KryoMon.AT – Austria’s changing cryosphere

Cryosphere Monitoring Austria (KryoMon.AT) is a nationwide research project launched in 2022 that, for the first time, brings together and presents in an accessible way the changes occurring in the Austrian cryosphere – namely the snow cover, glaciers, permafrost and lake ice.

Behind KryoMon.AT is a network of research groups from Austria and Germany who share a common goal: to document, collate and explain the impacts of climate change on the Alpine environment. For whilst global developments such as the rise in the global mean temperature often remain abstract, changes in the Austrian cryosphere – such as shrinking glaciers or the absence of lake ice – demonstrate very concretely just how much our environment is already changing.

The project builds on an impressive scientific tradition. For over 150 years, people in Austria (often on a voluntary basis) have been documenting changes in the cryosphere: from early glacier length measurements in the 19th century to today’s state-of-the-art monitoring programmes, such as continuous temperature measurements in deep boreholes in high-mountain regions characterised by permafrost. This unique long-term data forms the basis for a better understanding of past developments and future trends.

KryoMon.AT brings together these historical and current cryosphere data for the first time in joint reports. Standardised analysis and shared visualisations create a comprehensive overview – clear, comparable and accessible to all. The regularly published KryoMon.AT reports combine scientific accuracy with clear visualisations, informative images and easy-to-understand explanations. This makes complex relationships easier to grasp.