Plate
01
Glacier
ink on paper. Illustration.
Region
Alpine valley, sample site A
Year
2026
Duration
3 seasons
Survey passes
3
Control points
18
Slopes flagged
2
Sample site and example figures. Replace with real project data.
The question
A hydropower operator needed to know how the ice tongue and its lateral moraines would behave over the next permit period.
Approach
Repeat surveys each late summer from fixed control points. Surface models were differenced season to season, and moraine slopes were classed by angle and loose material.
What we found
Thinning was uneven: the lower tongue lost surface fastest, while the debris-covered middle section lagged. Two moraine slopes crossed the operator’s own stability threshold and were flagged for monitoring.
Limits
Ice thickness was inferred from surface change, not measured. Winter snow cover limited what the early-season passes could see.