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Institution

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research

FacilityBirmensdorf, Switzerland
About: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research is a facility organization based out in Birmensdorf, Switzerland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Climate change & Soil water. The organization has 1256 authors who have published 3222 publications receiving 161639 citations. The organization is also known as: WSL.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented a reconstruction of the seasonal mass balance of Glacier No. 354, located in the Akshiirak range, Kyrgyzstan, from 2003 to 2014.
Abstract: This study presents a reconstruction of the seasonal mass balance of Glacier No. 354, located in the Akshiirak range, Kyrgyzstan, from 2003 to 2014. We use a distributed accumulation and temperature-index melt model driven by daily air temperature and precipitation from a nearby meteorological station. The model is calibrated with in situ measurements of the annual mass balance collected from 2011 to 2014. The snow-cover depletion pattern observed using satellite imagery provides additional information on the dynamics of mass change throughout the melting season. Two digital elevation models derived from high-resolution satellite stereo images acquired in 2003 and 2012 are used to calculate glacier volume change for the corresponding period. The geodetic mass change thus derived is used to validate the modelled cumulative glacier-wide balance. For the period 2003-12 we find a cumulative mass balance of -0.40�10mw.e.a -1 . This result agrees well with the geodetic balance of -0.48�0.07mw.e.a -1 over the same period.

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Paleoecological records that describe ecosystem responses to past variations in climate, fire, and human activity offer critical information for assessing present landscape conditions and future landscape vulnerability, and help assess current ecological change, clarify management objectives, and define conservation strategies that seek to protect both natural and cultural elements.
Abstract: Conservation efforts to protect forested landscapes are challenged by climate projections that suggest significant restructuring of vegetation and disturbance regimes in the future In this regard, paleoecological records that describe ecosystem responses to past variations in climate, fire and human activity offer critical information for assessing present landscape conditions and future landscape vulnerability We illustrate this point drawing on eight sites in the northwest US, New Zealand, Patagonia, and central and southern Europe that have experienced different levels of climate and land-use change These sites fall along a gradient of landscape conditions that range from near-pristine (ie, where vegetation and disturbance have been significantly shaped by past climate and biophysical constraints) to highly altered (ie, landscapes that have been intensely modified by past human activity) Position on this gradient has implications for understanding the role of natural and anthropogenic disturbance in shaping ecosystem dynamics and assessments of present biodiversity, including recognizing missing or overrepresented species All the study sites reveal dramatic vegetation reorganization in the past as a result of postglacial climate variations In nearly-pristine landscapes, like Yellowstone, climate has remained the primary driver of ecosystem change up to the present day In Europe, natural vegetation-climate-fire linkages were broken ∼6000-8000 years ago with the onset of Neolithic farming, and in New Zealand, natural linkages were first lost ∼700 years ago with arrival of the Māori people In the northwestern US and Patagonia, greatest landscape alteration has occurred in the last 150 years with Euro-American settlement Paleoecology is sometimes the best and only tool for evaluating the degree of this alteration and the extent to which landscapes retain natural components Information on landscape-level history thus helps assess current ecological change, clarify management objectives, and define conservation strategies that seek to protect both “natural” and “cultural” elements This article is protected by copyright All rights reserved

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Canonical correspondence analyses showed that abandonment also had an effect on species composition of both bryophytes and vascular plants, however, young and old successional stages were not different indicating fast initial changes after abandonment, but slow secondary succession afterwards.
Abstract: We examined effects of abandonment on species diversity and species composition by comparing 21 calcareous fen meadows in the pre-alpine zone of central and northeastern Switzerland. Meadows were divided into three classes of successional stages (mown: annually mown in late summer, young fallow: 4 –15 years, and old fallow: >15 years of abandonment). In each fen, we measured litter mass in four 20 cm20 cm plots, as well as (aboveground) biomass and species density (number of species per unit area) of bryophytes and vascular plants. Bryophyte biomass was reduced in abandoned fens, whereas litter mass and aboveground biomass of vascular plants increased. Species density of both taxonomic groups was lower in abandoned than in mown fens. Young and old successional stages were not different except for bryophytes, for which old successional stages had higher species density than young stages. We used litter mass and aboveground biomass of vascular plants as covariables in analyses of variance to reveal their effects on species density of both taxonomic groups. For bryophytes, litter mass was more important than vascular plant biomass in explaining variance of species density. This indicates severe effects of burying by litter on bryophyte species density. For species density of vascular plants, both vascular plant biomass and litter mass were of similar importance in explaining the decreased species density. Canonical correspondence analyses showed that abandonment also had an effect on species composition of both bryophytes and vascular plants. However, young and old successional stages were not different indicating fast initial changes after abandonment, but slow secondary succession afterwards. Furthermore, indicator species analysis showed that there was no establishment of new species after abandonment that might dramatically alter fen communities. Re-introduction of mowing as a nature conservation strategy may thus be very promising – even for old fallows.

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the patterns and determinants of natural reforestation of sub-alpine grasslands at the sub-parcel level using raster cells as the units of the analysis, and at the municipality level.

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a comparison of geomorphological mapping and photogrammetric monitoring demonstrated a good accordance, especially on a regional scale, with some differences in delimitation of the landforms as well as in the degree of activity.
Abstract: In their spatial distribution as well as in their different states of activity, rockglaciers imply important information on former and recent permafrost conditions. Two different methods were applied in one study area (Turtmann Valley, Swiss Alps) in order to compare their suitability in assessing rockglacier activity. The comparison of geomorphological mapping and photogrammetric monitoring demonstrated a good accordance, especially on a regional scale. On a local scale, some differences in delimitation of the landforms as well as in the degree of activity were found. One reason for the observed differences is the qualitative character of geomorphological mapping resulting from the variable suitability of single parameters and combinations thereof in the determination of rockglacier activity. Based on these results, geomorphological mapping of rockglaciers can be improved by data from photogrammetric monitoring. Therefore, at best the two methods are combined when analysing former and present permafrost distribution. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

60 citations


Authors

Showing all 1333 results

NameH-indexPapersCitations
Peter H. Verburg10746434254
Bernhard Schmid10346046419
Christian Körner10337639637
André S. H. Prévôt9051138599
Fortunat Joos8727636951
Niklaus E. Zimmermann8027739364
Robert Huber7831125131
David Frank7818618624
Jan Esper7525419280
James W. Kirchner7323821958
David B. Roy7025026241
Emmanuel Frossard6835615281
Derek Eamus6728517317
Benjamin Poulter6625522519
Ulf Büntgen6531615876
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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers from the Institution in previous years
YearPapers
2023111
2022173
2021395
2020327
2019269
2018281