Multi-decadal changes in glacial and periglacialsystems in the French Alps revealed byphotogrammetry and in-situ geophysical surveys

Overview & Synopsis

The current and future vulnerability of Alpine territories to the emerging hazards related to the degradation of the mountain cryosphere is largely unknown. Spatially, we have few clues on where exactly is located this ‘hidden’ cryosphere, and on where ice thawing and surface movements are occurring. Associated to the slope destabilization that may be triggered on the upper part of the catchments (Bodin et al., 2017), cascading phenomena propagating downslope are thought to generate complex situations in terms of hazards. Regarding the controlling factors, there is still a lot of uncertainty on the respective roles of the climate evolution (Deline et al., 2015) and of the morpho-topographic conditions (Rabatel et al., 2013).The current and future vulnerability of Alpine territories to the emerging hazards related to the degradation of the mountain cryosphere is largely unknown. Spatially, we have few clues on where exactly is located this ‘hidden’ cryosphere, and on where ice thawing and surface movements are occurring. Associated to the slope destabilization that may be triggered on the upper part of the catchments (Bodin et al., 2017), cascading phenomena propagating downslope are thought to generate complex situations in terms of hazards. Regarding the controlling factors, there is still a lot of uncertainty on the respective roles of the climate evolution (Deline et al., 2015) and of the morpho-topographic conditions (Rabatel et al., 2013).The current and future vulnerability of Alpine territories to the emerging hazards related to the degradation of the mountain cryosphere is largely unknown. Spatially, we have few clues on where exactly is located this ‘hidden’ cryosphere, and on where ice thawing and surface movements are occurring. Associated to the slope destabilization that may be triggered on the upper part of the catchments (Bodin et al., 2017), cascading phenomena propagating downslope are thought to generate complex situations in terms of hazards. Regarding the controlling factors, there is still a lot of uncertainty on the respective roles of the climate evolution (Deline et al., 2015) and of the morpho-topographic conditions (Rabatel et al., 2013).