Articles | Volume 9, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1481-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1481-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Nov 2021
Research article |
| 29 Nov 2021
| 29 Nov 2021
A 4000-year debris flow record based on amphibious investigations of fan delta activity in Plansee (Austria, Eastern Alps)
Chair of Landslide Research, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333 Munich, Germany
Patrick Oswald
Department of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Jasper Moernaut
Department of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Stefano Claudio Fabbri
Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1 + 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Christoph Mayr
Institute of Geography, Friedrich–Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Glückstraße 5, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
Michael Strasser
Department of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Michael Krautblatter
Chair of Landslide Research, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333 Munich, Germany
Related authors
No articles found.
Floriane Guillevic, Renaldo Gastineau, Olivier Evrard, Pierre Sabatier, Amaury Bardelle, Pierre-Alexis Chaboche, Anthony Foucher, Romina Achaga, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández, Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza, Marcos Tassano, Mirel Cabrera, Juan A. Quicke, Guillermo Chalar, Maarten Van Daele, Valentina Moreno-Allende, Jasper Moernaut, Torsten Haberzettl, José A. Corcho Alvarado, Stefan Röllin, Hans Sahli, Judith Kobler, Gerald Dicen, and Christine Alewell
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3019, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geochronology (GChron).
Short summary
Short summary
Long-lived isotopes (239Pu and 240Pu), primarily produced during past nuclear weapon testing (1945-1974), are present globally in trace amounts on terrestrial surfaces. By analysing South American lake sediments, we identified three testing periods using the 240Pu/239Pu ratio analysis and observed discrepancies in the distribution of 137Cs and 239+240Pu activity concentration. This will improve the temporal precision of environmental reconstructions from the last century.
Hanaya Okuda, Charlotte Pizer, Mai-Linh Doan, and Michael Strasser
Sci. Dril., 35, 119–125, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-119-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-119-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
X-ray computed tomography scans have been used to look inside drill cores without destroying them. On the drilling vessel Chikyu, drill cores are routinely scanned by X-ray computed tomography, but the usage of scan data has been limited on the vessel due to large data size, unfamiliar data format, etc. In this study, we designed a workflow that enables shipboard scientists to access and utilize the X-ray computed tomography data quickly for shipboard core handling.
Huitong Yang, Katleen Wils, Ariana Molenaar, Jasper Moernaut, Lei Wu, Roberto Urrutia, Mario Pino, and Maarten Van Daele
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2493, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2493, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS).
Short summary
Short summary
Lake sediments preserve traces of past earthquakes and can help reveal how strong the shaking was. We studied Lake Riñihue, Chile, affected by earthquakes in 1960 and 2010, by modelling its basin structure and simulating its response to earthquake shaking. Lake floor shaking can be about twice as strong as empirical estimations, because sediment layers and basin geometry amplify shaking unevenly. Our results further show that different sediment imprints record different shaking components.
Philipp Daniel Gewalt, Thomas C. Wagner, and Michael Krautblatter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1699, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1699, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf).
Short summary
Short summary
Sediments move through mountain landscapes during heavy rainfall. Climate change will alter the occurrence of heavy rainfall, potentially changing sediment transport. To understand how, we investigate how mountain sediment transport responded to past climate changes. We show that sediments in small, steep catchments are moved by less extreme precipitation compared to larger, gentler catchments. This means that catchment form and area control future sediment transport in a changing climate.
Katharina Wetterauer, Sebastian Müller, Michael Krautblatter, Shiva P. Pudasaini, and Ivo Baselt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1235, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1235, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Contrasting mobility responses of erosive debris flows are poorly understood. Here, the role of bed inertia in debris-flow evolution and runout is experimentally assessed using distinct bed-density contrasts. Erosion is higher and runout longer over low-density beds, whereas equal- and high-density beds congruently show shallower erosion and shorter runout. The results indicate that solid density alone cannot explain mobility changes and that particle shape and internal friction also contribute.
Maike Offer, Ingo Hartmeyer, Samuel Weber, Markus Keuschnig, and Michael Krautblatter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6091, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6091, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf).
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a year-round automated electrical resistivity tomography monitoring of a steep permafrost rockwall combined with borehole temperature, anchor load and piezometer observations. The joint analysis revealed seasonal phases with enhanced mechanical forcing of rockwalls related to high hydrostatic and cryostatic pressures, which are of particular interest for understanding preconditioning of rock instabilities.
Benjamin Jacobs, Mohamed Ismael, Mostafa Ezzy, Markus Keuschnig, Alexander Mendler, Johanna Kieser, Michael Krautblatter, Christian U. Grosse, and Hany Helal
Earth Surf. Dynam., 14, 55–74, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-55-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-55-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is one of Egypt's key heritage sites but is potentially threatened by rockfalls from a 100 m high limestone cliff. We transferred established monitoring techniques from alpine environments to this UNESCO World Heritage Site and evaluated their performance in a historically sensitive desert environment. Our study presents the first evidence-based event and impact analysis of rockfalls at the Temple of Hatshepsut, providing vital data for future risk assessment.
Ken Ikehara, Michael Strasser, and Lena Maeda
Proc. Int. Ocean Drill. Prog., 503, 1–18, https://doi.org/10.5194/piodp-503-1-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/piodp-503-1-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Unexpected shallow and large slip on the plate boundary fault during the 2011 Tōhoku-oki earthquake contributed to a large tsunami. However, our knowledge on the past history of such slips is limited due to the long recurrence interval of the events. IODP3 Expedition 503 recovers the whole trench-fill sequence in the central Japan Trench to understand the nature and recurrence of hadal trench tsunamigenic slips and their earthquake-related carbon accumulation and element cycles.
Felix Pfluger, Samuel Weber, Natalie Barbosa, Florentin Hofmeister, Johannes Leinauer, Peter Wegmann, and Michael Krautblatter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5985, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5985, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The 2024 Platteikogel rock slide (Tyrol, Austria) highlights how cryospheric changes promote rock slope failure. We demonstrate how the system feedback of ice apron loss, affecting permafrost warming, groundwater conditions, and rockfall activity, accelerates mechanical destabilization, and as a consequence likely peaked in the observed rock slide. Today, rapidly vanishing ice aprons potentially mark source zones for future rock slides.
Riccardo Scandroglio, Samuel Weber, Jonas K. Limbrock, and Michael Krautblatter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5552, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5552, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study monitors changes in frozen rock on Mount Zugspitze over 17 years using monthly electrical resistivity measurements. By linking this data to rock temperature and applying advanced analysis, it reveals a 40 % loss of permafrost in the past decade. Thawing accelerates during summer, highlighting increasing risks of rock instability as temperatures rise.
Samuel Weber, Jan Beutel, Michael Dietze, Alexander Bast, Robert Kenner, Marcia Phillips, Johannes Leinauer, Simon Mühlbauer, Felix Pfluger, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 1157–1179, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-1157-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-1157-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
On 13 June 2023, a freestanding rock pillar on the Matterhorn collapsed after years of weakening. Our study examines this progressive destabilization by analyzing field data and integrating lab experiments into a hydro-mechanical model. We highlight the critical role of water infiltration into frozen rock, intensified by climate warming, as a widespread driver of the rising frequency of rockfalls in high mountain permafrost regions.
Riccardo Scandroglio, Samuel Weber, Till Rehm, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 295–314, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-295-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-295-2025, 2025
Short summary
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.
Maike Offer, Samuel Weber, Michael Krautblatter, Ingo Hartmeyer, and Markus Keuschnig
The Cryosphere, 19, 485–506, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-485-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-485-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present a unique long-term dataset of measurements of borehole temperature, repeated electrical resistivity tomography, and piezometric pressure to investigate the complex seasonal water flow in permafrost rockwalls. Our joint analysis shows that permafrost rocks are subjected to enhanced pressurised water flow during the thaw period, resulting in push-like warming events and long-lasting rock temperature regime changes.
Felix Pfluger, Samuel Weber, Joseph Steinhauser, Christian Zangerl, Christine Fey, Johannes Fürst, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 41–70, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-41-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-41-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study explores permafrost–glacier interactions with a focus on their implications for preparing or triggering high-volume rock slope failures. Using the Bliggspitze rock slide as a case study, we demonstrate a new type of rock slope failure mechanism triggered by the uplift of the cold–warm dividing line in polythermal alpine glaciers, a widespread and currently under-explored phenomenon in alpine environments worldwide.
Johannes Leinauer, Michael Dietze, Sibylle Knapp, Riccardo Scandroglio, Maximilian Jokel, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1027–1048, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1027-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1027-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Massive rock slope failures are a significant alpine hazard and change the Earth's surface. Therefore, we must understand what controls the preparation of such events. By correlating 4 years of slope displacements with meteorological and seismic data, we found that water from rain and snowmelt is the most important driver. Our approach is applicable to similar sites and indicates where future climatic changes, e.g. in rain intensity and frequency, may alter the preparation of slope failure.
Marcel Ortler, Achim Brauer, Stefano C. Fabbri, Jean Nicolas Haas, Irka Hajdas, Kerstin Kowarik, Jochem Kueck, Hans Reschreiter, and Michael Strasser
Sci. Dril., 33, 1–19, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-1-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The lake drilling project at Lake Hallstatt (Austria) successfully cored 51 m of lake sediments. This was achieved through the novel drilling platform Hipercorig. A core-log seismic correlation was created for the first time of an inner Alpine lake of the Eastern Alps. The sediments cover over 12 000 years before present with 10 (up to 5.1 m thick) instantaneous deposits. Lake Hallstatt is located within an UNESCO World Heritage area which has a rich history of human salt mining.
Natalie Barbosa, Johannes Leinauer, Juilson Jubanski, Michael Dietze, Ulrich Münzer, Florian Siegert, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 249–269, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-249-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-249-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Massive sediment pulses in catchments are a key alpine multi-risk component. Combining high-resolution aerial imagery and seismic information, we decipher a multi-stage >130.000 m³ rockfall and subsequent sediment pulses over 4 years, reflecting sediment deposition up to 10 m, redistribution in the basin, and finally debouchure to the outlet. This study provides generic information on spatial and temporal patterns of massive sediment pulses in highly charged alpine catchments.
Sibylle Knapp, Michael Schwenk, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1185–1193, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1185-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1185-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Flims area in the Swiss Alps has fascinated the researchers with its complex geological history ever since. Especially the order of events related to the Tamins and Flims rockslides has long been debated. This paper presents novel results based on up to 160 m deep geophysical profiles, which show onlaps of the Bonaduz Formation onto the Tamins deposits (Ils Aults) and thus indicate that the Tamins rockslide occurred first. The consecutive evolution of this landscape is shown in four phases.
Patrick Oswald, Michael Strasser, Jens Skapski, and Jasper Moernaut
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2057–2079, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2057-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2057-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides the first regional earthquake catalogue of the eastern Alps spanning 16 000 years by using three lake paleoseismic records. Recurrence statistics reveal that earthquakes recur every 1000–2000 years in an aperiodic pattern. The magnitudes of paleo-earthquakes exceed the historically documented values. This study estimates magnitude and source areas for severe paleo-earthquakes, and their shaking effects are explored in the broader study area.
Shiva P. Pudasaini and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 165–189, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-165-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-165-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present the first physics-based general landslide velocity model incorporating internal deformation and external forces. Voellmy–inviscid Burgers' equations are specifications of the novel advective–dissipative system. Unified analytical solutions constitute a new foundation of landslide velocity, providing key information to instantly estimate impact forces and describe breaking waves and folding, revealing that landslide dynamics are architectured by advection and reigned by forcing.
Lilian Reiss, Christian Stüwe, Thomas Einwögerer, Marc Händel, Andreas Maier, Stefan Meng, Kerstin Pasda, Ulrich Simon, Bernd Zolitschka, and Christoph Mayr
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 23–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-23-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-23-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We aim at testing and evaluating geochemical proxies and material for radiocarbon dating for their reliability and consistency at the Palaeolithic site Kammern-Grubgraben (Lower Austria). While carbonate and organic carbon contents are interpreted in terms of palaeoclimate variability, pedogenic carbonates turned out to be of Holocene age. As a consequence, the proxy data assessed here are differentially suitable for environmental reconstructions.
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
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Philipp Mamot, Samuel Weber, Saskia Eppinger, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1125–1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1125-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1125-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The mechanical response of permafrost degradation on high-mountain rock slope stability has not been calculated in a numerical model yet. We present the first approach for a model with thermal and mechanical input data derived from laboratory and field work, and existing concepts. This is applied to a test site at the Zugspitze, Germany. A numerical sensitivity analysis provides the first critical stability thresholds related to the rock temperature, slope angle and fracture network orientation.
Doris Hermle, Markus Keuschnig, Ingo Hartmeyer, Robert Delleske, and Michael Krautblatter
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2753–2772, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2753-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2753-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Multispectral remote sensing imagery enables landslide detection and monitoring, but its applicability to time-critical early warning is rarely studied. We present a concept to operationalise its use for landslide early warning, aiming to extend lead time. We tested PlanetScope and unmanned aerial system images on a complex mass movement and compared processing times to historic benchmarks. Acquired data are within the forecasting window, indicating the feasibility for landslide early warning.
Cited articles
Abellán, A., Jaboyedoff, M., Oppikofer, T., and Vilaplana, J. M.: Detection of millimetric deformation using a terrestrial laser scanner: experiment and application to a rockfall event, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 9, 365–372, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-9-365-2009, 2009.
Albrecher, H., Bladt, M., Kortschak, D., Prettenthaler, F., and Swierczynski, T.: Flood occurrence change-point analysis in the paleoflood record from Lake Mondsee (NE Alps), Global Planet. Change, 178, 65–76, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2019.04.009, 2019.
Barredo, J. I.: Major flood disasters in Europe: 1950–2005, Nat. Hazards, 42, 125–148, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-006-9065-2, 2007.
Beyer, A., Chakraborty, B., and Schenke, H. W.: Seafloor classification of the mound and channel provinces of the Porcupine Seabight: an application of the multibeam angular backscatter data, Int. J. Earth Sci., 96, 11–20, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-005-0022-1, 2007.
Blaauw, M. and Christen, J. A.: Flexible paleoclimate age-depth models using an autoregressive gamma process, Bayesian Anal., 6, 457–474, https://doi.org/10.1214/11-BA618, 2011.
Blöschl, G., Kiss, A., Viglione, A., Barriendos, M., Böhm, O., Brázdil, R., Coeur, D., Demarée, G., Llasat, M. C., Macdonald, N., Retsö, D., Roald, L., Schmocker-Fackel, P., Amorim, I., Bělínová, M., Benito, G., Bertolin, C., Camuffo, D., Cornel, D., Doktor, R., Elleder, L., Enzi, S., Garcia, J. C., Glaser, R., Hall, J., Haslinger, K., Hofstätter, M., Komma, J., Limanówka, D., Lun, D., Panin, A., Parajka, J., Petrić, H., Rodrigo, F. S., Rohr, C., Schönbein, J., Schulte, L., Silva, L. P., Toonen, W. H. J., Valent, P., Waser, J., and Wetter, O.: Current European flood-rich period exceptional compared with past 500 years, Nature, 583, 560–566, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2478-3, 2020.
Blott, S. J. and Pye, K.: GRADISTAT: a grain size distribution and statistics package for the analysis of unconsolidated sediments, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 26, 1237–1248, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.261, 2001.
Bremer, M. and Sass, O.: Combining airborne and terrestrial laser scanning for quantifying erosion and deposition by a debris flow event, Geomorphology, 138, 49–60, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.08.024, 2012.
Bruel, R. and Sabatier, P.: serac: an R package for ShortlivEd RAdionuclide chronology of recent sediment cores, J. Environ. Radioactiv., 225, 106449, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106449, 2020.
Chiarle, M., Iannotti, S., Mortara, G., and Deline, P.: Recent debris flow occurrences associated with glaciers in the Alps, Global Planet. Change, 56, 123–136, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.07.003, 2007.
Czymzik, M., Brauer, A., Dulski, P., Plessen, B., Naumann, R., von Grafenstein, U., and Scheffler, R.: Orbital and solar forcing of shifts in Mid- to Late Holocene flood intensity from varved sediments of pre-alpine Lake Ammersee (southern Germany), Quaternary Sci. Rev., 61, 96–110, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.11.010, 2013.
Damm, B. and Felderer, A.: Impact of atmospheric warming on permafrost degradation and debris flow initiation: A case study from the eastern European Alps, J. Quaternary Sci., 62, 136–149, https://doi.org/10.3285/eg.62.2.05, 2013.
Daxer, C., Sammartini, M., Molenaar, A., Piechl, T., Strasser, M., and Moernaut, J.: Morphology and spatio-temporal distribution of lacustrine mass-transport deposits in Wörthersee, Eastern Alps, Austria, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 500, 235–254, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP500-2019-179, 2020.
de Haas, T., van den Berg, W., Braat, L., and Kleinhans, M. G.: Autogenic avulsion, channelization and backfilling dynamics of debris-flow fans, Sedimentology, 63, 1596–1619, https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12275, 2016.
Dietrich, A. and Krautblatter, M.: Evidence for enhanced debris-flow activity in the Northern Calcareous Alps since the 1980 s (Plansee, Austria), Geomorphology, 287, 144–158, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.01.013, 2017.
Diffenbaugh, N. S., Scherer, M., and Trapp, R. J.: Robust increases in severe thunderstorm environments in response to greenhouse forcing, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 110, 16361–16366, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1307758110, 2013.
Dowling, C. and Santi, P.: Debris flows and their toll on human life: a global analysis of debris-flow fatalities from 1950 to 2011, Nat. Hazards, 71, 203–227, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0907-4, 2014.
eHYD – Hydrographischer Dienst Tirol: Hydrographische Archivdaten Österreichs, available at: https://ehyd.gv.at/, last access: 7 January 2021.
EPOSA: Echtzeit Positionierung Austria, available at: https://www.eposa.at/, last access: 31 January 2021.
Fricke, W. and Kronier, M.: Betrachtungen zum Klimawandel am Hohenpeißenberg, Klimastatusbericht 2001, Offenbach, 250–257, 2002.
Gilli, A., Anselmetti, F. S., Glur, L., and Wirth, S. B.: Lake Sediments as Archives of Recurrence Rates and Intensities of Past Flood Events, in: Dating Torrential Processes on Fans and Cones: Methods and Their Application for Hazard and Risk Assessment, edited by: Schneuwly-Bollschweiler, M., Stoffel, M., and Rudolf-Miklau, F., Springer, Dordrecht, 225–242, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4336-6_15, 2013.
Glur, L., Wirth, S. B., Büntgen, U., Gilli, A., Haug, G. H., Schär, C., Beer, J., and Anselmetti, F. S.: Frequent floods in the European Alps coincide with cooler periods of the past 2500 years, Sci. Rep., 3, 1–5, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02770, 2013.
Grelle, G., Rossi, A., Revellino, P., Guerriero, L., Guadagno, F. M., and Sappa, G.: Assessment of Debris-Flow Erosion and Deposit Areas by Morphometric Analysis and a GIS-Based Simplified Procedure: A Case Study of Paupisi in the Southern Apennines, Sustainability, 11, 2382, https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082382, 2019.
Hibler, I. J.: Der Plansee und seine Umgebung, Universitätsverlag Wagner, Innsbruck, 135 pp., 1921.
Hilbe, M., Anselmetti, F. S., Eilertsen, R. S., Hansen, L., and Wildi, W.: Subaqueous morphology of Lake Lucerne (Central Switzerland): implications for mass movements and glacial history, Swiss J. Geosci., 104, 425–443, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00015-011-0083-z, 2011.
Howarth, J. D., Fitzsimons, S. J., Norris, R. J., Langridge, R., and Vandergoes, M. J.: A 2000 yr rupture history for the Alpine fault derived from Lake Ellery, South Island, New Zealand, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 128, 627–643, https://doi.org/10.1130/B31300.1, 2016.
International Organization for Standardization: ISO 13320:2020-01, Particle size analysis – Laser diffraction methods, Geneva, Switzerland, 2020.
Irmler, R., Daut, G., and Mäusbacher, R.: A debris flow calendar derived from sediments of lake Lago di Braies (N. Italy), Geomorphology, 77, 69–78, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.01.013, 2006.
Iverson, R. M.: The physics of debris flows, Rev. Geophys., 35, 245–296, https://doi.org/10.1029/97RG00426, 1997.
Jomelli, V., Brunstein, D., Déqué, M., Vrac, M., and Grancher, D.: Impacts of future climatic change (2070–2099) on the potential occurrence of debris flows: a case study in the Massif des Ecrins (French Alps), Climatic Change, 97, 171–191, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-009-9616-0, 2009.
Jomelli, V., Pavlova, I., Giacona, F., Zgheib, T., and Eckert, N.: Respective influence of geomorphologic and climate conditions on debris-flow occurrence in the Northern French Alps, Landslides, 16, 1871–1883, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-019-01195-7, 2019.
Kral, F.: Pollenanalytische Untersuchungen im Fernpaßgebiet (Tirol): Zur Frage des Reliktcharakters der Bergsturz-Kiefernwälder, Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, Since 2014 “Acta ZooBot Austria”, 1989, 127–138, 1989.
Lowe, D. R.: Sediment gravity flows; II, Depositional models with special reference to the deposits of high-density turbidity currents, J. Sediment. Res., 52, 279–297, https://doi.org/10.1306/212F7F31-2B24-11D7-8648000102C1865D, 1982.
Lu, H., Moran, C. J., and Prosser, I. P.: Modelling sediment delivery ratio over the Murray Darling Basin, Environ. Modell. Softw., 21, 1297–1308, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2005.04.021, 2006.
Meyers, P. A. and Teranes, J. L.: Sediment Organic Matter, in: Tracking environmental change using lake sediments, edited by: Last, W. M. and Smol, J. P., Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 239–269, https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47670-3_9, 2001.
Moernaut, J., van Daele, M., Heirman, K., Fontijn, K., Strasser, M., Pino, M., Urrutia, R., and Batist, M. de: Lacustrine turbidites as a tool for quantitative earthquake reconstruction: New evidence for a variable rupture mode in south central Chile, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 119, 1607–1633, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JB010738, 2014.
Oswald, P., Strasser, M., Hammerl, C., and Moernaut, J.: Seismic control of large prehistoric rockslides in the Eastern Alps, Nat. Commun., 12, 1059, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21327-9, 2021.
Pavlova, I., Jomelli, V., Brunstein, D., Grancher, D., Martin, E., and Déqué, M.: Debris flow activity related to recent climate conditions in the French Alps: A regional investigation, Geomorphology, 219, 248–259, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.04.025, 2014.
Rebetez, M., Lugon, R., and Baeriswyl, P.-A.: Climatic Change and Debris Flows in High Mountain Regions: The Case Study of the Ritigraben Torrent (Swiss Alps), in: Climatic Change at High Elevation Sites, edited by: Diaz, H. F., Beniston, M., and Bradley, R. S., Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht, 139–157, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8905-5_8, 1997.
Reimer, P. J., Austin, W. E. N., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Blackwell, P. G., Ramsey, C. B., Butzin, M., Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L., Friedrich, M., Grootes, P. M., Guilderson, T. P., Hajdas, I., Heaton, T. J., Hogg, A. G., Hughen, K. A., Kromer, B., Manning, S. W., Muscheler, R., Palmer, J. G., Pearson, C., van der Plicht, J., Reimer, R. W., Richards, D. A., Scott, E. M., Southon, J. R., Turney, C. S. M., Wacker, L., Adolphi, F., Büntgen, U., Capano, M., Fahrni, S. M., Fogtmann-Schulz, A., Friedrich, R., Köhler, P., Kudsk, S., Miyake, F., Olsen, J., Reinig, F., Sakamoto, M., Sookdeo, A., and Talamo, S.: The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55 cal kBP), Radiocarbon, 62, 725–757, https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2020.41, 2020.
Rickenmann, D. and Zimmermann, M.: The 1987 debris flows in Switzerland: documentation and analysis, Geomorphology, 8, 175–189, https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-555X(93)90036-2, 1993.
RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH (Ed.): RIEGL VZ-400 data sheet, Horn, 4 pp., 2017.
Sass, O. and Krautblatter, M.: Debris flow-dominated and rockfall-dominated talus slopes: Genetic models derived from GPR measurements, Geomorphology, 86, 176–192, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.08.012, 2007.
Schillereff, D. N., Chiverrell, R. C., Macdonald, N., and Hooke, J. M.: Flood stratigraphies in lake sediments: A review, Earth-Sci. Rev., 135, 17–37, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2014.03.011, 2014.
Schindler, D. W.: Recent advances in the understanding and management of eutrophication, Limnol. Oceanogr., 51, 356–363, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.2006.51.1_part_2.0356, 2006.
Schlögel, R., Kofler, C., Gariano, S. L., Van Campenhout, J., and Plummer, S.: Changes in climate patterns and their association to natural hazard distribution in South Tyrol (Eastern Italian Alps), Sci. Rep., 10, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61615-w, 2020.
Schnellmann, M., Anselmetti, F. S., Giardini, D., McKenzie, J. A., and Ward, S. N.: Prehistoric earthquake history revealed by lacustrine slump deposits, Geology, 30, 1131, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<1131:PEHRBL>2.0.CO;2, 2002.
Schneuwly-Bollschweiler, M. and Stoffel, M.: Hydrometeorological triggers of periglacial debris flows in the Zermatt valley (Switzerland) since 1864, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 117, F02033, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JF002262, 2012.
Sheather, S. J. and Jones, M. C.: A Reliable Data-Based Bandwidth Selection Method for Kernel Density Estimation, J. Roy. Stat. Soc. B Met., 53, 683–690, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2517-6161.1991.tb01857.x, 1991.
Sletten, K., Blikra, L. H., Ballantyne, C. K., Nesje, A., and Dahl, S. O.: Holocene debris flows recognized in a lacustrine sedimentary succession: Sedimentology, chronostratigraphy and cause of triggering, The Holocene, 13, 907–920, https://doi.org/10.1191/0959683603hl673rp, 2003.
Stoffel, M.: Magnitude–frequency relationships of debris flows – A case study based on field surveys and tree-ring records, Geomorphology, 116, 67–76, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2009.10.009, 2010.
Stoffel, M., Lièvre, I., Conus, D., Grichting, M. A., Raetzo, H., Gärtner, H. W., and Monbaron, M.: 400 Years of Debris-Flow Activity and Triggering Weather Conditions: Ritigraben, Valais, Switzerland, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 37, 387–395, https://doi.org/10.1657/1523-0430(2005)037[0387:YODAAT]2.0.CO;2, 2005.
Stoffel, M., Tiranti, D., and Huggel, C.: Climate change impacts on mass movements – Case studies from the European Alps, Sci. Total Environ., 493, 1255–1266, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.102, 2014.
Stojakowits, P. and Friedmann, A.: Pollenanalytische Rekonstruktion der Vegetations- und Landnutzungsgeschichte des südlichen Ostallgäus (Bayern), TELMA – Berichte der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Moor- und Torfkunde, 43, 55–82, https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-2867, 2013.
Strasser, M., Berberich, T., Fabbri, S. C., Hilbe, M., Huang, J.-J. S., Lauterbach, S., Ortler, M., Rechschreiter, H., Brauer, A., Anselmetti, F., and Kowarik, K.: Geomorphology and event-stratigraphy of recent mass-movement processes in Lake Hallstatt (UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape, Austria), Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 500, 405–426, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP500-2019-178, 2020.
Swierczynski, T., Lauterbach, S., Dulski, P., Delgado, J., Merz, B., and Brauer, A.: Mid- to late Holocene flood frequency changes in the northeastern Alps as recorded in varved sediments of Lake Mondsee (Upper Austria), Quaternary Sci. Rev., 80, 78–90, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.08.018, 2013.
Thouret, J.-C., Antoine, S., Magill, C., and Ollier, C.: Lahars and debris flows: Characteristics and impacts, Earth-Sci. Rev., 201, 103003, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.103003, 2020.
Vandekerkhove, E., Van Daele, M., Praet, N., Cnudde, V., Haeussler, P. J., and De Batist, M.: Flood-triggered versus earthquake-triggered turbidites: A sedimentological study in clastic lake sediments (Eklutna Lake, Alaska), Sedimentology, 67, 364–389, https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12646, 2020.
Wilhelm, B.: Reconstructing extreme flood events from high altitude lake sediment records: methodological issues and first results, Quatern. Int., 279–280, 535, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2012.08.1872, 2012.
Wilhelm, B., Arnaud, F., Sabatier, P., Magand, O., Chapron, E., Courp, T., Tachikawa, K., Fanget, B., Malet, E., Pignol, C., Bard, E., and Delannoy, J. J.: Palaeoflood activity and climate change over the last 1400 years recorded by lake sediments in the north-west European Alps, J. Quaternary Sci., 28, 189–199, https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.2609, 2013.
Wilhelm, B., Vogel, H., and Anselmetti, F. S.: A multi-centennial record of past floods and earthquakes in Valle d'Aosta, Mediterranean Italian Alps, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 613–625, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-613-2017, 2017.
Wilhelm, B., Ballesteros Cánovas, J. A., Macdonald, N., Toonen, W. H., Baker, V., Barriendos, M., Benito, G., Brauer, A., Corella, J. P., Denniston, R., Glaser, R., Ionita, M., Kahle, M., Liu, T., Luetscher, M., Macklin, M., Mudelsee, M., Munoz, S., Schulte, L., St. George, S., Stoffel, M., and Wetter, O.: Interpreting historical, botanical, and geological evidence to aid preparations for future floods, WIREs Water, 6, e1318, https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1318, 2019.
Zimmermann, M., Mani, P., and Romang, H.: Magnitude-frequency aspects of alpine debris flows, Eclogae Geol. Helv., 90, 415–420, https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-168173, 1997.
Short summary
This study provides amphibious investigations of debris flow fans (DFFs). We characterize active DFFs, combining laser scan and sonar surveys at Plansee. We discover a 4000-year debris flow record in sediment cores, providing evidence for a 7-fold debris flow frequency increase in the 20th and 21st centuries, coincident with 2-fold enhanced rainstorm activity in the northern European Alps. Our results indicate climate change as being the main factor controlling debris flow activity.
This study provides amphibious investigations of debris flow fans (DFFs). We characterize active...
