Ice loss and slope stability in high-mountain regions

Philip Deline; Stephan Gruber; Reynald Delaloye; Luzia Fischer; Marten Geertsema; Marco Giardino; Andreas Hasler; Martin Kirkbride; Michael Krautblatter; Florence Magnin; Samuel McColl; Ludovic Ravanel; Philippe Schoeneich

doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9

Ice loss and slope stability in high-mountain regions

Philip Deline
, Stephan Gruber
, Reynald Delaloye
, Luzia Fischer
, Marten Geertsema
, Marco Giardino
, Andreas Hasler
, Martin Kirkbride
, Michael Krautblatter
, Florence Magnin
, Samuel McColl
, Ludovic Ravanel
, Philippe Schoeneich

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

153 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The present time is one significant stage in the adjustment of mountain slopes to climate change, and specifically atmospheric warming. This review examines the state of understanding of the responses of mid-latitude alpine landscapes to recent cryospheric change, and summarizes the variety and complexity of documented landscape responses involving glaciers, moraines, rock and debris slopes, and rock glaciers. These indicate how a common general forcing translates into varied site-specific slope responses according to material structures and properties, thermal and hydrological environments, process rates, and prior slope histories. Warming of permafrost in rock and debris slopes has demonstrably increased instability, manifest as rock glacier acceleration, rock falls, debris flows, and related phenomena. Changes in glacier geometry influence stress fields in rock and debris slopes, and some failures appear to be accelerating toward catastrophic failure. Several sites now require expensive monitoring and modeling to design effective risk-reduction strategies, especially where new lakes as multipliers of hazard potential form, and new activities and infrastructure are developed.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Snow and ice-related hazards, risks and disasters
Editors	Wilfried Haeberli, Colin Whiteman, John F. Shroder
Place of Publication	Amsterdam
Publisher	Elsevier
Pages	521-561
Number of pages	41
ISBN (Electronic)	9780123964731
ISBN (Print)	0123948495, 9780123948496
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9
Publication status	Published - 2015

Publication series

Name	Hazards and disasters series
Publisher	Elsevier

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

Debuttressing
Deep-seated gravitational slope deformation
Glacier shrinkage
Ice unloading
Moraine instability
Permafrost degradation
Rock fall
Rock glacier
Rock slide

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Earth and Planetary Sciences
General Environmental Science

Access to Document

10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9

Cite this

Deline, P., Gruber, S., Delaloye, R., Fischer, L., Geertsema, M., Giardino, M., Hasler, A., Kirkbride, M., Krautblatter, M., Magnin, F., McColl, S., Ravanel, L., & Schoeneich, P. (2015). Ice loss and slope stability in high-mountain regions. In W. Haeberli, C. Whiteman, & J. F. Shroder (Eds.), Snow and ice-related hazards, risks and disasters (pp. 521-561). (Hazards and disasters series). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9

@inbook{f0f0316532834623aeac791568b2ff10,

title = "Ice loss and slope stability in high-mountain regions",

abstract = "The present time is one significant stage in the adjustment of mountain slopes to climate change, and specifically atmospheric warming. This review examines the state of understanding of the responses of mid-latitude alpine landscapes to recent cryospheric change, and summarizes the variety and complexity of documented landscape responses involving glaciers, moraines, rock and debris slopes, and rock glaciers. These indicate how a common general forcing translates into varied site-specific slope responses according to material structures and properties, thermal and hydrological environments, process rates, and prior slope histories. Warming of permafrost in rock and debris slopes has demonstrably increased instability, manifest as rock glacier acceleration, rock falls, debris flows, and related phenomena. Changes in glacier geometry influence stress fields in rock and debris slopes, and some failures appear to be accelerating toward catastrophic failure. Several sites now require expensive monitoring and modeling to design effective risk-reduction strategies, especially where new lakes as multipliers of hazard potential form, and new activities and infrastructure are developed.",

keywords = "Debuttressing , Deep-seated gravitational slope deformation, Glacier shrinkage , Ice unloading , Moraine instability , Permafrost degradation , Rock fall , Rock glacier , Rock slide",

author = "Philip Deline and Stephan Gruber and Reynald Delaloye and Luzia Fischer and Marten Geertsema and Marco Giardino and Andreas Hasler and Martin Kirkbride and Michael Krautblatter and Florence Magnin and Samuel McColl and Ludovic Ravanel and Philippe Schoeneich",

year = "2015",

doi = "10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9",

language = "English",

isbn = "0123948495",

series = "Hazards and disasters series",

publisher = "Elsevier",

pages = "521--561",

editor = "Wilfried Haeberli and Colin Whiteman and Shroder, \{John F.\}",

booktitle = "Snow and ice-related hazards, risks and disasters",

address = "Netherlands",

}

Deline, P, Gruber, S, Delaloye, R, Fischer, L, Geertsema, M, Giardino, M, Hasler, A, Kirkbride, M, Krautblatter, M, Magnin, F, McColl, S, Ravanel, L & Schoeneich, P 2015, Ice loss and slope stability in high-mountain regions. in W Haeberli, C Whiteman & JF Shroder (eds), Snow and ice-related hazards, risks and disasters. Hazards and disasters series, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 521-561. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9

TY - CHAP

T1 - Ice loss and slope stability in high-mountain regions

AU - Deline, Philip

AU - Gruber, Stephan

AU - Delaloye, Reynald

AU - Fischer, Luzia

AU - Geertsema, Marten

AU - Giardino, Marco

AU - Hasler, Andreas

AU - Kirkbride, Martin

AU - Krautblatter, Michael

AU - Magnin, Florence

AU - McColl, Samuel

AU - Ravanel, Ludovic

AU - Schoeneich, Philippe

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - The present time is one significant stage in the adjustment of mountain slopes to climate change, and specifically atmospheric warming. This review examines the state of understanding of the responses of mid-latitude alpine landscapes to recent cryospheric change, and summarizes the variety and complexity of documented landscape responses involving glaciers, moraines, rock and debris slopes, and rock glaciers. These indicate how a common general forcing translates into varied site-specific slope responses according to material structures and properties, thermal and hydrological environments, process rates, and prior slope histories. Warming of permafrost in rock and debris slopes has demonstrably increased instability, manifest as rock glacier acceleration, rock falls, debris flows, and related phenomena. Changes in glacier geometry influence stress fields in rock and debris slopes, and some failures appear to be accelerating toward catastrophic failure. Several sites now require expensive monitoring and modeling to design effective risk-reduction strategies, especially where new lakes as multipliers of hazard potential form, and new activities and infrastructure are developed.

AB - The present time is one significant stage in the adjustment of mountain slopes to climate change, and specifically atmospheric warming. This review examines the state of understanding of the responses of mid-latitude alpine landscapes to recent cryospheric change, and summarizes the variety and complexity of documented landscape responses involving glaciers, moraines, rock and debris slopes, and rock glaciers. These indicate how a common general forcing translates into varied site-specific slope responses according to material structures and properties, thermal and hydrological environments, process rates, and prior slope histories. Warming of permafrost in rock and debris slopes has demonstrably increased instability, manifest as rock glacier acceleration, rock falls, debris flows, and related phenomena. Changes in glacier geometry influence stress fields in rock and debris slopes, and some failures appear to be accelerating toward catastrophic failure. Several sites now require expensive monitoring and modeling to design effective risk-reduction strategies, especially where new lakes as multipliers of hazard potential form, and new activities and infrastructure are developed.

KW - Debuttressing

KW - Deep-seated gravitational slope deformation

KW - Glacier shrinkage

KW - Ice unloading

KW - Moraine instability

KW - Permafrost degradation

KW - Rock fall

KW - Rock glacier

KW - Rock slide

U2 - 10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9

DO - 10.1016/B978-0-12-394849-6.00015-9

M3 - Chapter

SN - 0123948495

SN - 9780123948496

T3 - Hazards and disasters series

SP - 521

EP - 561

BT - Snow and ice-related hazards, risks and disasters

A2 - Haeberli, Wilfried

A2 - Whiteman, Colin

A2 - Shroder, John F.

PB - Elsevier

CY - Amsterdam

ER -

Ice loss and slope stability in high-mountain regions

Abstract

Publication series

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this