A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls
The study of rockfall (volume > 100 m3) in high mountain is essential to understand landscape evolution and to evaluate natural hazards. The number of rockfalls is presently rising in the Alps, while vulnerability is increasing at high elevation and in valleys. Due to the lack of systematic obser...
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ftccsdartic:oai:HAL:halsde-00949765v1 2023-05-15T17:57:22+02:00 A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls Ravanel, Ludovic Deline, Philip Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de la Montagne (EDYTEM) Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 2013 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00949765 en eng HAL CCSD Comitato Glaciologico Italiano halsde-00949765 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00949765 ISSN: 0391-9838 Geografia Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00949765 Geografia Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria, Comitato Glaciologico Italiano, 2013, pp. 151-158 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2013 ftccsdartic 2021-12-26T00:18:15Z The study of rockfall (volume > 100 m3) in high mountain is essential to understand landscape evolution and to evaluate natural hazards. The number of rockfalls is presently rising in the Alps, while vulnerability is increasing at high elevation and in valleys. Due to the lack of systematic observations, frequency and volume of rockfalls, as well as their triggering factors remain poorly understood. Until today, most of the studies on rockfall carried out in high Alpine rockwalls were indeed devoted to individual events, while systematic surveys are needed to clarify the role of regional factors such as permafrost degradation. Here we present the network of observers (guides, hut keepers, mountaineers) which sets aside the documentation of all the rockfall events that occur in the central part of the Mont-Blanc massif. Operational since 2007, this network allowed identifying and documenting 251 rockfalls between 2007 and 2011. Checked and completed each year by extensive field work, data from the network are then analysed through a Geographic Information System to statistically characterise these rockfalls. The results of the first five years of survey indicate that permafrost degradation is the main rockfall triggering factor. Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) Mont Blanc ENVELOPE(69.468,69.468,-49.461,-49.461) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Archive ouverte HAL (Hyper Article en Ligne, CCSD - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) |
op_collection_id |
ftccsdartic |
language |
English |
description |
The study of rockfall (volume > 100 m3) in high mountain is essential to understand landscape evolution and to evaluate natural hazards. The number of rockfalls is presently rising in the Alps, while vulnerability is increasing at high elevation and in valleys. Due to the lack of systematic observations, frequency and volume of rockfalls, as well as their triggering factors remain poorly understood. Until today, most of the studies on rockfall carried out in high Alpine rockwalls were indeed devoted to individual events, while systematic surveys are needed to clarify the role of regional factors such as permafrost degradation. Here we present the network of observers (guides, hut keepers, mountaineers) which sets aside the documentation of all the rockfall events that occur in the central part of the Mont-Blanc massif. Operational since 2007, this network allowed identifying and documenting 251 rockfalls between 2007 and 2011. Checked and completed each year by extensive field work, data from the network are then analysed through a Geographic Information System to statistically characterise these rockfalls. The results of the first five years of survey indicate that permafrost degradation is the main rockfall triggering factor. |
author2 |
Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de la Montagne (EDYTEM) Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ravanel, Ludovic Deline, Philip |
spellingShingle |
Ravanel, Ludovic Deline, Philip A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls |
author_facet |
Ravanel, Ludovic Deline, Philip |
author_sort |
Ravanel, Ludovic |
title |
A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls |
title_short |
A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls |
title_full |
A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls |
title_fullStr |
A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls |
title_full_unstemmed |
A network of observers in the Mont Blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls |
title_sort |
network of observers in the mont blanc massif to study rockfalls in high alpine rockwalls |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00949765 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(69.468,69.468,-49.461,-49.461) |
geographic |
Mont Blanc |
geographic_facet |
Mont Blanc |
genre |
permafrost |
genre_facet |
permafrost |
op_source |
ISSN: 0391-9838 Geografia Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00949765 Geografia Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria, Comitato Glaciologico Italiano, 2013, pp. 151-158 |
op_relation |
halsde-00949765 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00949765 |
_version_ |
1766165789676666880 |