Impact of Climate Change on Rockfalls in the Pyrenees: A Dendrogeomorphological Approach

Abstract ID: 3.13759 | Accepted as Talk | Poster | TBA | TBA

Jaime Boyano-Galiano (1, 2)
Alberto Muñoz-Torrero (1), José Carlos Robredo Sánchez (2), Santiago Fábregas Reigosa (3), Juan Antonio Ballesteros-Cánovas (1)
(1) National Museum of Natural Sciences-Spanish National Research Council (MNCN-CSIC),, Serrano, 28006, Madrid, Spain
(2) Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, José Antonio Novais, 28040, Madrid, Spain
(3) AECT Pirineos-Pyrénées/GECT Pirineos-Pyrénées, Levante, 22700, Jaca, Spain

Categories: Hazards
Keywords: Climate Change, Dendrogeomorphology, Rockfalls, Hazards Assessment, Freeze-Thaw Cycles

Categories: Hazards
Keywords: Climate Change, Dendrogeomorphology, Rockfalls, Hazards Assessment, Freeze-Thaw Cycles

In high mountain environments, rockfalls are a frequent natural hazard, involving the free fall, bouncing, or rolling of rock blocks of various sizes on steep slopes. Climate change is expected to influence their magnitude and frequency, particularly through increased extreme precipitation events and permafrost degradation. Understanding the occurrence, trajectories, and intensity of these processes is essential for developing effective mitigation strategies. However, direct observational data remains scarce. In this context, dendrogeomorphology provides a valuable tool for reconstructing rockfall activity, as tree-ring growth disturbances serve as reliable indicators of past events, allowing for long-term analysis of their temporal and spatial patterns. In this study, 261 increment cores from disturbed trees were systematically collected from two plots located in two rockfall prone areas in the Pyrenees, respectively (Artouste in the north -France- and Pineta in the south -Spain). Climate correlations were performed using E-OBS data (0.1° x 0.1° resolution), and linear-effect mixed model (LMMs) assessed the relationship between rockfall occurrence and climatic variables. Additionally, a GeoSLAM terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) characterized topography and boulder size. The results show a higher number of events on the northern Pyrenees but of lower intensity than on the south slope. Ice-thaw cycles and precipitation exceeding 110 mm/day are the climatic variables with the highest correlation with respect to rockfalls. These findings underline the multiple and complex relationship between rockfall dynamics and climate and help in the design of risk management strategies in high mountain areas.

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