Biography

My research focuses on surface mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets. Within this broad field, I contributed to global-scale assessment of ice resources, carried out geophysical process studies on the Greenland ice sheet, made historical data available for modern research and published on theoretical aspects of modelling. Currently I work on firn processes on the Greenland ice sheet and in Central Asia as well as on the relationship of mass balance gradients and climate.

• since 2020: Assistant Professor, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
• since 2015: Senior scientist; University of Fribourg, Switzerland and World Glacier Monitoring Service WGMS, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2015: Researcher; Nagra, Wettingen, Switzerland
• 2015: Guest researcher; Center for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen
• 2013 – 2015: Postdoctoral fellow; Arctic Technology Center, Technical University of Denmark DTU, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
• 2011: Guest researcher; CECs, Valdivia, Chile
• 2009 – 2013: Postdoctoral fellow and researcher; Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland GEUS, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2009: Researcher; Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Villigen, Switzerland
• 2007: Guest researcher; IMAU, Utrecht, The Netherlands
• 2008: PhD: “On the Use of RCM Data and Gridded Climatologies for Regional Scale Glacier Mass Balance Modelling in High Mountain Topography; The Example of the Swiss Alps” University of Zurich, Switzerland

Research and publications

• Publications
  97 publications

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  Modelling lateral meltwater flow and superimposed ice formation atop Greenland's near-surface ice slabs
  Journal of Glaciology (2024) | Journal article

  Modelling Cold Firn Evolution at Colle Gnifetti, Swiss/Italian Alps
  Marcus Gastaldello, Enrico Mattea, Martin Hoelzle, Horst Machguth, (2024) | Preprint

  Runoff from Greenland's firn area – why do MODIS, RCMs and a firn model disagree?
  Max Brils, Horst Machguth, Andrew Tedstone, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Brice Noël, Nicole Clerx, Nicolas Jullien, Xavier Fettweis, Michiel van den Broeke, (2024) | Preprint

  Elevation bias due to penetration of spaceborne radar signal on Grosser Aletschgletscher, Switzerland
  Journal of Glaciology (2024) | Journal article

  Fifty years of firn evolution on Grigoriev ice cap, Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan
  The Cryosphere (2024) | Journal article

  Superimposed ice formation reduces meltwater runoff from ice slab areas of the Greenland Ice Sheet 
  Nicolas Jullien, Andrew Tedstone, Horst Machguth, Nicole Clerx, Hannah Picton, Julien Ducrey, Dirk van As, Paolo Colosio, Marco Tedesco, Stef Lhermitte, (2024) | Preprint

  Climatic Drivers of Ice Slabs and Firn Aquifers in Greenland
  Geophysical Research Letters (2024) | Journal article

  Ice slabs thickening drives surface runoff expansion from the Greenland Ice Sheet’s percolation zone
  Nicolas Jullien, Andrew Tedstone, Horst Machguth, (2023) | Preprint

  Modelling lateral meltwater flow atop the GreenlandIce Sheet’s near-surface ice slabs
  Nicole Clerx, Horst Machguth, (2023) | Preprint

  Daily variations in Western Greenland slush limits, 2000–2021
  Journal of Glaciology (2023) | Journal article

  Long-term firn and mass balance modelling for Abramov Glacier in the data-scarce Pamir Alay
  The Cryosphere (2022) | Journal article

  In situ measurements of meltwater flow through snow and firn in the accumulation zone of the SW Greenland Ice Sheet
  The Cryosphere (2022) | Journal article

  Increasing surface runoff from Greenland's firn areas.
  re climate change (2022) | Journal article

  Increasing surface runoff from Greenland's firn areas
  , (2022) | Preprint

  Supplementary material to "Long-term firn and mass balance modelling for Abramov glacier, Pamir Alay"
  Marlene Kronenberg, Ward van Pelt, Horst Machguth, Joel Fiddes, Martin Hoelzle, Felix Pertziger, (2022) | Preprint

  Glacier Runoff Variation Since 1981 in the Upper Naryn River Catchments, Central Tien Shan
  Frontiers in Environmental Science (2022) | Journal article

  Firn changes at Colle Gnifetti revealed with a high-resolution process-based physical model approach
  The Cryosphere (2021) | Journal article

  Shallow firn cores 1989–2019 in southwest Greenland's percolation zone reveal decreasing density and ice layer thickness after 2012
  Journal of Glaciology (2021) | Journal article

  Geodetic mass balance of Abramov Glacier from 1975 to 2015
  Journal of Glaciology (2021) | Journal article

  The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet
  The Cryosphere (2020) | Journal article

  Worldwide version-controlled database of glacier thickness observations
  Ethan Welty, Michael Zemp, Francisco Navarro, Matthias Huss, Johannes J. Fürst, Isabelle Gärtner-Roer, Johannes Landmann, Horst Machguth, Kathrin Naegeli, Liss M. Andreassen, Daniel Farinotti, Huilin Li, (2020) | Preprint

  Potential future lakes from continued glacier shrinkage in the Aosta Valley Region (Western Alps, Italy)
  Geomorphology (2020) | Journal article

  Author Correction: Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016
  Nature (2020) | Journal article

  Comparison of historical and recent accumulation rates on Abramov Glacier, Pamir Alay
  Journal of Glaciology (2020) | Journal article

  Rapid expansion of Greenland’s low-permeability ice slabs
  Nature (2019) | Journal article

  Ice-penetrating radar survey of the subsurface debris field at Camp Century, Greenland
  Cold Regions Science and Technology (2019) | Journal article

  Global glacier mass changes and their contributions to sea-level rise from 1961 to 2016
  Nature (2019) | Journal article

  Firn data compilation reveals widespread decrease of firn air content in western Greenland
  The Cryosphere (2019) | Journal article

  Strong contrast in mass and energy balance between a coastal mountain glacier and the Greenland ice sheet
  Journal of Glaciology (2019) | Journal article

  A consensus estimate for the ice thickness distribution of all glaciers on Earth
  Nature Geoscience (2019) | Journal article

  A large impact crater beneath Hiawatha Glacier in northwest Greenland
  Science Advances (2018) | Journal article

  Elevation changes of the Holm Land Ice Cap, northeast Greenland, from 1978 to 2012–2015, derived from high-resolution digital elevation models
  Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (2018) | Journal article

  Numerical reconstructions of the flow and basal conditions of the Rhine glacier, European Central Alps, at the Last Glacial Maximum
  The Cryosphere (2018) | Journal article

  Initial field activities of the Camp Century Climate Monitoring Programme in Greenland
  Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin (2018) | Journal article

  Editorial: Melt Water Retention Processes in Snow and Firn on Ice Sheets and Glaciers: Observations and Modeling
  Frontiers in Earth Science (2018) | Journal article

  A Snow Density Dataset for Improving Surface Boundary Conditions in Greenland Ice Sheet Firn Modeling
  Frontiers in Earth Science (2018) | Journal article

  Three Decades of Volume Change of a Small Greenlandic Glacier Using Ground Penetrating Radar, Structure from Motion, and Aerial Photogrammetry
  Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (2018) | Journal article

  Melt Water Retention Processes in Snow and Firn on Ice Sheets and Glaciers: Observations and Modeling
  Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Tad. W. Pfeffer, Jason Box, Robert S. Fausto (Frontiers Media SA, 2018), ISBN: 9782889456192 | Book

  Assessment of evolution and risks of glacier lake outbursts in the Djungarskiy Alatau, Central Asia, using Landsat imagery and glacier bed topography modelling
  Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (2017) | Journal article

  Re-establishing glacier monitoring in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia
  Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems (2017) | Journal article

  Reconstructions of the 1900–2015 Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance using the regional climate MAR model
  The Cryosphere (2017) | Journal article

  How accurate are estimates of glacier ice thickness? Results from ITMIX, the Ice Thickness Models Intercomparison eXperiment
  The Cryosphere (2017) | Journal article

  Parameterizing Deep Water Percolation Improves Subsurface Temperature Simulations by a Multilayer Firn Model
  Frontiers in Earth Science (2017) | Journal article

  A tipping point in refreezing accelerates mass loss of Greenland’s glaciers and ice caps
  Nature Communications (2017) | Journal article

  Changes in Greenland’s peripheral glaciers linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation
  Nature Climate Change (2017) | Journal article

  Global Glacier Change Bulletin No. 2 (2014-2015)
  WGMS, ed. by M. Zemp and S.U. Nussbaumer and I. Gärtner-Roer and and J. Huber and H. Machguth and F. Paul and M. Hoelzle (World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich, Switzerland: ICSU(WDS)/IUGG(IACS)/ UNEP/UNESCO/WMO, 2017) | Book

  A plot-scale study of firn stratigraphy at Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard, using ice cores, borehole video and GPR surveys in 2012–14
  Journal of Glaciology (2016) | Journal article

  A daily, 1 km resolution data set of downscaled Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance (1958–2015)
  The Cryosphere (2016) | Journal article

  The abandoned ice sheet base at Camp Century, Greenland, in a warming climate
  Geophysical Research Letters (2016) | Journal article

  Greenland surface mass-balance observations from the ice-sheet ablation area and local glaciers
  Journal of Glaciology (2016) | Journal article

  Thermal tracing of retained meltwater in the lower accumulation area of the Southwestern Greenland ice sheet
  Annals of Glaciology (2016) | Journal article

  Modelling glacier-bed overdeepenings and possible future lakes for the glaciers in the Himalaya—Karakoram region
  Annals of Glaciology (2016) | Journal article

  Mass Balance Re-analysis of Findelengletscher, Switzerland; Benefits of Extensive Snow Accumulation Measurements
  Frontiers in Earth Science (2016) | Journal article

  Greenland meltwater storage in firn limited by near-surface ice formation
  Nature Climate Change (2016) | Journal article

  Gletscherentwicklung und Klimawandel
  Samuel U. Nussbaumer and Matthias Huss and Horst Machguth and Daniel Steiner, ed. by Heinz J. Zumbühl and Samuel U. Nussbaumer and Hanspeter Holzhauser and Richard Wolf (Bern: Haupt, 2016), ISBN: 978-3-258-07871-7 | Book chapter

  Placing Greenland ice sheet ablation measurements in a multi-decadal context
  Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin (2016) | Journal article

  Changing surface–atmosphere energy exchange and refreezing capacity of the lower accumulation area, West Greenland
  The Cryosphere (2015) | Journal article

  Quantifying mass balance processes on the Southern Patagonia Icefield
  The Cryosphere (2015) | Journal article

  Global Glacier Change Bulletin No. 1 (2012-2013)
  WGMS, ed. by M. Zemp and I. Gärtner-Roer and S.U. Nussbaumer and F. Hüsler and H. Machguth and N.Mölg and F. Paul and M. Hoelzle (World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich, Switzerland: ICSU(WDS)/IUGG(IACS)/ UNEP/UNESCO/WMO, 2015) | Book

  A database of worldwide glacier thickness observations
  Global and Planetary Change (2014) | Journal article

  The length of the world's glaciers – a new approach for the global calculation of center lines
  The Cryosphere (2014) | Journal article

  Estimating the volume of glaciers in the Himalayan–Karakoram region using different methods
  The Cryosphere (2014) | Journal article

  Seasonal velocities of eight major marine-terminating outlet glaciers of the Greenland ice sheet from continuous in situ GPS instruments
  Earth System Science Data (2013) | Journal article

  Observing Changes in Near-Polar Glaciers in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
  Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union (2013) | Journal article

  The onset of Neoglaciation 6000 years ago in western Mongolia revealed by an ice core from the Tsambagarav mountain range
  Quaternary Science Reviews (2013) | Journal article

  Modeling past and future surface mass balance of the Northern Patagonia Icefield
  Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface (2013) | Journal article

  The future sea-level rise contribution of Greenland’s glaciers and ice caps
  Environmental Research Letters (2013) | Journal article

  Mass loss of Greenland's glaciers and ice caps 2003-2008 revealed from ICESat laser altimetry data
  Geophysical Research Letters (2013) | Journal article

  Glaciers between two drivers
  Nature Climate Change (2013) | Journal article

  Comparing three different methods to model scenarios of future glacier change in the Swiss Alps
  Annals of Glaciology (2013) | Journal article

  Darkening of the Greenland ice sheet due to the melt albedo feedback observed at PROMICE weather stations
  Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin (2013) | Journal article

  The Swiss Alpine glaciers’ response to the global ‘2 °C air temperature target’
  Environmental Research Letters (2012) | Journal article

  The first complete glacier inventory for the whole of Greenland
  The Cryosphere Discussions (2012) | Journal article

  The first complete inventory of the local glaciers and ice caps on Greenland
  The Cryosphere (2012) | Journal article

  Mass Balance Parameters Derived from a Synthetic Network of Mass Balance Glaciers
  Journal of Glaciology (2012) | Journal article

  Hydropower, Snow and Ice
  Tómas Jóhannesson and Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir and Andreas Ahlstrøm and Liss M. Andreassen and Stein Beldring and Helgi Björnsson and Philippe Crochet and Bergur Einarsson, Hallgeir Elvehøy, Sverrir Guðmundsson, Regine Hock, Horst Machguth, Kjetil Melvold, Finnur Pálsson, Valentina Radi?, Oddur Sigurðsson and Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Copenhagen: (2011) | Conference

  Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE): first temperature and ablation records
  Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin (2011) | Journal article

  Calculating distributed glacier mass balance for the Swiss Alps from regional climate model output: A methodical description and interpretation of the results
  Journal of Geophysical Research (2009) | Journal article

  Comparison of mass balances for Vernagtferner, Oetzal Alps, as obtained from direct measurements and distributed modeling
  Annals of Glaciology (2009) | Journal article

  On the Use of RCM Data and Gridded Climatologies for Regional Scale Glacier Mass Balance Modeling in High Mountain Topography; The Example of the Swiss Alps
  Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth (2008) | Thesis

  Exploring uncertainty in glacier mass balance modelling with Monte Carlo simulation
  The Cryosphere Discussions (2008) | Journal article

  Alpine-wide distributed glacier mass balance modelling: a tool for assessing future glacier change? , in The Darkening Peaks: Glacial Retreat in Scientific and Social Context
  F. Paul and H. Machguth and M. Hoelzle and N. Salzmann and W. Haeberli, ed. by B. Orlove and E. Wiegandt and B. Luckman (University of California Press, 2008) | Book chapter

  Strong spatial variability of snow accumulation observed with helicopter-borne GPR on two adjacent Alpine glaciers
  Geophysical Research Letters (2006) | Journal article

  Fast shrinkage of tropical glaciers in Colombia
  Annals of Glaciology (2006) | Journal article

  Distributed glacier mass-balance modelling as an important component of modern multi-level glacier monitoring
  Annals of Glaciology (2006) | Journal article

  Baikal Exkursion 2004 - Ein wissenschaftliche Überblick zum Baikal-Raum und Reisebericht
  H. Machguth, Stephan Margret, ed. by H. Machguth and Stephan Margret (Zürich: Geographisches Institut, Universität Zürich, 2004) | Book

  Messung und Modellierung der Massenbilanzverteilung auf Gletschern der Schweizer Alpen
  Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth, Horst Machguth (2003) | Thesis

  Towards a global assessment of future glacial lakes and related hazards, risks and opportunities
  Holger Frey and Christian Huggel and Simon Allen and Adam Emmer and Dan Shugar and Daniel Farinotti and Matthias Huss and Horst Machguth , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Integrating and assessing Arctic glacier thickness data into Glacier Thickness Database (GlaThiDa) Version 3.0
  Ethan Welty and Francisco Navarro and Johannes Fürst and Isabelle Gärtner-Roer and Kathrin Naegeli and Johannes Landmann and Matthias Huss and Thomas Knecht and Horst Machguth and Michael Zemp , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  A daily, 1-km resolution dataset of downscaled Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance (1958–2015)
  Brice Noël and Willem Jan van de Berg and Horst Machguth and Stef Lhermitte and Ian Howat and Xavier Fettweis and Michiel R. van den Broeke , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Glacier monitoring, capacity building and related cryospheric research in Central Asia
  Martin Hoelzle and Martina Barandun and Tomas Saks and Erlan Azisov and Abror Gafurov and Alyssa Ghirlanda and Abdulhamid Kayumov and Ruslan Kenzhebaev and Marlene Kronenberg and Horst Machguth and Halim Mamirov and Bolot Moldobekov and Maxim Petrov and Nadine Salzmann and Ryskul Usubaliev and Andrey Yakovlev and Michael Zemp , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Supplementary material to "Assessment of Evolution of Mountain Lakes and Risks of Glacier Lake Outbursts in theDjungarskiy (Jetysu) Alatau, Central Asia, using Landsat Imagery and Glacier Bed TopographyModelling"
  Vassiliy Kapitsa and Maria Shahgedanova and Horst Machguth and Igor Severskiy and Akhmetkal Medeu , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Assessment of Evolution of Mountain Lakes and Risks of Glacier Lake Outbursts in theDjungarskiy (Jetysu) Alatau, Central Asia, using Landsat Imagery and Glacier Bed TopographyModelling
  Vassiliy Kapitsa and Maria Shahgedanova and Horst Machguth and Igor Severskiy and Akhmetkal Medeu , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Supplementary material to "Brief communication: Firn data compilation reveals the evolution ofthe firn air content on the Greenland ice sheet"
  Baptiste Vandecrux and Michael MacFerrin and Horst Machguth and William T. Colgan and Dirk van As and Achim Heilig and C. Max Stevens and Charalampos Charalampidis and Robert S. Fausto and Elizabeth M. Morris and Ellen Mosley-Thompson and Lora Koenig and Lynn N. Montgomery and Clément Miège and Sebastian B. Simonsen and Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen and Jason E. Box , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Brief communication: Firn data compilation reveals the evolution ofthe firn air content on the Greenland ice sheet
  Baptiste Vandecrux and Michael MacFerrin and Horst Machguth and William T. Colgan and Dirk van As and Achim Heilig and C. Max Stevens and Charalampos Charalampidis and Robert S. Fausto and Elizabeth M. Morris and Ellen Mosley-Thompson and Lora Koenig and Lynn N. Montgomery and Clément Miège and Sebastian B. Simonsen and Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen and Jason E. Box , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Supplementary material to "The firn meltwater Retention Model Intercomparison Project (RetMIP): Evaluation of nine firn models at four weather station sites on the Greenland ice sheet"
  Baptiste Vandecrux and Ruth Mottram and Peter L. Langen and Robert S. Fausto and Martin Olesen and C. Max Stevens and Vincent Verjans and Amber Leeson and Stefan Ligtenberg and Peter Kuipers Munneke and Sergey Marchenko and Ward van Pelt and Colin Meyer and Sebastian B. Simonsen and Achim Heilig and Samira Samimi and Horst Machguth and Michael MacFerrin and Masashi Niwano and Olivia Miller and Clifford I. Voss and Jason E. Box , Copernicus GmbH | Other

  Supplementary material to "How accurate are estimates of glacier ice thickness?Results from ITMIX, the Ice Thickness Models IntercomparisoneXperiment"
  Daniel Farinotti and Douglas Brinkerhoff and Garry K.C. Clarke and Johannes J. Fürst and Holger Frey and Prateek Gantayat and Fabien Gillet-Chaulet and Claire Girard and Matthias Huss and Paul W. Leclercq and Andreas Linsbauer and Horst Machguth and Carlos Martin and Fabien Maussion and Mathieu Morlighem and Cyrille Mosbeux and Ankur Pandit and Andrea Portmann and Antoine Rabatel and RAAJ Ramsankaran and Thomas J. Reerink and Olivier Sanchez and Peter A. Stentoft and Sangita Singh Kumari and Ward J.J. van Pelt and Brian Anderson and Toby Benham and Daniel Binder and Julian A. Dowdeswell and Andrea Fischer and Kay Helfricht and Stanislav Kutuzov and Ivan Lavrentiev and Robert McNabb and G. Hilmar Gudmundsson and Huilin Li and Liss M. Andreassen , Copernicus GmbH | Other

Teaching and courses

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