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On the incidence of debris flows from the early Little Ice Age to a future greenhouse climate: A case study from the Swiss Alps
Author(s) -
Stoffel Markus,
Beniston Martin
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl026805
Subject(s) - debris flow , debris , glacier , precipitation , climatology , climate change , spring (device) , greenhouse gas , little ice age , dendrochronology , geology , physical geography , environmental science , geography , meteorology , oceanography , paleontology , mechanical engineering , engineering
Tree‐ring based reconstructions of 123 debris‐flow events in a case‐study area of the Swiss Alps since AD 1570 show enhanced activity during the wet periods (1864–1895) following the last LIA glacier advance and in the early decades of the 20th century. In contrast, comparably low activity can be observed since 1995, with only one event recorded. From the reconstructions and based on RCM simulations, there are indications that debris‐flow frequencies might continue to decrease in a future climate, as precipitation events are projected to occur less frequently in summer but become more common in spring or fall.