Snow is disappearing, the supposedly “eternal” glacial ice is melting, mountains are crumbling. Mountainous regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Take our quiz to get ready for the upcoming public event ETH Klimarunde on the topic “climate change in the mountains”.
In the quiz series, we take you on a tour of discovery through remarkable, peculiar and fun facts from ETH Zurich’s research and teaching. This edition is dedicated to the topic of climate change and the mountains.
This year’s ETH Klimarunde invites residents to discuss topics related to climate change in the mountains. On Wednesday 23 October, visitors can attend presentations, learn about the latest developments in the field and talk to experts face-to-face during roundtable discussions.
Quiz: Climate change in the mountains
- Question 1 of 8
1. According to the Swiss climate scenarios CH2018 from MeteoSwiss and ETH Zurich, without strengthened climate protection worldwide, Switzerland’s climate will be typified by hot, dry summers, heavy precipitation and winters with little snow. How many metres could the winter zero degree level increase by mid-century (about 2060) compared with today?
✓ Correct Without climate protection, the winter zero degree level could move up by as much as 650 metres; i.e. from the current 850 metres to 1,500 metres above sea level. This means that winters will become much warmer. There will be more precipitation, but often in the form of rain. The snowy areas of Switzerland will thus shrink sharply. More on this topic here or on the NCCS website (Image: CH2018 / MeteoSchweiz)
✘ False Without climate protection, the winter zero degree level could move up by as much as 650 metres; i.e. from the current 850 metres to 1,500 metres above sea level. This means that winters will become much warmer. There will be more precipitation, but often in the form of rain. The snowy areas of Switzerland will thus shrink sharply. More on this topice here or on the NCCS website (Image: CH2018 / MeteoSchweiz)
- Question 2 of 8
2. To study the long-term development of glaciers throughout the country, Switzerland has a comprehensive monitoring network in which ETH Zurich plays a major part. What is this monitoring system called?
✓ Correct The Swiss glacier monitoring network is called Glamos (Glacier Monitoring Schweiz). Glamos measures annual changes in the length of hundreds of glaciers at their termini. In addition, complex measurements are performed on certain glaciers (such as the Great Aletsch, Allalin, Clariden, Basòdino, Giétro, Gries, Plaine Morte, Silvretta) twice a year to calculate their mass balance and flow. The data inventory of Swiss glaciers now also includes 3D glacier models. More on this topic here and the Glamos website
✘ False The Swiss glacier monitoring network is called Glamos (Glacier Monitoring Schweiz). Glamos measures annual changes in the length of hundreds of glaciers at their termini. In addition, complex measurements are performed on certain glaciers (such as the Great Aletsch, Allalin, Clariden, Basòdino, Giétro, Gries, Plaine Morte, Silvretta) twice a year to calculate their mass balance and flow. The data inventory of Swiss glaciers now also includes 3D glacier models. More on this topic here and the Glamos website
- Question 3 of 8
3. Why is it generally considered important to document a dying “species” such as the glaciers in the Swiss Alps (and around the world) very precisely?
✓ Correct The glaciers in the alpine regions have a key function as seasonal water reservoirs, because they help compensate for the large efflux of water throughout the year. Melt-off from the ice masses is crucial to water, energy and agriculture in many regions of the world. More on this topic
✘ False The glaciers in the alpine regions have a key function as seasonal water reservoirs, because they help compensate for the large efflux of water throughout the year. Melt-off from the ice masses is crucial to water, energy and agriculture in many regions of the world. More on this topic
- Question 4 of 8
4. Ice masses in the Alps are important water reservoirs. ETH researchers are also worried about how to compensate for the diminishing reservoir capacities of glaciers in the Alps. What methods have been recently discussed in more detail?
✓ Correct If the glacial ice melts in the coming decades, these basins will open up and could be “converted”. For this reason, researchers are considering replacing the hydrological function of glaciers in today’s water cycle with reservoir dams. More on this topic (Image: Matthias Huss/ETH Zurich)
✘ False If the glacial ice melts in the coming decades, these basins will open up and could be “converted”. For this reason, researchers are considering replacing the hydrological function of glaciers in today’s water cycle with reservoir dams. More on this topic (Image: Matthias Huss/ETH Zurich)
- Question 5 of 8
5. Since 2000, the ice front of the Great Aletsch Glacier has retracted by about a kilometre. What volume of ice and surface area would be lost by the end of the century if global warming is kept within two degrees Celsius, as set out in the Paris climate agreement?
✓ Correct In this case, current calculations conclude that both the ice volume and the length would decrease by 50 percent from its present state. This assumes a massive drop in global greenhouse emissions in the near future and the stabilisation of the climate from about 2040. What happens to the Aletsch Glacier if emissions do not fall? Find out here (Image: Matthias Huss/ETH Zurich)
✘ False In this case, current calculations conclude that both the ice volume and the length would decrease by 50 percent from its present state. This assumes a massive drop in global greenhouse emissions in the near future and the stabilisation of the climate from about 2040. What happens to the Aletsch Glacier if emissions do not fall? Find out here (Image: Matthias Huss/ETH Zurich)
- Question 6 of 8
6. As part of the PermaSense project, scientists from ETH Zurich and other institutions have been using a state-of-the-art wireless sensor network for ten years to monitor the destabilisation of rock faces and fissures in permafrost on one particular mountain ridge. Which mountain are they studying?
✓ Correct The PermaSense sensor network has been taking continual measurements on the Matterhorn’s Hörnli ridge for the past ten years to monitor the state of its rock and permafrost. It has now produced one of the most comprehensive datasets in the history of permafrost research. PermaSense was launched in 2003 after 1,500 cubic metres of rock dislodged from the Matterhorn’s Hörnli ridge – roughly the volume of two family houses. More on this topic (Image: PermaSense)
✘ False The PermaSense sensor network has been taking continual measurements on the Matterhorn’s Hörnli ridge for the past ten years to monitor the state of its rock and permafrost. It has now produced one of the most comprehensive datasets in the history of permafrost research. PermaSense was launched in 2003 after 1,500 cubic metres of rock dislodged from the Matterhorn’s Hörnli ridge – roughly the volume of two family houses. More on this topic (Image: PermaSense)
- Question 7 of 8
7. In September 2016, researchers from ETH Zurich discovered porcini mushrooms above Scuol in the Lower Engadine – the highest documented altitude at which the popular edible mushroom has been found in the Alps. At what altitude was the mushroom found?
✓ Correct The researchers found the porcini mushroom in the middle of the Motta Naluns ski area in the Lower Engadine, at an altitude of 2,440 metres above sea level. This was an high-altitude record for porcini mushrooms in the Alps. Global warming has probably enabled the porcini to move and survive at higher altitudes. More on this topic (Image: Artemis Treindl/ETH Zurich)
✘ False The researchers found the porcini mushroom in the middle of the Motta Naluns ski area in the Lower Engadine, at an altitude of 2,440 metres above sea level. This was an high-altitude record for porcini mushrooms in the Alps. Global warming has probably enabled the porcini to move and survive at higher altitudes. More on this topic (Image: Artemis Treindl/ETH Zurich)
- Question 8 of 8
8. The livelihoods of people living in mountain regions depend on healthy alpine forests and their protective functions. How is climate change affecting alpine forests?
✓ Correct The alpine forest is suffering from climate change, since the existing tree species are disappearing due to extreme events, such as drought, insect infestation and windfall, and new tree species cannot settle quickly enough. In the long term, the forest will adapt to climate change, but the latest science predicts that this will take many decades. More on this topic (Image: ETH Sustainability)
✘ False The alpine forest is suffering from climate change, since the existing tree species are disappearing due to extreme events, such as drought, insect infestation and windfall, and new tree species cannot settle quickly enough. In the long term, the forest will adapt to climate change, but the latest science predicts that this will take many decades. More on this topic (Image: ETH Sustainability)
Comments
No comments yet