Université de Fribourg

Reconstructing spatio-temporal patterns of debris-flow activity using dendrogeomorphological methods

Bollschweiler, Michelle ; Stoffel, Markus ; Ehmisch, Melanie ; Monbaron, Michel

In: Geomorphology, 2007, vol. 87, no. 4, p. 337-351

Debris flows are a major threat in many parts of the Alps, where they repeatedly cause severe damage to infrastructure and transportation corridors or even loss of life. Nonetheless, the spatial behavior of past debris-flow activity and the analysis of areas affected during particular events have been widely neglected in reconstructions so far. It was therefore the purpose of this study to...

Université de Fribourg

400 years of debris flow activity and triggering weather conditions: Ritigraben VS, Switzerland

Stoffel, Markus ; Lièvre, Igor ; Conus, Delphine ; Grichting, Michael A. ; Raetzo, Hugo ; Gärtner, Holger W. ; Monbaron, Michel

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...

Université de Fribourg

Seasonal timing of rockfall activity on a forested slope at Täschgufer (Swiss Alps) – a dendrochronological approach = Saisonale Steinschlagverteilung auf einem bewaldeten Hang im Täschgufer (Schweizer Alpen) – ein dendrochronologischer Ansatz.

Stoffel, Markus ; Lièvre, Igor ; Monbaron, Michel ; Perret, Simone

In: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, 2005, vol. 49, no. 1, p. 89-106

Dendrochronology was used to study 25 years of rockfall activity on a forested slope at Täschgufer, Täsch (Swiss Alps). We introduce a new approach by evaluating the initiation of callous tissue and resin duct formation after rockfall occurrence to determine the seasonal timing of events. Results from 270 stem discs of 18 Larix decidua Mill. trees show distinct seasonal differences in...