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mapping  15  glaciers  in  the  Eastern  Alps  approximately  every  10  years,  the  next  planned  to
be  done  in  2009.  Volume  changes  are  derived  from  the  maps  of  these  15  glaciers  in  the
Eastern  Alps,  which  include  the  five  German  glaciers:  Nördlicher  and  Südlicher  Schneeferner, ­
  Höllentalferner,  Watzmanngletscher  and  Blaueis.  The  longest  mapping  series  starts  in
1889  (Vernagtferner  and  Guslarferner),  next  (1892)  come  the  two  Schneeferner  on  the  Zugspitzplatt,
  the  shortest  series  is  provided  for  Watzmanngletscher  (since  1959).
Data  are  regularly  submitted  to  World  Glacier  Monitoring  Service  (WGMS 18 )  and  National
Snow  and  Ice  Data  Center  (NSIDC 19 ),  and  analyses,  results,  and  modelling  approaches  are
presented  in  national  and  international  Journals  such  as  Zeitschrift  für  Gletscherkunde  (Innsbruck), ­
  Journal  of  Glaciology,  Annals  of  Glaciology  (both:  Cambridge),  Geografiska  Annaler
(Stockholm),  Climate  Status  Report  2007  of  DWD 20 .
In  addition,  Germany  contributes  to  and  supports  individual  measurement  campaigns  in  the
Alps,  in  Central  Asia,  Greenland  and  Antarctica  since  many  decades.

4.5  Global  Terrestrial  Network  for  Permafrost  (GTN-P)
Material  of  the  lithosphere  that  is  permanently  at  or  below  0°  C  throughout  the  year  is  called
permafrost.  At  high  altitudes  in  the  Alps  a  large  portion  of  permafrost  is  in  steep  bedrock,  like
for  example  the  Zugspitze  Mountain,  permafrost  occurs  in  the  rock  fissures.  In  steep  mountain ­
  flanks,  global  warming  causes  slow  but  deep-seated  degradation  or  thawing.  Consequences ­
  could  be  settlement,  or  rock  fall.  The  Zugspitze  Mountain  was  chosen  as  a  representative ­
  location  in  the  northern  Alps  for  monitoring  state  and  changes  in  bedrock  permafrost. ­
  In  2007  the  mountaintop  ridge  was  drilled  through,  commissioned  by  the  Bavarian  Environment ­
  Agency.  Along  a  44  m  long  borehole  25  temperature  sensors  were  installed.  These
will  collect  temperature  data  for  at  least  the  next  15  years  (planned  up  to  2022).  The  results
contribute  to  a  permafrost  monitoring  network  for  all  of  the  Alps.  This  site  is  not  included  into
the  GTN-P  but  data  will  contribute  to  an  alpine  wide  EU-PermaNet-project 8 .

18  http://www.geo.unizh.ch/wgms/
19  http://nsidc.org/index.html
20  http://www.dwd.de
8  http://www.permanet-alpinespace.eu