Submitted pre-prints

Halloran, L.J.S., and Amschwand, D. (accepted): Investigating seasonal and multi-decadal water/ice storage changes in the Murtèl rock glacier using time-lapse gravimetry. The Cryosphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3933.

Peer-reviewed publications

Amschwand, D., Tschan, S., Scherler, M.†, Hoelzle, M., Krummenacher, B., Haberkorn, A., Kienholz, C., Aschwanden, L., and Gubler, H.: Seasonal ice storage changes and meltwater generation at Murtèl rock glacier (Engadine, eastern Swiss Alps): estimates from measurements and energy budgets in the coarse blocky active layer, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 2219–2253, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-2219-2025, 2025.

Amschwand, D., Wicky, J., Scherler, M.†, Hoelzle, M., Krummenacher, B., Haberkorn, A., Kienholz, C., and Gubler, H.: Sub-surface processes and heat fluxes at coarse blocky Murtèl rock glacier (Engadine, eastern Swiss Alps): seasonal ice and convective cooling render rock glaciers climate-robust, Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 365–401, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-365-2025, 2025.

Amschwand D., Scherler M.†, Hoelzle M., Krummenacher B., Haberkorn A., Kienholz C., and Gubler H.: Surface heat fluxes at coarse-blocky Murtèl rock glacier (Engadine, eastern Swiss Alps). The Cryosphere, 18, 2103–2139, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2103-2024, 2024.

Amschwand, D., Ivy-Ochs, S., Frehner, M., Steinemann, O., Christl, M., and Vockenhuber, C.: Deciphering the evolution of the Bleis Marscha rock glacier (Val d’Err, eastern Switzerland) with cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating, aerial image correlation, and finite element modeling. The Cryosphere, 15, 2057–2081, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2057-2021, 2021.

Selected short conference abstracts and articles

EGU 2025, Vienna (Austria), 27 April–2 May, 2025:
Amschwand, D., Halloran, L., Vonder Mühll, D., Hoelzle, M., and Beutel, J.: Testing time-lapse gravimetry on Murtèl rock glacier (Swiss Alps) to quantify subsurface water/ice storage changes [PICO], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6793.

15th D-A-CH+F Permafrost Conference, Davos (Switzerland), January 8–10, 2025:
Amschwand D., and Halloran, L.J.S.: Testing time-lapse gravimetry on Murtèl rock glacier (Upper Engadin) to spatially resolve subsurface water/ice storage changes [poster].

Wicky J., Amschwand D., Hoelzle M., Kienholz C., and Krummenacher, B.:
Wasserverfügbarkeit in den Alpen: Eine aktuelle Einordnung der Rolle des Permafrosts. Article in: «Wasser Energie Luft» – 116. Jahrgang, 2024, Heft 3 (Schweizerischer Wasserwirtschaftsverband).

CH-QUAT Annual Meeting, Bern (Switzerland), March 16, 2024:
Amschwand D., Popescu R., and Zegers, G.: Airflow patterns in ventilated talus slopes and rock glaciers revealed by below-ground anemometer measurements [poster].

14th D-A-CH Permafrost Conference (Treffen der D-A-CH Permafrost Union, formerly Arbeitskreis Permafrost), Oberelsbach (Germany), January 10–12, 2024:
Amschwand D., Wicky J., Scherler M., Hoelzle M., Krummenacher B., Haberkorn A., Kienholz C., and Gubler H.: What renders coarse-blocky permafrost landforms climate resilient? Quantitative insights and active-layer energy budget from Murtèl rock glacier derived from in-situ measurements (eastern Swiss Alps) [talk].

21st Swiss Geoscience Meeting (SGM 2023), Mendrisio (Switzerland), Nov 17–18, 2023:
Amschwand D., Tschan S., Scherler M., Hoelzle M., Haberkorn A., Krummenacher B., Aschwanden L., and Gubler H.: Depicting the water and ice cycle on Murtèl rock glacier [poster].

6th European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP 2023), Puigcerdà (Catalonia, Spain), June 18–22, 2023:
• Amschwand D., Tschan, S., Scherler M.†, Hoelzle M., Haberkorn A., Kienholz C., Krummenacher B., Aschwanden L., and Gubler H.-U.: Quantifying the meltwater released from rock glaciers with an energy approach: Insights on seasonal ground ice formation and melting in rock glacier Murtèl (Engadine, Switzerland) from in-situ measurements [talk].
• Amschwand D., Scherler M.†, Hoelzle M., Haberkorn A., Kienholz C., Krummenacher B., and Gubler H.-U.: Detailed surface energy balance measurements on rock glacier Murtèl (Engadine, Switzerland): New views into the interaction between atmosphere and the active layer [>poster].

International Workshop on High-Resolution Thermal Earth Observation (EO), Frascati (Italy), May 10–12, 2023:
Naegeli K., Amschwand D., and Hoelzle M.: Multi-scale thermal infrared remote sensing to monitor land surface temperatures over Murtèl rock glacier, Switzerland.

26th Alpine Glaciology Meeting, Birmensdorf (Switzerland), Feb 09–10, 2023:
Amschwand D., Scherler M.†, Hoelzle M., Haberkorn A., Krummenacher B., and Gubler H.-U.: The 2020–2022 surface energy balance of rock glacier Murtèl: the role of rain and snow [>poster].

20th Swiss Geoscience Meeting (SGM 2022), Lausanne (Switzerland), Nov 18–20, 2022:
Amschwand D., Scherler M.†, Hoelzle M., Haberkorn A., Krummenacher B., and Gubler H.-U.: Energy fluxes in the coarse debris mantle of rock glacier Murtèl estimated from in-situ measurements [talk].
Amschwand D., Tschan S., Scherler M.†, Aschwanden L., and Hoelzle M.: Rock glacier hydrology with the magnifiying glass: Where do the solutes in the Murtèl outflow come from? [>poster].

International Mountain Conference 2022 (IMC22), Innsbruck (Austria), Sept 11–15, 2022:
Amschwand D., Arenson L., Bast A., Beutel J., Bolch T., Cicoira A., Farinotti, D., Fiddes J., Frauenfelder R., Frehner M., Gärtner-Roer I., Gruber S., Gubler H.-U., Haeberli W., Hauck C., Hilbich C., Hoelzle M., Jenk T., Kääb A., Leysinger Vieli G., Mollaret C., Junghardt J., Noetzli J., Pellet C., Salzmann N., Scherler M., Springman S., Vieli A., Vonder Mühll D., and Wicky J.: Research history of the Murtèl-Corvatsch rock glacier: 50 years of scientific advances and long-standing observations in mountain permafrost [talk with A. Cicoira, >presentation slides].

2021 Regional Conference on Permafrost & 19th International Conference on Permafrost Engineering, Boulder (CO), USA/virtual conference, Oct 24–29, 2021:
Amschwand D., Scherler M., Hoelzle M., Krummenacher B., Haberkorn, A. and Gubler H.-U.:
Novel subsurface measurement setup to investigate heat transfer processes within the debris mantle of rock glacier Murtèl (Engadine, eastern Swiss Alps). [>2021 RCOP & ICCRE abstract][>RCOP21 poster][>Video supplement]

18th Swiss Geoscience Meeting (SGM 2020), Zürich (Switzerland), Nov 6–7, 2020:
Amschwand D., Scherler M., Hoelzle M., Krummenacher B., Kienholz C. and Gubler H.-U.:
A ‘subsurface weather station’ to measure boulder-mantle heat fluxes on Murtèl rock glacier. [>SGM18 abstract][>SGM18 poster]

16th Swiss Geoscience Meeting (SGM 2018), Bern (Switzerland), Nov 30–Dec 1, 2018:
Amschwand D., Ivy-Ochs S., Frehner M., Steinemann O. and Christl M.:
Combining exposure dating, finite-element modelling, and feature tracking to decipher rockglacier evolution: A case study from the Bleis Marscha rockglacier (Val d’Err, Grisons). [>SGM16 abstract][>SGM16 poster]

5th European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP 2018), Chamonix-Mont Blanc (France), June 23–July 1, 2018:
Amschwand D., Ivy-Ochs S., Frehner M., Kronig O. and Christl M.:
Active, inactive, relict: Tracking the evolution of the Bleis Marscha rockglacier (Val d’Err, Grisons) with cosmogenic nuclide dating and finite-element modelling. [poster]

11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016), Potsdam (Germany), June 20–24, 2016:
Frehner M., Amschwand D. and Gärtner-Roer I.
Non-linearity of rockglacier flow law determined from geomorphological observations: A case study from the Murtèl rockglacier (Engadin, SE Switzerland). [poster, >ICOP11 Abstract]

Theses

PhD thesis at University of Fribourg in collaboration with GEOTEST AG under the supervision of M. Hoelzle, C. Hauck, M. Scherler† and B. Krummenacher, April 2024:
Measuring and modelling of heat exchange processes and runoff in coarse-blocky permafrost terrain
Thesis jury: M. Hoelzle, C. Hauck, B. Krummenacher, J. Noetzli, and L. Arenson.
Keywords: mountain permafrost • rock glacier • surface energy balance • permafrost hydrology
Published in the Alpine Cryosphere and Geomorphology Studies 10, University of Fribourg [>PDF].

MSc thesis at ETH Zürich under the supervision of PD Dr. Susan Ivy-Ochs, PD Dr. Marcel Frehner and Olivia Kronig, September 2018:
Active, inactive, relict: Tracking the evolution of the Bleis Marscha rockglacier (Val d’Err, Grisons) with cosmogenic nuclide dating and finite-element modelling [>PDF]
Keywords: rockglacier • periglacial geomorphology • ¹⁰Be exposure dating • Late Glacial–Holocene climate history • finite-element modelling • image correlation • inverse problems

BSc thesis at ETH Zürich under the supervision of Dr. Marcel Frehner (ETH Zürich) and Dr. Isabelle Gärtner-Roer (University of Zürich), June 2016:
Rock glacier flow–law exponent determined from geomorphological observations: A case study from the Murtèl rock glacier (Engadin)

Data set

Amschwand, D., Scherler, M., Hoelzle, M., Krummenacher, B., Tschan, S., Aschwanden, L., and Gubler, H.: Murtèl rock glacier PERMA-XT data set (2020–2023), University of Fribourg/GEOTEST Zollikofen [data set], https://www.permos.ch/doi/permos-spec-2023-1, 2023.