Contrary to conventional wisdom that glaciers just carve landscapes, they can also form low-relief surfaces by sheltering rock from erosion, enriching understanding of how mountain landscapes evolve.
glaciers & ice sheets
Posted inEditors' Vox
Rock Glacier Velocity: Monitoring Permafrost Amid Climate Change
The movement of unique landforms called “rock glaciers” give insight into how climate change is impacting permafrost in mountainous regions.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 28 May 2025 catastrophic failure of the Birch Glacier and the partial burial of Blatten
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. Over the course of the last few days, I have been blogging about the evolving situation on the slopes above Blatten in Switzerland. I documented that attention slowly transitioned from worries about […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 28 May 2025 update on the landslide threatening Blatten in Switzerland
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. Over the last 24 hours there have been further developments in the situation on the slopes above Blatten in Switzerland, with attention continuing to focus primarily on the Birch Glacier. Yesterday evening […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 26/27 May 2025 update on the landslide threatening Blatten in Switzerland
Smaller rockfalls have reduced the risk of a major rock slope collapse above Blatten, but attention has shifted to the Birch Glacier, which is now moving at 10 metres per day. The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognised as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. Over […]
Posted inNews
Newly Discovered Algae May Speed Melting of Antarctic Ice
Purple pigmentation in a diverse array of algae absorbs heat and creates a feedback loop responsible for 2% of total daily melting.
Posted inResearch & Developments
NOAA Halts Maintenance of Key Arctic Data at National Snow and Ice Data Center
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) may no longer actively maintain or update some of its snow and ice data products after losing support from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, according to a 6 May announcement.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Images of the source of the 28 April 2025 landslide / GLOF at Vallunaraju in Peru
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. A few days ago I highlighted the severe landslide and GLOF that occurred on the flanks of Vallunaraju in Peru, on 28 April 2025, which caused substantial damage and at least two […]
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Organic Radiocarbon Reveals its Inorganic Ancestry in Lake Geneva
Organic and inorganic radiocarbon ages resolve the origin and dynamics of carbon in the largest natural lake of Western Europe.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 28 April 2025 Glacial Outburst Flood (GLOF) / landslide at Vallunaraju in Peru
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. On 28 April 2025, a major debris flow travelled down a channel from a major mountain, Vallunaraju, striking the communities lower down the slope. At least 100 houses were destroyed and two […]