CH-QUAT Annual Meeting 2024

"Frozen Worlds" encompasses the diverse research of frozen environments and their significance for Earths past and present.

In the Swiss Alps, glacial archaeology unveils ancient artifacts, offering glimpses into past human activities and environmental conditions. Greenland's speleothems provide a record of mid to late Quaternary interglacials and the ice sheets preserve volcanic ash layers, providing timelines of past eruptions and their climatic impacts in the past.

Current climate warming is threatening high-alpine glaciers and their archives of the past. Rapidly changing mountain permafrost highlights the current climate's impact on landscape stability and associated risks. In Central Asia, a cryospheric monitoring network tracks changes in glaciers, snow cover, and permafrost, essential for regional water resource management and understanding climate change impacts. Collectively, these studies underscore the importance of frozen worlds in deciphering Earth's climate history and preparing for future environmental challenges.

Keynotes

• Regula Gubler (Archaeological Service, Kanton Bern) Frozen histories – glacial archaeology in the Swiss Alps
• Gina Moseley (University of Innsbruck) Greenland Speleothem Record of mid to late Quaternary interglacials
• Marcia Phillips (WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF) Mountain permafrost: current changes and their consequences
• Giovanni Baccolo (Paul Scherrer Institut) Glaciers as paleoclimatic archives in a warming world
• Robbie Shone (Photographer) Frozen Impressions from our Vanishing Hidden World
• Michael Sigl (University of Bern) Frozen memories of past eruptions: volcanism and climate through time
• Martin Hölzle (University of Fribourg) Cryospheric monitoring network in Central Asia

Winner of 2024 Poster award:

• Michelle Worek (PhD student, Paul Scherrer Institute)