GlaciersMD

Glacier changes directly contribute to sea-level rise and have an important role as natural freshwater resources. To project the evolution of these precious ice bodies, current modelling approaches typically rely on simplified glacier representations along flowlines, thereby inhibiting a realistic representation of glacier dynamics and evolution. In GlaciersMD, we will develop novel 3D ice flow modelling approaches to better represent the regional to global evolution of glaciers. Such large-scale glaciers models heavily rely on remotely sensed observations, which will here be complemented with new detailed observations that will be collected during fieldwork and allow for an elaborate model calibration and evaluation. Whereas current glacier modelling efforts are strongly biased towards the well-studied Northern Hemisphere glaciers, in GlaciersMD, an important part of the modelling work will focus on Southern Hemisphere glaciers. By combining fieldwork with advanced numerical modelling and machine learning efforts, we aim to better establish the link between changes in glaciers and their runoff, and quantify the effect this has on downstream environments. The GlaciersMD project is funded through an Odysseus Type II grant from the research foundation – Flanders (FWO).