Articles | Volume 8, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-729-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-729-2020
Research article
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11 Sep 2020
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 11 Sep 2020

Current glacier recession causes significant rockfall increase: the immediate paraglacial response of deglaciating cirque walls

Ingo Hartmeyer, Robert Delleske, Markus Keuschnig, Michael Krautblatter, Andreas Lang, Lothar Schrott, and Jan-Christoph Otto

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AR by Ingo Hartmeyer on behalf of the Authors (25 Jun 2020)  Author's response   Manuscript 
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (16 Jul 2020) by Arjen Stroeven
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (16 Jul 2020) by Niels Hovius (Editor)
AR by Ingo Hartmeyer on behalf of the Authors (24 Jul 2020)  Author's response   Manuscript 
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Short summary
Climate warming is causing significant ice surface lowering even in the uppermost parts of alpine glaciers. Using terrestrial lidar, we quantify rockfall in freshly exposed cirque walls. During 6-year monitoring (2011–2017), an extensive dataset was established and over 600 rockfall events identified. Drastically increased rockfall activity following ice retreat can clearly be observed as 60 % of the rockfall volume detached from less than 10 m above the glacier surface.