Lecture series in Ecology and Environmental Research WS 2019/20

Rates and Dates in Alpine geosystems - Monitoring and reconstruction of geomorphologic processes

High mountain regions are among the geomorphologically most active areas on earth. They are highly sensitive to climate change and associated processes (e.g. glacier melt, permafrost degradation), which in turn is reflected in modified (partly boosted) and highly non-linear geomorphic process dynamics. High-resolution earth surface and subsurface analyses and various dating options dramatically improved the reconstruction, monitoring and modelling of related processes in the recent past and enable quantitative answers to multiple geomorphological questions.

This talk will highlight climate-change driven process dynamics in alpine geosystems - and demonstrate the potential of selected techniques through some recent geomorphological research from the Alps and the Himalayas. These include rockfall, debris flow and landslide monitoring studies, the reconstruction of giant rockslides, as well as comparative analyses of short and long-term (Holocene) sediment dynamics in an inner-alpine sedimentary basin.

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