In: Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research, 2005, vol. 37(3), p. 387-395
Three major rainfall events have caused considerable damage in the Valais region (Swiss Alps) since 1987. While important debris flows originating from periglacial environments were recorded during the August 1987 and September 1993 rainfall events, no debris flows occurred in October 2000. This paper aims at putting these large area events and the apparent increase in debris flow frequency into...
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In: Geomorphology, 2005, vol. 68(3-4), p. 224
For the first time, dendrogeomorphology has been used to investigate spatial and temporal variations of rockfall activity in a protection forest. We report results of 564 cores from 135 severely injured Larix decidua Mill. trees on the west-facing Täschgufer slope, Swiss Alps. While trees sampled reached an age of 297 years on average, the oldest one attained breast height in AD 1318. For...
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In: Forest Ecology and Management, 2006, vol. 225, p. 1-3
We used one of the few rockfall models explicitly taking trees into account and compared the results obtained with the 3D simulation model RockyFor with empirical data on tree impacts at three mountain forests in Switzerland. Even though we used model input data with different resolutions at the study sites, RockyFor accurately predicted the spatial distribution of trajectory frequencies at all...
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In: Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 2005, vol. 156, no. 6, p. 195-199
Rockfall generally consists of individual rocks and boulders moving downslope in a falling, bouncing or rolling motion. As a result, impacts on trees may occur almost anywhere between ground level and several meters above. The present paper therefore focuses on the vertical distribution and the visibility of scars on stem surfaces. Three adult trees from the Altdorfer Bannwald (Altdorf UR,...
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In: Tree-Ring Research, 2010, vol. 66, no. 2, p. 93-103
This paper analyzes the anatomical response of Pinus pinaster Ait. following wounding by flash floods. A total of 14 wood samples were taken from 14 different scarred trees located on the river banks of the Arroyo Cabrera torrent (Spanish Central System). In addition, 20 increment cores were collected from undisturbed and healthy P. pinaster trees to build a local reference chronology. For the...
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In: Development in Practice, 2019, vol. 29, no. 3, p. 336–348
This article reflects on the merits and shortfalls of bilateral research programmes aimed at strengthening climate change research capabilities, using the experience from two programmes, the PACC and IHCAP in Peru and India, respectively. The study highlights key aspects of these types of bilateral programmes, namely: capacity; performance, salary and appreciation; funding; bureaucracy and...
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In: Journal of Hydrology, 2014, vol. 518, Part B, p. 225–234
Glacier and snow cover changes with related impacts on melt runoff can seriously affect human societies which are depending on fresh water from cryospheric sources. Observed trends and projected future evolutions of climatic and cryospheric variables clearly show the need to adapt to these changes. Accordingly, the topics addressed herein have been put on the agendas of many larger funding...
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In: Dendrochronologia, 2008, vol. 25, no. 1, p. 53-60
Past activity of geomorphic processes can be reconstructed on tree-ring series using the presence of injuries, reaction wood or abrupt changes in the annual increment. The analysis of these features provides valuable data on years with process activity. In contrast, an intra-annual dating has so far normally only been possible through the analysis of injuries. In this technical note, it is shown...
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In: Environmental Research Letters, 2014, vol. 9, no. 10, p. 104018
Despite the fact that the fast-growing population of Central Asia strongly depends on glacial melt water for fresh water supply, irrigation and hydropower production, the impact of glacier shrinkage on water availability remains poorly understood. With an annual area loss of 0.36 to 0.76%, glaciers are retreating particularly fast in the northern Tien Shan, thus causing concern about future water...
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In: Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2007, vol. 7, no. 2, p. 207-218
Debris flows represent a major threat to infrastructure in many regions of the Alps. Since systematic acquisition of data on debris-flow events in Switzerland only started after the events of 1987, there is a lack of historical knowledge on earlier debris-flow events for most torrents. It is therefore the aim of this study to reconstruct the debris- flow activity for the Reuse de Saleinaz and...
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