Using electrical resistivity tomography and seismic refraction tomography to decipher permafrost ice distribution and loss at the Zugspitze (Germany) complementary to superconductive gravimeter and isotope chemistry measurements

Due to climate change, ice masses are thawing rapidly. This leads to drastic changes in water discharge, increased erosion, decreased biodiversity, as well as an increasing risk of droughts. However, the amount of subsurface ice is often unknown. To better understand the implications of decreasing ice masses, the first step is to determine the initial ice distribution of the region of interest. One of the few places in the German Alps where we still find glaciers and permafrost is the Zugspitze. It is the highest mountain in Germany and has a long observational history dating back to 1820, which is present-day coordinated by the Virtual Alpine Observatory.

Here, we present the framework of creating a complement first dataset by conducting electrical resistivity tomography measurements and seismic refraction tomography. For this, we will measure ca. ten profiles across the 2 km diameter of the horseshoe-shaped Zugspitzplatt to decipher permafrost ice contents within the blocky surface, ice depth distribution and its state of degradation. To verify those findings, the model is tested against both data from a superconductive gravimeter and the isotopic concentration of the outflow to distinguish glacier water from permafrost water. This contribution shows the conceptual framework with which we will analyze the future water potential coming from the permafrost at the Zugspitzplatt in the framework of the AlpSenseAdapt project.