Excursion of the Swiss Young Geomorphologists (SGmS)

In May, the Young Geomorphologists’ excursion will take place at the Jungfraujoch, known for its mountain rack railway arriving at 3454 m a.s.l., giving an entry point to a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage alpine landscape. Today, as a result of a warming climate, glaciers are retreating, and the thawing permafrost is leaving fractures within the mountains. This has an impact on rock stability and the preservation of technical and tourist facilities. The consequences of this rapidly changing glacial and periglacial environment on the surrounding infrastructures have been assessed through permafrost monitoring and modelling by GEOTEST over the last decades. During this one-day excursion at the Jungfraujoch, we will discuss some of the main issues related to the monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure built in high mountain environments with Dr. Pierre Dalban, geological engineer from GEOTEST. We will also discuss the dynamics of mountain permafrost from a scientific perspective, including the challenges of data acquisition and monitoring in steep permafrost rock slope with Dr. Samuel Weber, scientific collaborator from SLF.

Programme

Registration is no longer possible as the excursion is full.