Alexander R. Groos
Dr. Alexander Groos
2021 – present: PostDoc in the ERC project FRAGILE here at the institute in the Working Group Glacier Systems & Natural Hazards
2020 – 2021: PostDoc in the SNF project “Paleo Glacier Dynamics in the Ethiopian Highlands”, Institute of Geography, University of Bern
2016 – 2020: PhD student in the SNF project “Glacial Chronology of the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia”, Institute of Geography, University of Bern
2013 – 2016: M.Sc. Climate and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Geography, University of Augsburg
2010 – 2013: B.Sc. Geography, Department of Geography, Philipps-Universität Marburg
2024
- Messmer, J., & Groos, A.R. (2024). A low-cost and open-source approach for supraglacial debris thickness mapping using UAV-based infrared thermography. Cryosphere, 18, 719–746. https://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-719-2024
2023
- Hofmann, F.M., Groos, A.R., Garcia Morabito, E., Struck, J., Gnägi, C., Scharf, A.,... Zech, R. (2023). A regional assessment of the deglaciation history of the Swiss Plateau based on newly obtained and re-evaluated Be-10 cosmic-ray exposure ages. Quaternary Science Advances, 13, 1-17. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.qsa.2023.100124
2022
- Groos, A.R., Aeschbacher, R., Fischer, M., Kohler, N., Mayer, C., & Senn-Rist, A. (2022). Accuracy of UAV Photogrammetry in Glacial and Periglacial Alpine Terrain: A Comparison With Airborne and Terrestrial Datasets. Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 3, 1-16. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frsen.2022.871994
- Groos, A.R., Niederhauser, J., Lemma, B., Fekadu, M., Zech, W., Haensel, F.,... Veit, H. (2022). An hourly ground temperature dataset for 16 high-elevation sites (3493–4377 m a.s.l.) in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia (2017–2020). Earth System Science Data, 14, 1043-1062. https://dx.doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-1043-2022
2021
- Groos, A.R., Akçar, N., Yesilyurt, S., Miehe, G., Vockenhuber, C., & Veit, H. (2021). Nonuniform late pleistocene glacier fluctuations in tropical Eastern Africa. Science Advances, 7(11). https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/SCIADV.ABB6826
- Groos, A.R., Niederhauser, J., Wraase, L., Haensel, F., Nauss, T., Akçar, N., & Veit, H. (2021). The enigma of relict large sorted stone stripes in the tropical Ethiopian Highlands. Earth Surface Dynamics, 9(2), 145-166. https://dx.doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-145-2021
2019
- Groos, A.R., Bertschinger, T., Kummer, C., Erlwein, S., Munz, L., & Philipp, A. (2019). The potential of low-cost UAVs and open-source photogrammetry software for high-resolution monitoring of alpine glaciers: A case study from the kanderfirn (Swiss Alps). Geosciences, 9(8), 1-22. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9080356
- Ossendorf, G., Groos, A.R., Bromm, T., Tekelemariam, M.G., Glaser, B., Lesur, J.,... Miehe, G. (2019). Middle Stone Age foragers resided in high elevations of the glaciated Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. Science, 365(6453), 583-587. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw8942
2017
- Groos, A.R., Mayer, C., Smiraglia, C., Diolaiuti, G., & Lambrecht, A. (2017). A first attempt to model region-wide glacier surface mass balances in the Karakoram: findings and future challenges. Geografia Fisica E Dinamica Quaternaria, 40, 137-159. https://dx.doi.org/10.4461/GFDQ.2017.40.10
2015
- Thies, B., Groos, A.R., Schulz, M., Li, C.-F., Chang, S.-C., & Bendix, J. (2015). Frequency of low clouds in taiwan retrieved from MODIS data and its relation to cloud forest occurrence. Remote Sensing, 7(10), 12986-13004. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs71012986
My research activities focus on past, present, and future glacier, climate, and environmental changes in the high mountains. The regional focus is currently on the Alps, the Karakoram, and the Ethiopian Highlands. To document and analyse the evolution of mountain glaciers and to better understand the underlying processes, various methods are applied:
- Mapping and surface exposure dating of glacial geomorphological landforms to reconstruct glacier fluctuations during the last glacial period (e.g. on the Swiss Plateau and in the Ethiopian Highlands)
- Mass balance studies on the Kanderfirn in the Swiss Alps since 2017 and on the Passu Glacier and Ghulkin Glacier in the Karakoram since 2021 to monitor recent changes
- Development and application of autonomous drones for aerial surveys of glacier surfaces and for atmospheric sounding of the boundary layer above
- Use and further development of numerical models to simulate the mass balance and evolution of glaciers