Navigation auf zora.uzh.ch

Search ZORA

ZORA (Zurich Open Repository and Archive)

The Swiss Alpine glaciers’ response to the global ‘2 °C air temperature target’

Salzmann, Nadine; Machguth, Horst; Linsbauer, Andreas (2012). The Swiss Alpine glaciers’ response to the global ‘2 °C air temperature target’. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4):044001.

Abstract

While there is general consensus that observed global mean air temperature has increased during the past few decades and will very likely continue to rise in the coming decades, the assessment of the effective impacts of increased global mean air temperature on a specific regional-scale system remains highly challenging. This study takes up the widely discussed concept of limiting global mean temperature to a certain target value, like the so-called 2 °C target, to assess the related impacts on the Swiss Alpine glaciers. A model setup is introduced that uses and combines homogenized long-term meteorological observations and three ensembles of transient gridded Regional Climate Model simulations to drive a distributed glacier mass balance model under a (regionalized) global 2 °C target scenario. 101 glaciers are analyzed representing about 50% of the glacierized area and 75% of the ice volume in Switzerland. In our study, the warming over Switzerland, which corresponds to the global 2 °C target is met around 2030, 2045 and 2055 (depending on the ensemble) for Switzerland, and all glaciers have fully adjusted to the new climate conditions at around 2150. By this time and relative to the year 2000, the glacierized area and volume are both decreased to about 35% and 20%, respectively, and glacier-based runoff is reduced by about 70%.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:07 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography
Dewey Decimal Classification:910 Geography & travel
Scopus Subject Areas:Physical Sciences > Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Physical Sciences > General Environmental Science
Health Sciences > Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Language:English
Date:2012
Deposited On:14 Jan 2013 12:51
Last Modified:07 Feb 2025 02:45
Publisher:IOP Publishing
ISSN:1748-9326
OA Status:Gold
Free access at:Publisher DOI. An embargo period may apply.
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044001
Download PDF  'The Swiss Alpine glaciers’ response to the global ‘2 °C air temperature target’'.
Preview
  • Content: Published Version

Metadata Export

Statistics

Citations

Dimensions.ai Metrics
26 citations in Web of Science®
28 citations in Scopus®
Google Scholar™

Altmetrics

Downloads

121 downloads since deposited on 14 Jan 2013
3 downloads since 12 months
Detailed statistics

Authors, Affiliations, Collaborations

Similar Publications