Climate change increases frequency of shallow spring landslides in the French Alps

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Research Article| May 01, 2013 Climate change increases frequency of shallow spring landslides in the French Alps Jérôme Lopez Saez; Jérôme Lopez Saez 1Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l’Environnement et l’Agriculture, UR EMGR, 38402 St-Martin-d’Hères cedex, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christophe Corona; Christophe Corona 2Laboratory of Dendrogeomorphology, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Berne, 3012 Bern, Switzerland3CNRS UMR6042 Geolab, Clermont-Ferrand cedex, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Markus Stoffel; Markus Stoffel 2Laboratory of Dendrogeomorphology, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Berne, 3012 Bern, Switzerland4Climatic Change and Climate Impacts, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, 1227 Carouge-Geneva, Switzerland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Frédéric Berger Frédéric Berger 1Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies pour l’Environnement et l’Agriculture, UR EMGR, 38402 St-Martin-d’Hères cedex, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2013) 41 (5): 619–622. https://doi.org/10.1130/G34098.1 Article history received: 04 Oct 2012 rev-recd: 20 Dec 2012 accepted: 23 Dec 2012 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jérôme Lopez Saez, Christophe Corona, Markus Stoffel, Frédéric Berger; Climate change increases frequency of shallow spring landslides in the French Alps. Geology 2013;; 41 (5): 619–622. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G34098.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract In this contribution, past process activity is reconstructed on seven landslide bodies of the Riou Bourdoux catchment (southeastern French Alps). Based on an unusually dense data set of 3036 tree-ring series extracted from 759 conifers, we provide evidence for 61 landslide reactivations since A.D. 1898. Based on logistic regressions and threshold analyses of monthly rainfall data and temperature anomalies, we determine that the combination of snow-rich winters and positive temperature anomalies in spring (enhanced snowmelt) seems to have driven landslide reactivations in the past. Since the early 1990s, however, landslide reactivations clearly have been on the rise and thereby exhibit excessive and unprecedented rates of activity (12.5 events per 10 yr) at the scale of the Riou Bourdoux catchment. From the data, evidence exists for a shift from snowmelt-induced landslides (controlled by winter precipitation) to reactivations controlled by spring temperatures. Therefore, this contribution also adds evidence to the hypothesis that climate change (and related warmer springs) could further enhance landslide activity in the course of the 21st century. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.