Managing glacial and periglacial hazards in the Alps: a geohistorical approach
Abstract
Glacial and periglacial hazards such as ice or rock avalanches, glacial lake outburst floods, and debris flows have caused severe damage in populated Alpine mountain regions throughout history. The objective of this research is to investigate how risk management methods have evolved over time and across different countries in the European Alps. Through a geo-historical study, we compile an inventory of events that have triggered risk management actions over the past centuries. This management is analysed using eight guiding pillars: hazard understanding, preventive information, landuse planning, monitoring and surveillance, hazard-vulnerability-exposure mitigation, crisis management preparedness, response, and resilience. Certain events, such as the discharge of the water pocket of the Tête Rousse glacier (FR) in 1892 or the collapse of the Allalin glacier (CH) in 1965, represent key turning points that mark a shift or renewal in how risks are perceived and addressed. Today, glacial and periglacial risk management benefits from a better understanding of both hazards and vulnerabilities. Our geo-historical analysis highlights that the inclusion of the local populations in crisis management has become an increasingly significant factor in decision-making processes. However, current risk management practices remain limited and would benefit from more participatory approaches, which in turn partly depend on the perception of hazards and their integration into management practices.
Related
- Sea-Level Change in Asia since the Last Glacial Maximum
- Glacial CO2 drawdown by plankton metabolic balance
- Strong latitudinal contrasts in global wet/dry patterns since the Last Glacial Maximum and under future warming
- Precession and meltwater control of greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial sources during the last glacial period
- IceWatch: a multimodal deep-learning framework for monitoring glacial lake outburst floods, evaluated at Shisper Glacier, Karakoram
BibTeX
@article{bazin2026managing,
title = {{Managing glacial and periglacial hazards in the Alps: a geohistorical approach}},
author = {Juliette Bazin and Ludovic Ravanel and Sandrine Caroly},
journal = {Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.5194/nhess-26-2955-2026},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05850498v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Managing glacial and periglacial hazards in the Alps: a geohistorical approach
AU - Juliette Bazin
AU - Ludovic Ravanel
AU - Sandrine Caroly
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/25
JO - Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
DO - 10.5194/nhess-26-2955-2026
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05850498v1
AB - Glacial and periglacial hazards such as ice or rock avalanches, glacial lake outburst floods, and debris flows have caused severe damage in populated Alpine mountain regions throughout history. The objective of this research is to investigate how risk management methods have evolved over time and across different countries in the European Alps. Through a geo-historical study, we compile an inventory of events that have triggered risk management actions over the past centuries. This management is analysed using eight guiding pillars: hazard understanding, preventive information, landuse planning, monitoring and surveillance, hazard-vulnerability-exposure mitigation, crisis management preparedness, response, and resilience. Certain events, such as the discharge of the water pocket of the Tête Rousse glacier (FR) in 1892 or the collapse of the Allalin glacier (CH) in 1965, represent key turning points that mark a shift or renewal in how risks are perceived and addressed. Today, glacial and periglacial risk management benefits from a better understanding of both hazards and vulnerabilities. Our geo-historical analysis highlights that the inclusion of the local populations in crisis management has become an increasingly significant factor in decision-making processes. However, current risk management practices remain limited and would benefit from more participatory approaches, which in turn partly depend on the perception of hazards and their integration into management practices.
SN - 1561-8633
SN - 1684-9981
ER -