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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Tom Coulthard, Professor Stuart DunningORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Rapid atmospheric warming, especially at high altitude, leads to alpine mountain landscapes becoming more vulnerable to mass movements and consequently unstable. For example, decay of mountain permafrost contributes to rockfalls, landslides and debris flows; glaciers are retreating and losing mass at alarming rates, exposing unstable slopes that are more likely to fail; and meltwater, which collects in a growing number of glacial lakes, can pose an outburst flood hazard, putting communities and infrastructure downstream at risk of damage. Occurring now with increasing frequency, these natural phenomena often combine to create complex multi-hazard cascades that are more powerful and have a greater reach down-valley than a singular isolated event. Combined with increasing population and infrastructure and economic activity in high mountains, there is therefore increased vulnerability of society to natural hazards in high alpine mountains, as has been experienced in the Swiss Alps in 2025, with the collapse of the Birch Glacier and the destruction of the alpine village of Blatten. Here, we review the physical processes of this recent event, their impact on environment, people and economy, and consider what can be learned from them.
Author(s): Islam N, Carrivick JL, Coulthard T, Westoby M, Dunning S, Gindraux S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Geology Today
Year: 2025
Volume: 41
Issue: 5
Pages: 200-205
Print publication date: 18/09/2025
Online publication date: 18/09/2025
Acceptance date: 17/09/2025
Date deposited: 01/10/2025
ISSN (print): 0266-6979
ISSN (electronic): 1365-2451
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/gto.12526
DOI: 10.1111/gto.12526
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