Decadal in situ hydrological observations and empirical modeling of pressure head in a high-alpine, fractured calcareous rock slope

Scandroglio, Riccardo; Weber, Samuel; Rehm, Till; Krautblatter, Michael

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-295-2025

Articles | Volume 13, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-295-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-295-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 13, issue 2

Research article

|

03 Apr 2025

Research article |

| 03 Apr 2025

Decadal in situ hydrological observations and empirical modeling of pressure head in a high-alpine, fractured calcareous rock slope

Riccardo Scandroglio, Samuel Weber, Till Rehm, and Michael Krautblatter

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Final revised paper (published on 03 Apr 2025)
Supplement to the final revised paper
Preprint (discussion started on 19 Jun 2024)
Supplement to the preprint

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-1512', Luc Illien, 12 Aug 2024

See attached file

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1512-RC1
RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-1512', Anonymous Referee #2, 20 Aug 2024

The comment was uploaded in the form of a supplement: https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2024/egusphere-2024-1512/egusphere-2024-1512-RC2-supplement.pdf

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1512-RC2
AC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-1512', Riccardo Scandroglio, 08 Oct 2024

Dear handling Editor, Dear Referees,
in the attachment you can find our answer to your requests and comments.
Best Regards
Riccardo SCCndroglio,

on behalf oF all authors.

Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1512-AC1

Peer review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision | EF: Editorial file upload

AR by Riccardo Scandroglio on behalf of the Authors (08 Oct 2024) Author's response Author's tracked changes Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (09 Dec 2024) by Andreas Lang

RR by Luc Illien (13 Jan 2025)

ED: Publish as is (13 Jan 2025) by Andreas Lang

ED: Publish as is (13 Jan 2025) by Tom Coulthard (Editor)

AR by Riccardo Scandroglio on behalf of the Authors (22 Jan 2025)

Short summary

Despite the critical role of water in alpine regions, its presence in bedrock is frequently neglected. This research examines the dynamics of water in fractures using 1 decade of measurements from a tunnel 50 m underground. We provide new insights into alpine groundwater dynamics, revealing that up to 800 L d^-1 can flow in one fracture during extreme events. These quantities can saturate the fractures, enhance hydraulic conductivity, and generate pressures that destabilize slopes.