Changes in the Behaviour of the Unteraargletscher in the Last 125 Years

Abstract

All the measurements involved concern the glacier tongue between its end and 2 600 m a.s.l. The total loss of volume of the Unteraargletscher since its last maximum advance (1871) is estimated to be 2.4 km3, which corresponds to a mean surface lowering of 0.67 m/year (referred to a total glacierized area ofc. 40 km2on average). The considerable slowing down of the glacier flow velocity over the 125 years is primarily attributable to the marked decrease in the sliding component, whereas the shear component has only changed slightly. This behaviour is connected with the fact that the decrease in ice thickness has been accompanied by an increase in surface slope, so that the two effects on the shear component partially compensate each other. The seasonal variations in surface velocity were measured simultaneously at two profiles by Agassiz and his team in 1845/46. These variations are due to the variable amount of melt water and the resulting variations in hydrostatic pressure in the contact zone between ice and bedrock, in which the plastic contraction of the water channels plays a decisive role. This leads to the problem of water circulation in the interior of a glacier and its importance in the sliding process. Finally a simple method for the approximate calculation of the longitudinal profile of the surface of a glacier tongue in a steady state and with constant ablation is indicated.