost can influence the stability of high mountain rock walls among other factors such as topography, geology or hydrology. Knowledge of the connection between rock fall and permafrost is still limited, but several indications link past rock fall events and the warming of permafrost. For example, observation of nu...

We describe a 0.5 Mm3 rock avalanche that occurred in 2008 in the western Alps and discuss possible roles of controlling factors in the context of current climate change. The source is located between 2410m and 2653 m a.s.l. on Mont Crammont and is controlled by a densely fractured rock structure. The main part of the collapsed rock mass deposited...

Permafrost and its change in steep high-Alpine rock walls remain insufficiently understood because of the difficulties of in situ measurements. A large proportion of permafrost studies is mainly based on modelling, with a few existing instrumented sites and a resulting lack of process understanding. Yet, a number of rockfalls that occurred in the l...

In high mountain areas, permafrost is important because it influences natural hazards and construction practices, and because it is an indicator of climate change. The modeling of its distribution and evolution over time is complicated by steep and complex topography, highly variable conditions at and below the surface, and varying climatic conditi...

In mountain permafrost, temperature measurements are only feasible at a number of selected sites and their extrapolation in space and time is difficult because of high lateral variability of micro climate and ground conditions. The assessment of the distribution and evolution of ground temperatures in Alpine regions therefore relies to a large part...

Permafrost and its change in steep high-Alpine rock walls remain insufficiently understood because of the difficulties of in situ measurements. A large proportion of permafrost studies is mainly based on modelling, with a few existing instrumented sites and a resulting lack of process understanding. Yet, a number of rockfalls that occurred in the l...

We present a review of the changing state of European permafrost within a spatial zone that includes the continuous high latitude arctic permafrost of Svalbard and the discontinuous high altitude mountain permafrost of Iceland, Fennoscandia and the Alps. The paper focuses on methodological developments and data collection over the last decade or so...

The present report covers the period from October 2004 to September 2006. It is the last report of the pilot phase 2000–2006 of the network for permafrost monitoring in Switzerland (PERMOS). At this point, PERMOS includes (a) 11 drill sites (including 22 boreholes and geophysical monitoring at 4 of the sites), (b) 11 surface temperature sites (incl...