Mapping release and propagation areas of permafrost-related rock slope failures in the French Alps: A new methodological approach at regional scale

Cathala, M.; Magnin, F.; Ravanel, L.; Dorren, L.; Zuanon, N.; Berger, F.; Bourrier, F.; Deline, P.

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.109032

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 78 publications

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“…2007), increasing the likelihood of slope failure and endangering mountain infrastructure (Duvillard et al, 2021b). Rising temperatures alter the mechanical properties of rock and ice (Krautblatter et al, 2013;Mamot et al, 2018), which can increase the number of rockfalls and rock-slope failures in permafrost-affected rockwalls (Ravanel et al, 2017;Hartmeyer et al, 2020;Savi et al, 2021;Cathala et al, 2024). Therefore, precise knowledge of changes in frozen rock's thermal and mechanical regime is of particular interest to address mountain tourism's increased vulnerability and prevent or limit damage to highalpine infrastructure (Duvillard et al, 2019).…”

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Pressurised water flow in fractured permafrost rocks revealed by joint electrical resistivity monitoring and borehole temperature analysis

Offer,

Weber,

Krautblatter

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Abstract. Rock slope instabilities and failures from permafrost are among the most significant alpine hazards in a changing climate and represent considerable threats to high-alpine infrastructure. While permafrost degradation is commonly attributed to rising air temperature and slow thermal heat propagation in rocks, the profound impact of water flow in bedrock permafrost on warming processes is increasingly recognized. However, quantifying the role of water flow remains challenging, primarily due to the complexities associated with direct observation and the transient nature of water dynamics in rock slope systems. To overcome the lack of quantitative assessment that inhibits thermal and mechanical modelling, we perform a joint analysis of electrical resistivity measurements and borehole temperature, combining datasets of monthly repeated electrical resistivity tomography acquired in 2013 and 2023, rock temperature measured in two deep boreholes (2016–2023), and site-specific temperature-resistivity relation determined in laboratory with samples from the study area. Field measurements were carried out at the permafrost-affected north flank of the Kitzsteinhorn (Hohe Tauern range, Austria), characterized by significant water outflow from open fractures during the melt season. Borehole temperature data demonstrate a seasonal maximum of the permafrost active layer of 4–5 m. They further show abrupt temperature changes (∼ 0.2–0.7 °C) during periods with enhanced water flow, which cannot be explained by conductive heat transfer. Monthly repeated electrical resistivity measurements reveal a massive decrease in resistivity from June to July and the initiation of a low-resistivity (< 4 kΩm) zone in the lower part of the rock slope in June, gradually expanding to higher rock slope sections until September. We hypothesize that the reduction in electrical resistivity of more than one order of magnitude, which coincides with abrupt changes in borehole temperature, provides certain evidence of pressurised water flow in fractures. This study shows for the first time that, in addition to slow thermal heat conduction, permafrost rocks are subject to sudden push-like warming events, favoring accelerated bottom-up permafrost degradation, and contributing to the build-up of hydrostatic pressures potentially critical for rock slope stability.

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confidence: 99%

Pressurised water flow in fractured permafrost rocks revealed by joint electrical resistivity monitoring and borehole temperature analysis

Offer,

Weber,

Krautblatter

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Developments in Permafrost Science and Engineering in Response to Climate Warming in Circumpolar and High Mountain Regions, 2019–2024

Burn,

Bartsch,

Chakraborty

et al. 2024

Permafrost & Periglacial

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Research in geocryology is currently principally concerned with the effects of climate change on permafrost terrain. The motivations for most of the research are (1) quantification of the anticipated net emissions of CO2 and CH4 from warming and thaw of near‐surface permafrost and (2) mitigation of effects on infrastructure of such warming and thaw. Some of the effects, such as increases in ground temperature or active‐layer thickness, have been observed for several decades. Landforms that are sensitive to creep deformation are moving more quickly as a result, and Rock Glacier Velocity is now part of the Essential Climate Variable Permafrost of the Global Climate Observing System. Other effects, for example, the occurrence of physical disturbances associated with thawing permafrost, particularly the development of thaw slumps, have noticeably increased since 2010. Still, others, such as erosion of sedimentary permafrost coasts, have accelerated. Geochemical effects in groundwater from trace elements, including contaminants, and those that issue from the release of sediment particles during mass wasting have become evident since 2020. Net release of CO2 and CH4 from thawing permafrost is anticipated within two decades and, worldwide, may reach emissions that are equivalent to a large industrial economy. The most immediate local concerns are for waste disposal pits that were constructed on the premise that permafrost would be an effective and permanent containment medium. This assumption is no longer valid at many contaminated sites. The role of ground ice in conditioning responses to changes in the thermal or hydrological regimes of permafrost has re‐emphasized the importance of regional conditions, particularly landscape history, when applying research results to practical problems.

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Detecting the impact of climate change on alpine mass movements in observational records from the European Alps

Jacquemart,

Weber,

Chiarle

et al. 2024

Earth-Science Reviews

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Mapping release and propagation areas of permafrost-related rock slope failures in the French Alps: A new methodological approach at regional scale

Cited by 5 publications

References 78 publications

Pressurised water flow in fractured permafrost rocks revealed by joint electrical resistivity monitoring and borehole temperature analysis

Pressurised water flow in fractured permafrost rocks revealed by joint electrical resistivity monitoring and borehole temperature analysis

Developments in Permafrost Science and Engineering in Response to Climate Warming in Circumpolar and High Mountain Regions, 2019–2024

Detecting the impact of climate change on alpine mass movements in observational records from the European Alps

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