摘要：Half of the glaciers in the Swiss Alps are smaller than
0.1 km<sup>2</sup>. Despite this, the mass budget of small glaciers
and their response to ongoing climate change is rarely
studied. A new mass balance monitoring programme on
Pizolgletscher (0.08 km<sup>2</sup>) in north-eastern Switzerland
was started in 2006. This paper presents first results and
describes a new approach to determining the mass balance
of glaciers. Seasonal field observations are interpreted
using a distributed mass balance model in daily
resolution that allows spatial inter- and extrapolation of
sparse data points and the calculation of mass balance
over arbitrary time periods. Evaluation of aerial photographs
acquired in subdecadal intervals since 1968
allows inclusion of data on changes in glacier area and
ice volume, contributing towards a long-term reconstruction
of Pizolgletscher's mass balance. The analysis
revealed fast mass loss over the last three years with
annual balances of -1.61 m w.e. in 2006/2007, -0.71 m
w.e. in 2007/2008, and -1.46 m w.e. in 2008/2009 and high
spatial variability of mass balance on Pizolgletscher.
