From dwindling ice to headwater lakes: could dams replace glaciers in the European Alps?

Farinotti, Daniel; Pistocchi, Alberto; Huss, Matthias

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/054022

Cited by 61 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Glacier meltwater provided about 5.28 ± 0.48 km 3 a −1 of freshwater during 1980-2009. About 75 % of this volume occurred during July-September, providing water for large low-lying rivers including the Po, the Rhine and the Rhône (Farinotti et al, 2016). Under the context of climate change, decreases of glacier meltwater in both annual and summer runoff contributions are anticipated.…”

Section: Glacio-hydrological Responses To Climate Change: a Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Under the context of climate change, decreases of glacier meltwater in both annual and summer runoff contributions are anticipated. For example, annual runoff contributions from presently glacierized surfaces are expected to decrease by 13 % by 2070-2099 compared to 1980-2009, despite of nearly unchanged contributions from precipitation under RCP 4.5 (Farinotti et al, 2016).…”

Section: Glacio-hydrological Responses To Climate Change: a Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Review article: Hydrological modeling in glacierized catchments of central Asia – status and challenges

Chen

Fang

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Meltwater from glacierized catchments is one of the most important water supplies in central Asia. Therefore, the effects of climate change on glaciers and snow cover will have increasingly significant consequences for runoff. Hydrological modeling has become an indispensable research approach to water resources management in large glacierized river basins, but there is a lack of focus in the modeling of glacial discharge. This paper reviews the status of hydrological modeling in glacierized catchments of central Asia, discussing the limitations of the available models and extrapolating these to future challenges and directions. After reviewing recent efforts, we conclude that the main sources of uncertainty in assessing the regional hydrological impacts of climate change are the unreliable and incomplete data sets and the lack of understanding of the hydrological regimes of glacierized catchments of central Asia. Runoff trends indicate a complex response to changes in climate. For future variation of water resources, it is essential to quantify the responses of hydrologic processes to both climate change and shrinking glaciers in glacierized catchments, and scientific focus should be on reducing uncertainties linked to these processes.

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Section: Glacio-hydrological Responses To Climate Change: a Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Glacio-hydrological Responses To Climate Change: a Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review article: Hydrological modeling in glacierized catchments of central Asia – status and challenges

Chen

Fang

et al. 2017

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…For the period 2070 -2090, the simulations show a consistent decrease of glacier runoff for all HP catchments ( Figure S2 and Farinotti et al, 2016).…”

Section: Glacier Runoffmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…The concomitant glacier melt will result in a temporary increase of annual streamflow but ultimately lead to reduced annual flows in glacier-influenced catchments, with reduced flows in late summer (e.g. Farinotti et al, 2016).…”

Section: Climate Change Impact Projections On Hpmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of glacier retreat for Swiss hydropower production

Schaefli¹,

Manso²,

Fischer³

et al. 2017

Preprint

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High elevation or high latitude hydropower production (HP) strongly relies on water resources that are influenced by glacier melt and are thus highly sensitive to climate warming. Despite of the wide-spread glacier retreat since the development of HP infrastructure in the 20th century, little quantitative information is available about the role of glacier mass loss for HP. We provide the first regional quantification for the share of Alpine hydropower production that directly relies on the waters released by glacier mass loss, i.e. on depletion of long-term ice storage that cannot be replenished by precipitation in the coming decades. Based on the case of Switzerland (which produces over 50% of its electricity from hydropower), we show that since 1980, 3.0% to 4.0% (1.0 to 1.4 TWh yr-1) of the country-scale hydropower production was directly provided by the net glacier mass loss and that this share is likely to reduce substantially by 2040-2060. For the period 2070-2090, a production reduction of about 1.0 TWh yr-1 is anticipated. The highlighted regional differences, both in terms of HP share from glacier mass loss and in terms of timing of production decline, emphasize the need for similar analyses in other Alpine or high latitude regions.

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“…They specify annual greenhouse gas concentrations and anthropogenic emissions up to 2100. The runoff projections were further processed by [15] for 1576 glaciers in Switzerland. Output data are monthly-averaged runoff volumes at current glacier terminus, with precipitation on current glacier surface being included (but not on non-glaciated parts of the catchment).…”

Section: Site Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydropower Potential in the Periglacial Environment of Switzerland under Climate Change

et al. 2018

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Abstract:Hydropower is the most important domestic source of renewable energy in Switzerland. Many reservoirs are located in the periglacial environment of the Swiss Alps. Climate change and the changeover to a new energy system will challenge the existing infrastructure, but will also provide perspectives for new hydropower plants (HPPs). This study presents a framework for the systematic analysis of the hydropower potential of the periglacial Swiss Alps. The results are referenced to the Swiss Energy Strategy and other potential courses of action, such as upgrade of existing infrastructure. An evaluation matrix with 16 economical, environmental and social criteria for the consistent rating of all feasible sites is proposed. All criteria and their ratings are explained. It is demonstrated that the chosen methodology leads to a relatively stable ranking even for significantly different weighting models. Although being affected by uncertainties and remaining challenges, the methodology and results are sufficiently detailed for decision-making. Therefore, recommendations for future hydropower investments can be given. The results are strongly linked to Swiss boundary conditions, but the methodology itself is generally applicable for all glaciers worldwide, if the required input data are available.

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From dwindling ice to headwater lakes: could dams replace glaciers in the European Alps?

Cited by 61 publications

References 52 publications

Review article: Hydrological modeling in glacierized catchments of central Asia – status and challenges

Review article: Hydrological modeling in glacierized catchments of central Asia – status and challenges

The role of glacier retreat for Swiss hydropower production

Hydropower Potential in the Periglacial Environment of Switzerland under Climate Change

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