Trace analysis in block glaciers

Rock glaciers are mixtures of ice and rock debris found in high-altitude alpine regions and represent a special form of pore groundwater bodies. In these reservoirs, enormous quantities of water can be stored as groundwater, snow, or glacier and permafrost ice.

The Institute of Analytical Chemistry (ACHE) at BOKU performed research as part of the “DaFNE – Research for Sustainable Development” initiative (project RGAlpCatch; led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gerfried Winkler, University of Graz, NAWI Graz Geozentrum, Institute of Earth Sciences). With the support of the funding partners Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK) and the provinces of Carinthia, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg, ACHE has made a significant contribution to the in-depth chemical characterization of these high-altitude alpine groundwater reservoirs.
The state-of-the-art equipment and expertise for analyzing inorganic (including harmful) substances at the BOKU Muthgasse campus enabled the analysis of 68 elements at trace and ultra-trace levels (down to 1 billionth of a gram per liter of ground water), such as rare earth elements and precious metals. Many of these metals are now indispensable as high-tech applications, but very little is known about their occurrence and rock-water interactions, especially in high-altitude alpine regions.

Overall, this work established a detailed basis for understanding the characteristics of rock glaciers in accordance with the National Water Management Plan, the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, and the Water Rights Act 1959, as amended. In addition, the latest research results significantly expand the knowledge base for the nationwide water cycle survey (WKEV 2006, as amended) and water status monitoring (GZÜV 2006, as amended) in Austria.

Final report (in German):
Blockgletscher als Grundwasserspeicher in alpinen Einzugsgebieten und ihr Einfluss auf übergeordnete Flusssysteme unter dem Aspekt des Klimawandels (RGAlpCatch)
https://dafne.at/content/report_release/7894e0ba-166b-42c0-a622-5c99127a0732_0.pdf

Short report (in German):
Blockgletscher als Grundwasserspeicher in alpinen Einzugsgebieten und ihr Einfluss auf übergeordnete Flusssysteme unter dem Aspekt des Klimawandels (RGAlpCatch)
https://www.bmluk.gv.at/themen/wasser/gewaesserbewirtschaftung/forschungsprojekte/blockgletscher-2025.html