Glacial lake formation in Austria since the Little Ice Age (LIA)
Johannes Buckel, University of Salzburg (AT)
The temperature rise in the 20th and 21st century in Austria led to massive deglaciation and to the formation of numerous glacial lakes. We present an inventory of high-alpine lakes in Austria. More than 250 new lakes have formed since the Little Ice Age covering an area of 2.9 km². Analyzing the temporal formation of new lakes using data on historical and recent glacier extents reveals an exponential increase of lake number and area within the last 170 years. This trend corresponds well with mean temperature changes of high-alpine station.