Articles | Volume 22, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-445-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-445-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Feb 2022
Research article |
| 16 Feb 2022
| 16 Feb 2022
Multi-method monitoring of rockfall activity along the classic route up Mont Blanc (4809 m a.s.l.) to encourage adaptation by mountaineers
Jacques Mourey
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
EDYTEM, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, CNRS, 73000 Chambéry,
France
Interdisciplinary Center for Mountain Research, University of
Lausanne, Ch. de l'Institut 18, 1967 Bramois, Switzerland
Pascal Lacroix
ISTerre, IRD-CNRS-OSUG, Grenoble Alpes University, 38400
Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
Pierre-Allain Duvillard
EDYTEM, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, CNRS, 73000 Chambéry,
France
STYX4D, 73370 Le Bourget du Lac, France
Guilhem Marsy
EDYTEM, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, CNRS, 73000 Chambéry,
France
LISTIC, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, Polytech Annecy-Chambéry,
Annecy-Chambéry, France
TENEVIA, 38240 Meylan, France
Marco Marcer
PACTE, Grenoble Alpes University, Alpine Geography Institute, CNRS,
38041 Grenoble, France
Emmanuel Malet
EDYTEM, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, CNRS, 73000 Chambéry,
France
Ludovic Ravanel
EDYTEM, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, CNRS, 73000 Chambéry,
France
Interdisciplinary Center for Mountain Research, University of
Lausanne, Ch. de l'Institut 18, 1967 Bramois, Switzerland
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Juliette Bazin, Ludovic Ravanel, and Sandrine Caroly
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Ben Robson, James Irving, Florence Magnin, Ludovic Ravanel, Coline Mollaret, Ludovic Baron, André Revil, Jessy Richard, Jérémie Gentizon, and Christophe Lambiel
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Matan Ben-Asher, Antoine Chabas, Jean-Yves Josnin, Josué Bock, Emmanuel Malet, Amaël Poulain, Yves Perrette, and Florence Magnin
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Simon Filhol, Clément Misset, Noélie Bontemps, Diego Cusicanqui, Emmanuel Paquet, Marie Dumont, Olivier Gagliardini, Pascal Lacroix, Simon Gascoin, Guillaume Thirel, Julien Brondex, Pascal Hagenmuller, Eric Larose, Philipp Schoeneich, Denis Roy, Emmanuel Thibert, Nicolas Eckert, Félix de Montety, Robin Mainieri, Alexandre Hauet, Frédéric Gottardi, Johan Berthet, Alexandre Baratier, Frédéric Liébault, Małgorzata Chmiel, Guillaume Piton, Guillaume Chambon, Guillaume James, Philippe Frey, Philip Deline, Laurent Astrade, Christian Vincent, Dominique Laigle, Alain Recking, Fatima Karbou, Adrien Mauss, Mylène Bonnefoy-Demongeot, Firmin Fontaine, Mickael Langlais, Etienne Berthier, and Antoine Blanc
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Benedetta Dini, Pascal Lacroix, and Marie-Pierre Doin
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Landslides can occur without warning. Traditional satellite radar (InSAR) methods are valuable but have limitations. We show that lesser-used radar signals can act as early warning markers, revealing instability up to five years before failure in a Peruvian landslide, even when standard methods fail or underestimate displacement. These alternative radar approaches complement existing techniques and could transform early detection and targeted monitoring across large regions.
Xavier Cailhol, Ludovic Ravanel, and Jacques Mourey
Geogr. Helv., 80, 527–544, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-527-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-527-2025, 2025
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Ludovic Ravanel, Romain Duphil, Emmanuel Malet, Christine Piot, Olivier Alemany, Xavier Cailhol, and Michel Fauquet
Geogr. Helv., 80, 455–465, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-455-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-455-2025, 2025
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Léa Courtial-Manent, Jean-Louis Mugnier, Anta-Clarisse Sarr, Ludovic Ravanel, Julien Carcaillet, Riccardo Vassallo, and Arthur Schwing
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Diego Cusicanqui, Pascal Lacroix, Xavier Bodin, Benjamin Aubrey Robson, Andreas Kääb, and Shelley MacDonell
The Cryosphere, 19, 2559–2581, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2559-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2559-2025, 2025
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Andrea Securo, Costanza Del Gobbo, Giovanni Baccolo, Carlo Barbante, Michele Citterio, Fabrizio De Blasi, Marco Marcer, Mauro Valt, and Renato R. Colucci
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We have reconstructed the multi-decadal (1980s–2023) ice mass changes for all the current mountain glaciers in the Dolomites. We used historical aerial photographs, drone surveys, and lidar to fill the glaciological data gap for the region. We observed an alarming decline in both glacier area and volume, with some of the glaciers showing smaller losses due to local topography and debris cover feedback. We strongly recommend more specific monitoring of these glaciers.
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The reactivity of local to regional hydrosystems to global changes remains understated in East African climate models. By reconstructing a chronicle of seasonal floods and droughts from a lacustrine sedimentary core, this paper highlights the impact of El Niño anomalies in the Awash River valley (Ethiopia). Studying regional hydrosystem feedbacks to global atmospheric anomalies is essential for better comprehending and mitigating the effects of global warming in extreme environments.
Marco Marcer, Pierre-Allain Duvillard, Soňa Tomaškovičová, Steffen Ringsø Nielsen, André Revil, and Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen
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This study models present and future rock wall temperatures in the mountains near Sisimiut, creating knowledge on mountain permafrost in Greenland for the first time. Bedrock is mostly frozen but also has temperatures near 0 oC, making it very sensitive to climate changes. Future climatic scenarios indicate a reduction in frozen rock wall areas. Since mountain permafrost thaw is linked to an increase in landslides, these results call for more efforts addressing mountain permafrost in Greenland.
Matan Ben-Asher, Florence Magnin, Sebastian Westermann, Josué Bock, Emmanuel Malet, Johan Berthet, Ludovic Ravanel, and Philip Deline
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Quantitative knowledge of water availability on high mountain rock slopes is very limited. We use a numerical model and field measurements to estimate the water balance at a steep rock wall site. We show that snowmelt is the main source of water at elevations >3600 m and that snowpack hydrology and sublimation are key factors. The new information presented here can be used to improve the understanding of thermal, hydrogeological, and mechanical processes on steep mountain rock slopes.
Suvrat Kaushik, Ludovic Ravanel, Florence Magnin, Yajing Yan, Emmanuel Trouve, and Diego Cusicanqui
The Cryosphere, 16, 4251–4271, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4251-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4251-2022, 2022
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Climate change impacts all parts of the cryosphere but most importantly the smaller ice bodies like ice aprons (IAs). This study is the first attempt on a regional scale to assess the impacts of the changing climate on these small but very important ice bodies. Our study shows that IAs have consistently lost mass over the past decades. The effects of climate variables, particularly temperature and precipitation and topographic factors, were analysed on the loss of IA area.
S. Kaushik, S. Leinss, L. Ravanel, E. Trouvé, Y. Yan, and F. Magnin
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., V-3-2022, 325–332, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-V-3-2022-325-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-V-3-2022-325-2022, 2022
Bernd Etzelmüller, Justyna Czekirda, Florence Magnin, Pierre-Allain Duvillard, Ludovic Ravanel, Emanuelle Malet, Andreas Aspaas, Lene Kristensen, Ingrid Skrede, Gudrun D. Majala, Benjamin Jacobs, Johannes Leinauer, Christian Hauck, Christin Hilbich, Martina Böhme, Reginald Hermanns, Harald Ø. Eriksen, Tom Rune Lauknes, Michael Krautblatter, and Sebastian Westermann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 97–129, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-97-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-97-2022, 2022
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This paper is a multi-authored study documenting the possible existence of permafrost in permanently monitored rockslides in Norway for the first time by combining a multitude of field data, including geophysical surveys in rock walls. The paper discusses the possible role of thermal regime and rockslide movement, and it evaluates the possible impact of atmospheric warming on rockslide dynamics in Norwegian mountains.
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Short summary
More frequent rockfalls in high alpine environments due to climate change are a growing threat to mountaineers. This hazard is particularly important on the classic route up Mont Blanc. Our results show that rockfalls are most frequent during snowmelt periods and the warmest hours of the day, and that mountaineers do not adapt to the local rockfall hazard when planning their ascent. Disseminating the knowledge acquired from our study caused management measures to be implemented for the route.
More frequent rockfalls in high alpine environments due to climate change are a growing threat...
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