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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Xavier Cailhol, Ludovic Ravanel, and Jacques Mourey
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Juliette Bazin, Ludovic Ravanel, and Sandrine Caroly
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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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Ice aprons are little-known ice masses on steep Alpine rock faces. They are also paleo-environmental archives as their ice is several thousand years old. A special corer has been developed to sample the ice before analysing it.
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Geogr. Helv., 80, 339–362, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-339-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gh-80-339-2025, 2025
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Matan Ben-Asher, Antoine Chabas, Jean-Yves Josnin, Josué Bock, Emmanuel Malet, Amaël Poulain, Yves Perrette, and Florence Magnin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2450, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2450, 2025
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We studied how water moves through fractured rock walls in a high mountain area in the Alps. Using sensors and tracers over two years, in a high-altitude site, we tracked where the water came from and when it flowed. Most of it came from melting snow, but some came from rain and older ice. The results show that heat and water flow can speed up the melting of frozen ground, which may affect mountain stability. This helps us understand how climate change influences these fragile environments.
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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Feras Abdulsamad, Josué Bock, Florence Magnin, Emmanuel Malet, André Revil, Matan Ben-Asher, Jessy Richard, Pierre-Allain Duvillard, Marios Karaoulis, Thomas Condom, Ludovic Ravanel, and Philip Deline
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Marco Marcer, Pierre-Allain Duvillard, Soňa Tomaškovičová, Steffen Ringsø Nielsen, André Revil, and Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen
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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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S. Kaushik, S. Leinss, L. Ravanel, E. Trouvé, Y. Yan, and F. Magnin
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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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