In her dissertation “Multi-Scale Rock Glacier Kinematics in the Dry Andes of Argentina: From DEMs to the State of Permafrost Using Photogrammetry”, supervised by Prof. Dr. Lothar Schrott, Melanie Stammler analyses the kinematics of rock glaciers in the Dry Andes of Argentina and examines their relevance for (peri-)glacial landscape development and hydrology.
A particular focus is on temporal changes in the magnitude and spatial patterns of vertical and horizontal surface movements, as well as on their relationship to parallel changes in the glacial domain. In this region characterized by very low precipitation, both periglacial and glacial meltwater are hydrologically relevant.
The dissertation combines a spatially high-resolution study focusing on a single rock glacier, in which vertical and horizontal surface changes over a period of 8 years are resolved using uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)-based imagery, a methodologically focused feasibility study comparing UAV-based digital elevation models (DEMs) with those generated from satellite data, in this case Pléiades, using three different software packages, and finally
a study covering all 58 rblock glaciers in the Rodeo Basin, which methodologically builds on the findings of the previous papers and quantifies rock glacier kinematics for 2019-2025 based on Pléiades imagery. The paper further compares vertical surface changes on the 19 glaciers and 3 debris-covered glaciers in the area determined using the same methodology.
Based on the monitored unchanged rock glacier velocities, the papers and dissertation reveal a stable permafrost setting in the area and time period under consideration, contrasting sharply with quantified glacier surface lowering. In addition to the inter-domain comparison, high-resolution DEMs allow conclusions to be drawn on underlying processes, for example through topography. The periglacial-glacial integrative approach in the third paper supports a comprehensive view of the Andean cryosphere, in addition to the comparability of the magnitude and patterns of the various periglacial and glacial forms achieved through the scalability of the methodology. The dissertation lays the foundation for a continuous monitoring of rock glacier kinematics in arid regions and, based on the process and in situ knowledge gained across the types of imagery, enables a feasible and hopefully sustainable approach to (peri)glacial knowledge acquisition in the relatively data-poor region of the Argentine Andes.
The Department of Geography warmly congratulates Melanie Stammler on her successful defense!
