earth science

Hans Röthlisberger

Hans Röthlisberger is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hans Röthlisberger rather than just read about it. In short: Hans Röthlisberger (1 February 1923 – 10 September 2009) was a Swiss earth scientist and glaciologist best known for his work on glacier hazards and their prevention, glacier geophysics and subglacial hydrology. Early life and education Hans (his given name) was born on February 1, 1923, in Langnau, Canton Bern, Switzerland.

Key takeaways

Hans Röthlisberger belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hans Röthlisberger to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hans Röthlisberger from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hans Röthlisberger (1 February 1923 – 10 September 2009) was a Swiss earth scientist and glaciologist best known for his work on glacier hazards and their prevention, glacier geophysics and subglacial hydrology.

Early life and education Hans (his given name) was born on February 1, 1923, in Langnau, Canton Bern, Switzerland. After completing formal education as a teacher training in Bern he began studies in the earth sciences at ETH Zürich (ETHZ) in 1943, where he earned his diploma in 1947. Röthlisberger then embarked on a PhD on the topic of seismic investigations of molasse rocks, under the guidance of Professor Dr. F. Gassmann at the Geophysical Institute of ETH Zürich. His interest in glaciers was fostered by his mountaineering activities, and while working on his PhD, Hans Röthlisberger participated in scientific expeditions in eastern Greenland (1951; EGIG, Expédition Glaciologique Internationale au Groenland) and on Baffin Island (1950 and 1953), where he performed seismic geophysical experiments on glaciers.

Further work His work on glaciers led him to be awarded a tenured position in 1954 in the Hydrology Section of the "Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau und Erdbau"(Laboratory of Hydraulics and Earthworks) (VAWE, ETH Zürich) under the leadership of Prof.Ing. Peter Kasser. From 1957 to 1961, Hans worked as a contract scientist at the US Army Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment (SIPRE, now known as the US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, USA CRREL) then in Wilmette, Illinois. During that time, he participated in scientific expeditions to Thule, West Greenland. From 1961 until his retirement in 1988, "Tschoon" (John), as he came to be known, continued his career at the VAWE, (VAW, after 1970). Röthlisberger produced two important monographs when at CRREL; one on seismic properties of ice the other on ice and glacier resistivity measurements that remain significant contributions to the properties of ice. At VAW, under Professor Peter Kasser, Hans Röthlisberger performed pioneering work on risk management and problems related to glacier hazards (e.g., Mattmark/Allalin glacier 1965, Bisgletscher/Randa 1972, and the potential ice dammed lake (GLOF) failure at Grubengletscher above Saas Balen in Kanton Wallis. He also devised quantitative engineering measures of determining the bearing capacity for frozen lakes, specifically the frozen Lake Zürich, or "Seegfrörni" in 1963. As well as being associated with the annual glaciological reports on Swiss glaciers (now called 'The Swiss Glaciers' ) with Peter Kasser and Markus Aellen, Röthlisberger and Hebert Lang focused on the area of subglacial hydrology as a consequence of the ice-dammed lake work. He made a name with his theory of subglacial channel hydraulics, first described in one of the most frequently cited papers of the Journal of Glaciology now known as "R (for Röthlisberger)-channels. This work also served as his habilitation thesis for his qualification as a "Dozent" at ETH Zürich, a degree awarded in 1972. Röthlisberger's 1972 paper follows Robert Haefeli's work on sliding of the Unteraargletscher and is reviewed in the light of subsequent work by Joseph Walder. Röthlisberger also produced papers on glacial geomorphology, on glacier erosion and glacier mapping. In recognition of his scientific work, Hans Röthlisberger was awarded the title of Professor by the Swiss Federal Government in 1984, and the Seligman Crystal from the International Glaciological Society (IGS) in 1992 and was President of the Society from 1984 to 1987. In retirement, Hans Röthlisberger became Professor Emeritus in 1988.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hans Röthlisberger

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hans Röthlisberger claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hans Röthlisberger before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hans Röthlisberger ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hans Röthlisberger

In research: Hans Röthlisberger appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hans Röthlisberger in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hans Röthlisberger is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 births, 2009 deaths, 20th-century Swiss geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hans Röthlisberger outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hans Röthlisberger in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hans Röthlisberger means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hans Röthlisberger out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hans Röthlisberger in simple terms?

Why does Hans Röthlisberger matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hans Röthlisberger?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hans Röthlisberger.