Melanie Stammler

The presence and volume of high-mountain cryospheric features are drastically affected by rising air temperatures – on global scale. In the Dry Andes, precipitation is extremely scarce, shifting the hydrological significance towards the solid water storages, glaciers and ground ice. While glaciers decrease in surface area and volume, periglacially stored waters, e.g., in rock glaciers, react more retarded to atmospheric forcing, potentially buffering future water availability. Despite rising air temperatures, recent studies suggest stable permafrost conditions in the Dry Andes based on borehole investigation and rock glacier kinematics for the last decade. This apparent stability may partly reflect the extreme aridity conditions, limit snow insulation and liquid-water input, thereby damping inter-annual variability in ground thermal conditions and associated changes in rock glacier creep. We investigate vertical surface changes of 19 glaciers, three debris-covered glaciers and 59 rock glaciers in the Rodeo basin (Dry Andes, Argentina) for the time period 2019–2025. Further, we calculate rock glacier velocities for 47 of the 59 rock glaciers for which we have data for all time periods. Photogrammetric principles are followed using (tri)stereo, panchromatic Pléiades imagery to generate projected optical imagery and DEMs in Ames Stereo Pipeline. Resulting DEMs are co-registered prior to DEM differencing for vertical surface change calculation. To derive rock glacier velocities, a feature tracking approach is applied to panchromatic Pléiades orthoimagery. We detect glacier surface lowering of up to −8.99 m (total change, 2019–2025) and dominantly annual surface lowering for all glaciers investigated. Vertical surface lowering on debris-covered glaciers falls well below the magnitude of glaciers, but is higher than for rock glaciers – the latter not exceeding a decimetre. Average rock glacier velocities fall between 0.28 and 0.82 m yr⁻¹ (Levels of Detection, LoDs: ±0.16, ±0.61). The presence of highest magnitude of horizontal velocities is different between rock glaciers, with highest horizontal velocities partially reached in the upper or lower part of the rock glacier surface. Across the 47 rock glaciers investigated, no regional trend of increasing velocities is found. In conclusion, the declining glacial domain contrasts with unchanged rock glacier velocities which elucidate stable permafrost conditions. We infer a delayed reaction of the periglacial domain to the rising temperatures that lead to the surface lowering of glaciers and highlight the need for ongoing, long(er)-time surface change monitoring in this crucial, dynamic point in time.

The 12th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP) was held in Whitehorse, Canada, from 16 to 20 June 2024, with the overall theme “Integrating perspectives of permafrost thaw, change, and adaptation”. The conference brought together numerous different permafrost-related research disciplines, allowing for inter- and intra-disciplinary exchange and collaboration. Over 470 permafrost researchers from all over the world gathered in Whitehorse to attend the conference and share their findings, in a place where permafrost is also highly relevant to the local community, environment, and infrastructure. The conference venue was a great place to exchange ideas and a great place for graduate students and early career scientists who want to be actively involved in the permafrost community. Funding from the German Society for Polar Research (DGP) enabled three early career scientists from Germany to attend the conference and benefit from this unique opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and inspiration, and to expand their network in the scientific community. We would like to emphasize that such funding is extremely valuable for fostering the integration of early career researchers (ECRs) into the global research community.

The presence and volume of high-mountain cryospheric features are drastically affected by rising air temperatures – on global scale. In the Dry Andes, precipitation is extremely scarce, shifting the hydrological significance towards the solid water storages, glaciers and ground ice. While glaciers decrease in surface area and volume, periglacially stored waters, e.g., in rock glaciers, react more retarded to atmospheric forcing, potentially buffering future water availability. Despite rising air temperatures, recent studies suggest stable permafrost conditions in the Dry Andes based on borehole investigation and rock glacier kinematics for the last decade. We investigate vertical surface changes of 19 glaciers, three debris-covered glaciers and 59 rock glaciers in the Rodeo basin (Dry Andes, Argentina) for the time period 2019–2025. Further, we calculate rock glacier velocities for 47 of the 59 rock glaciers for which we have data for all time periods. We follow photogrammetric principles using (tri)stereo, panchromatic Pléiades imagery to generate projected optical imagery and DEMs in Ames Stereo Pipeline that we co-register prior to DEM differencing for vertical surface change calculation. We conduct feature tracking on the panchromatic Pléiades imagery for the calculation of rock glacier velocities. We detect glacier surface lowering of up to −8.99 m (cumulative, 2019–2025) and dominantly negative annual surface lowering for all glaciers investigated. We find vertical surface lowering on debris-covered glaciers to be well below the magnitude of glaciers but higher than for rock glaciers – the latter not exceeding a decimetre. We quantify rock glacier velocities of in average 0.28 to 0.82 m/yr (LoDs: ± 0.16, ± 0.61) and can categorize three rock glacier groups – large and fast, small and fast and small and slow. Across the 47 rock glaciers investigated, we do not find a regional trend of increasing velocities. In conclusion, we observe a declining glacial domain to contrast with rock glacier velocities which elucidate stable permafrost conditions. We infer a delayed reaction of the periglacial domain to the rising temperatures that lead to the surface lowering of glaciers and highlight the need for ongoing, long(er)-time surface change monitoring in this crucial, dynamic point in time.

The presence and volume of high-mountain cryospheric features are drastically affected by rising air temperatures – on global scale. In the Dry Andes, precipitation is extremely scarce, shifting the hydrological significance towards the solid water storages, glaciers and ground ice. While glaciers decrease in surface area and volume, periglacially stored waters, e.g., in rock glaciers, react more retarded to atmospheric forcing, potentially buffering future water availability. Despite rising air temperatures, recent studies suggest stable permafrost conditions in the Dry Andes based on borehole investigation and rock glacier kinematics for the last decade. We investigate vertical surface changes of 19 glaciers, three debris-covered glaciers and 59 rock glaciers in the Rodeo basin (Dry Andes, Argentina) for the time period 2019–2025. Further, we calculate rock glacier velocities for 47 of the 59 rock glaciers for which we have data for all time periods. We follow photogrammetric principles using (tri)stereo, panchromatic Pléiades imagery to generate projected optical imagery and DEMs in Ames Stereo Pipeline that we co-register prior to DEM differencing for vertical surface change calculation. We conduct feature tracking on the panchromatic Pléiades imagery for the calculation of rock glacier velocities. We detect glacier surface lowering of up to −8.99 m (cumulative, 2019–2025) and dominantly negative annual surface lowering for all glaciers investigated. We find vertical surface lowering on debris-covered glaciers to be well below the magnitude of glaciers but higher than for rock glaciers – the latter not exceeding a decimetre. We quantify rock glacier velocities of in average 0.28 to 0.82 m/yr (LoDs: ± 0.16, ± 0.61) and can categorize three rock glacier groups – large and fast, small and fast and small and slow. Across the 47 rock glaciers investigated, we do not find a regional trend of increasing velocities. In conclusion, we observe a declining glacial domain to contrast with rock glacier velocities which elucidate stable permafrost conditions. We infer a delayed reaction of the periglacial domain to the rising temperatures that lead to the surface lowering of glaciers and highlight the need for ongoing, long(er)-time surface change monitoring in this crucial, dynamic point in time.

The presence and volume of high-mountain cryospheric features are drastically affected by rising air temperatures – on global scale. In the Dry Andes, precipitation is extremely scarce, shifting the hydrological significance towards the solid water storages, glaciers and ground ice. While glaciers decrease in surface area and volume, periglacially stored waters, e.g., in rock glaciers, react more retarded to atmospheric forcing, potentially buffering future water availability. Despite rising air temperatures, recent studies suggest stable permafrost conditions in the Dry Andes based on borehole investigation and rock glacier kinematics for the last decade. We investigate vertical surface changes of 19 glaciers, three debris-covered glaciers and 59 rock glaciers in the Rodeo basin (Dry Andes, Argentina) for the time period 2019–2025. Further, we calculate rock glacier velocities for 47 of the 59 rock glaciers for which we have data for all time periods. We follow photogrammetric principles using (tri)stereo, panchromatic Pléiades imagery to generate projected optical imagery and DEMs in Ames Stereo Pipeline that we co-register prior to DEM differencing for vertical surface change calculation. We conduct feature tracking on the panchromatic Pléiades imagery for the calculation of rock glacier velocities. We detect glacier surface lowering of up to −8.99 m (cumulative, 2019–2025) and dominantly negative annual surface lowering for all glaciers investigated. We find vertical surface lowering on debris-covered glaciers to be well below the magnitude of glaciers but higher than for rock glaciers – the latter not exceeding a decimetre. We quantify rock glacier velocities of in average 0.28 to 0.82 m/yr (LoDs: ± 0.16, ± 0.61) and can categorize three rock glacier groups – large and fast, small and fast and small and slow. Across the 47 rock glaciers investigated, we do not find a regional trend of increasing velocities. In conclusion, we observe a declining glacial domain to contrast with rock glacier velocities which elucidate stable permafrost conditions. We infer a delayed reaction of the periglacial domain to the rising temperatures that lead to the surface lowering of glaciers and highlight the need for ongoing, long(er)-time surface change monitoring in this crucial, dynamic point in time.

The presence and volume of high-mountain cryospheric features are drastically affected by rising air temperatures – on global scale. In the Dry Andes, precipitation is extremely scarce, shifting the hydrological significance towards the solid water storages, glaciers and ground ice. While glaciers decrease in surface area and volume, periglacially stored waters, e.g., in rock glaciers, react more retarded to atmospheric forcing, potentially buffering future water availability. Despite rising air temperatures, recent studies suggest stable permafrost conditions in the Dry Andes based on borehole investigation and rock glacier kinematics for the last decade. We investigate vertical surface changes of 19 glaciers, three debris-covered glaciers and 59 rock glaciers in the Rodeo basin (Dry Andes, Argentina) for the time period 2019–2025. Further, we calculate rock glacier velocities for 47 of the 59 rock glaciers for which we have data for all time periods. We follow photogrammetric principles using (tri)stereo, panchromatic Pléiades imagery to generate projected optical imagery and DEMs in Ames Stereo Pipeline that we co-register prior to DEM differencing for vertical surface change calculation. We conduct feature tracking on the panchromatic Pléiades imagery for the calculation of rock glacier velocities. We detect glacier surface lowering of up to −8.99 m (cumulative, 2019–2025) and dominantly negative annual surface lowering for all glaciers investigated. We find vertical surface lowering on debris-covered glaciers to be well below the magnitude of glaciers but higher than for rock glaciers – the latter not exceeding a decimetre. We quantify rock glacier velocities of in average 0.28 to 0.82 m/yr (LoDs: ± 0.16, ± 0.61) and can categorize three rock glacier groups – large and fast, small and fast and small and slow. Across the 47 rock glaciers investigated, we do not find a regional trend of increasing velocities. In conclusion, we observe a declining glacial domain to contrast with rock glacier velocities which elucidate stable permafrost conditions. We infer a delayed reaction of the periglacial domain to the rising temperatures that lead to the surface lowering of glaciers and highlight the need for ongoing, long(er)-time surface change monitoring in this crucial, dynamic point in time.

Aeolian parabolic dunes in Arctic Fennoscandia are widely scattered across diverse biomes from tundra to mountain birch and pine forest, with many systems in more sparsely vegetated locations still showing signs of current degradation or partial activity. Dune stratigraphy reveals that these dunes have also undergone multiple phases of Holocene activity and reactivation, following initial dune formation immediately post deglaciation. Multiple buried soil, charcoal and homogenous dune sand layers demonstrate that dune stability is repeatedly interrupted by multiple fire events and dune reworking episodes during the Holocene. As such, these systems have great potential as archives of Arctic landscape, climate and fire history in a highly sensitive environment, and over a range of biomes.However, few of these dunes, especially in Sweden, have been independently dated using modern luminescence and radiocarbon techniques in order to constrain the timing of phases of dune stability, fire activity and reworking. As such, there is limited understanding of whether fire frequency or landscape degradation episodes have changed over the Holocene, whether there are wider patterns in these events over Arctic Fennoscandia, and if so what the climatic or anthropogenic drivers of such changes may be. Luminescence dating of aeolian sands constrains the timing of dune sand movement (or rather the cessation of movement), allowing direct dating of reworking events, while radiocarbon dating of charcoal constrains the timing of fires that may have marked the end of periods of stability, and the initiation of dune degradation and reworking.Here we address this by applying detailed quartz optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) and feldspar post infrared - infrared stimulated luminescence (pIR-IRSL) dating to cross bedded (initial dune form) and homogenous sand (reactivation layers) units in multiple dunes in Arctic Sweden and Finland over a diverse range of biomes. We also apply detailed AMS 14C dating to multiple charcoal fragments from charcoal bands exposed in the stratigraphy of these dunes, which often separate dune reactivation sand units. In this way, not only can we cross check multiple independent chronological techniques, but we can also construct detailed local dune development and reworking histories across a wide area of Arctic Europe. Combining these histories allows testing of potential wider climatic and human drivers for fire and landscape changes in Arctic Fennoscandia over the Holocene. Our results show that the choice of best luminescence dosimeter mineral varies substantially by location, and that scattered charcoal fragments exposed in dune sands are often reworked from previous fires. However, our detailed, multi-technique approach allows development of detailed fire and reactivation histories for these dunes, and reveals substantial differences in these histories across biome type and location. Despite these differences, some wider trends are also apparent, notably a substantial increase in fire and dune activity after the Holocene Optimum and in recent centuries. We discuss possible causes for these changes.

Scientific data needs to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). Scientific publications should also follow these accessibility principles. Diamond Open Access publishing represents an approach where articles are free for all to read, without journal subscription, and free to publish, without article processing fees for authors, who also retain the copyright of their work. Thus, it strongly contributes to FAIR, open and transparent scientific publishing - promoting inclusivity and eliminating barriers.Geomorphica (http://geomorphica.org) is a community-led and -driven scientific journal that fosters academic discourse and research advances in the field of geomorphology. It is hosted by Penn State University Libraries, supported by the International Association of Geomorphology and a proud part of the family of Diamond Open-Access journals in the Geosciences. Geomorphica is run by over 30 volunteers that embody the editorial, equity diversity and inclusion, communications, and ethics teams and contribute to all functions including administration, managing, editing, reviewing, typesetting, and visual branding. Geomorphica has been open for submission since June 2023 and welcomes manuscripts related (but not limited) to landscapes and landforms, Earth’s and planetary near-surface processes, and the mechanisms, dynamics and timescales pertaining to these processes. Here, we introduce our diverse team of volunteers, give an update on the number of manuscripts we have handled so far, and share our experiences related to setting up and running a Diamond Open Access journal. Further, we exemplify what FAIR can stand for in scientific publishing, showcasing how Geomorphica is addressing the principle. We welcome feedback from the broader community to help us continually improve Geomorphica and look forward to your involvement with the initiative.

Rock glaciers, debris-ice landforms creeping downslope, are characteristic periglacial landforms in the Dry Andes of Argentina, typically located at lower elevation than glaciers. In this arid region, where monitoring is scarce or limited in duration, rock glaciers are characterised by high hydrological significance, high density in occurrence and comparatively large size. Recently recognized as essential climate variable, long-term monitored increases in rock glacier velocity are commonly associated with changes in air temperature. Given the warming air temperature trend in the study area, rock glacier velocity increases are expected.We present an 8-year, quasi-biannual, UAV-based monitoring of Dos Lenguas rock glacier kinematics (Dry Andes, Argentina) for the time period 2016-2024. We find surface velocities of 0.9m/yr on average, and velocities of up to 1.7m/yr in the root and centre zones were extensional flow and knickpoints in slope dominate respectively. We detect overall stable surface velocities along with a persistent spatial pattern, particularly contrasting between the two tongues of Dos Lenguas. Further, we quantify vertical surface changes of ±1.5m/yr stable in magnitude and spatial pattern within the monitored time period. We propose the arid conditions in the Dry Andes and the consequent lack of snow sheltering as a controlling factor for Dos Lenguas’ unexpected, absent kinematic response to higher air temperatures and suppose that the absence of snow cover allows winter temperatures to fully penetrate the rock glacier body, preventing acceleration. In addition to the UAV-based investigation, we explore the utility of monitoring the >50 rock glaciers in the catchment using high resolution satellite data, namely tristereoscopic Pléiades imagery – narrowing down an answer to the question: is the absent kinematic response of Dos Lenguas rock glacier representative for a regional pattern in the Dry Andes, or rather a peculiarity?