Articles | Volume 26, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-26-2955-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-26-2955-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Jun 2026
Research article |
| 25 Jun 2026
| 25 Jun 2026
Managing glacial and periglacial hazards in the Alps: a geohistorical approach
Juliette Bazin
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
EDYTEM, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, CNRS, 5 Boulevard de la Mer Caspienne, 73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac, France
PACTE, Grenoble Alpes University, INP, 46 Avenue Félix Viallet, 38000 Grenoble, France
Ludovic Ravanel
EDYTEM, Savoie Mont-Blanc University, CNRS, 5 Boulevard de la Mer Caspienne, 73370 Le Bourget-du-Lac, France
Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
Sandrine Caroly
PACTE, Grenoble Alpes University, INP, 46 Avenue Félix Viallet, 38000 Grenoble, France
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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
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2455, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2455, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
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We investigated a hanging glacier in the Swiss Alps to resolve poorly known geometry, thermal conditions and response to climate forcing. Using up to five years of data from drone surveys, ground penetrating radar, temperature measurements and modelling, we show the glacier lost up to 7 m (20–45 % of the 2021 thickness), while the surrounding permafrost is degrading. The glacier is transitioning towards polythermal conditions, due to meltwater infiltration, increasing future instability risk.
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
The Cryosphere, 20, 2181–2207, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2181-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2181-2026, 2026
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Permafrost dynamics at Aiguille du Midi in the French Alps was investigated using Automated Electrical Resistivity Tomography (A-ERT) during four years. A-ERT reveals seasonal and multi-year permafrost changes. Temperatures estimated using resistivity measurements provide a good agreement with measured temperature in borehole in frozen zone. Variations in active layer thickness across different faces were observed, along with a slight decrease in permafrost resistivity suggesting warming.
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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This study examines the impact of climate change on Alpine climbing routes in the western European Alps. By identifying the routes most frequented by French mountain guides across various Alpine massifs, the research combines historical comparisons, contemporary surveys and detailed mapping of geomorphological and glaciological processes.
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.
Léa Courtial-Manent, Jean-Louis Mugnier, Anta-Clarisse Sarr, Ludovic Ravanel, Julien Carcaillet, Riccardo Vassallo, and Arthur Schwing
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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This study explores how rocks on glacier surfaces originating from rockfalls help measure erosion rates using a chemical marker called 10Be. By analyzing data from 31 glaciers we found that erosion rates vary widely but can be accurately estimated and reveal links to rock exposure, glacier movement, and climate effects. Comparing 10Be erosion rates to other exhumation rates shows cases of balance, slower erosion, or faster erosion, offering insights into the complex drivers of rockwall erosion.
Matan Ben-Asher, Florence Magnin, Sebastian Westermann, Josué Bock, Emmanuel Malet, Johan Berthet, Ludovic Ravanel, and Philip Deline
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 899–915, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-899-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-899-2023, 2023
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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
Jacques Mourey, Pascal Lacroix, Pierre-Allain Duvillard, Guilhem Marsy, Marco Marcer, Emmanuel Malet, and Ludovic Ravanel
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 445–460, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-445-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-445-2022, 2022
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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.
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Short summary
Through a geo-historical study, we compile an inventory of glacial and periglacial events that have prompted risk management actions in the Alps. Analysed through eight guiding principles, this research examines how methods have evolved across Alpine countries. Certain events mark turning points in risk perception. Today, management benefits from improved understanding of both hazards and vulnerabilities.
Through a geo-historical study, we compile an inventory of glacial and periglacial events that...
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