Rock-wall temperatures in the Alps: modelling their topographic distribution and regional differences

• Main Authors: Gruber, S, Hoelzle, M, Haeberli, W
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2004
• Subjects: Institute of Geography; 910 Geography & travel; Earth-Surface Processes; permafrost; Permafrost and Periglacial Processes
• Online Access: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/63033/; https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/63033/1/Gruber_etal_2004_rockwall_temperatures.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-63033; https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.501

Rising temperatures or the complete thaw of permafrost in rock walls can affect their stability. Present as well as projected future atmospheric warming results in permafrost degradation and, as a consequence, makes knowledge of the spatial distribution and the temporal evolution of rock temperatures important. Rock-face near-surface temperatures have been measured over one year at 14 locations between 2500 and 4500 m a.s.l. in the Alps. Different slope aspects have been included in order to capture the maximum spatial differentiation of rock temperatures. These data were used to further develop and verify an energy-balance model that simulates daily surface temperatures over complex topography. Based on a 21-year (1982–2002) run of this model, spatial patterns of rock-face temperatures in the Swiss Alps are presented and discussed. This model provides a basis for the re-analysis of past rock-fall events with respect to permafrost degradation as well as for the simulation of future trends of rock temperatures. Furthermore, the spatial patterns of rock-wall temperatures provide a quantitative insight into the topography-related mechanisms affecting permafrost distribution in Alpine areas without local influence from snow cover or an active layer with a complex thermal offset.