Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-2547-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-2547-2023
Research article
 | 
20 Jul 2023
Research article |  | 20 Jul 2023

The role of thermokarst evolution in debris flow initiation (Hüttekar Rock Glacier, Austrian Alps)

Simon Seelig, Thomas Wagner, Karl Krainer, Michael Avian, Marc Olefs, Klaus Haslinger, and Gerfried Winkler

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Cited articles

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Arnold, N. S., Willis, I. C., Sharp, M. J., Richards, K. S., and Lawson, W. J.: A distributed surface energy-balance model for a small valley glacier. I. Development and testing for Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Valais, Switzerland, J. Glaciol., 42, 77–89, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000030549, 1996. a
Avian, M., Kaufmann, V., and Lieb, G. K.: Recent and Holocene dynamics of a rock glacier system: The example of Langtalkar (Central Alps, Austria), Norsk Geogr. Tidsskr., 59, 149–156, https://doi.org/10.1080/00291950510020637, 2007. a
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Short summary
A rapid sequence of cascading events involving thermokarst lake outburst, rock glacier front failure, debris flow development, and river blockage hit an alpine valley in Austria during summer 2019. We analyze the environmental conditions initiating the process chain and identify the rapid evolution of a thermokarst channel network as the main driver. Our results highlight the need to account for permafrost degradation in debris flow hazard assessment studies.
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