---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: free access
_id: '22498'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Climate change impacts on sediment production and transfer processes on hillslopes
    and through channels are governed by possible changes in precipitation, runoff,
    and air temperature. These hydrological and geomorphological impacts are difficult
    to predict in temperature‐sensitive Alpine environments. In this study, we combined
    a stochastic weather generator model with the most current climate change projections
    to feed a hillslope‐channel sediment cascade model for a major debris‐flow system
    in the Swiss Alps (the Illgraben). This allowed us to quantify climate change
    impacts and their uncertainties on sediment yield and the number of debris flows
    at hourly temporal resolution. We show that projected changes in precipitation
    and air temperature lead to a reduction in both sediment yield (−48%) and debris‐flow
    occurrence (−23%). This change is caused by a decrease in sediment supply from
    hillslopes, which is driven by frost‐weathering. Additionally, we conduct model
    experiments that show the sensitivity of projected changes in sediment yield and
    debris‐flow hazard to basin elevation, with important implications for assessing
    natural hazards and risks in mountain environments. Future changes in hydrological
    and sediment fluxes are characterized by high uncertainty, mainly due to irreducible
    internal climate variability. Therefore, this stochastic uncertainty needs to
    be considered in climate change impact assessments for geomorphic systems.
article_number: e2020JF005739
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Jacob
  full_name: Hirschberg, Jacob
  last_name: Hirschberg
- first_name: Simone
  full_name: Fatichi, Simone
  id: cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6
  last_name: Fatichi
- first_name: Georgina L.
  full_name: Bennett, Georgina L.
  last_name: Bennett
- first_name: Brian W.
  full_name: McArdell, Brian W.
  last_name: McArdell
- first_name: Nadav
  full_name: Peleg, Nadav
  last_name: Peleg
- first_name: Stuart N.
  full_name: Lane, Stuart N.
  last_name: Lane
- first_name: Fritz
  full_name: Schlunegger, Fritz
  last_name: Schlunegger
- first_name: Peter
  full_name: Molnar, Peter
  last_name: Molnar
citation:
  ama: 'Hirschberg J, Fatichi S, Bennett GL, et al. Climate change impacts on sediment
    yield and debris‐flow activity in an alpine catchment. <i>Journal of Geophysical
    Research: Earth Surface</i>. 2021;126(1). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jf005739">10.1029/2020jf005739</a>'
  apa: 'Hirschberg, J., Fatichi, S., Bennett, G. L., McArdell, B. W., Peleg, N., Lane,
    S. N., … Molnar, P. (2021). Climate change impacts on sediment yield and debris‐flow
    activity in an alpine catchment. <i>Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface</i>.
    American Geophysical Union. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jf005739">https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jf005739</a>'
  chicago: 'Hirschberg, Jacob, Simone Fatichi, Georgina L. Bennett, Brian W. McArdell,
    Nadav Peleg, Stuart N. Lane, Fritz Schlunegger, and Peter Molnar. “Climate Change
    Impacts on Sediment Yield and Debris‐flow Activity in an Alpine Catchment.” <i>Journal
    of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface</i>. American Geophysical Union, 2021.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jf005739">https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jf005739</a>.'
  ieee: 'J. Hirschberg <i>et al.</i>, “Climate change impacts on sediment yield and
    debris‐flow activity in an alpine catchment,” <i>Journal of Geophysical Research:
    Earth Surface</i>, vol. 126, no. 1. American Geophysical Union, 2021.'
  ista: 'Hirschberg J, Fatichi S, Bennett GL, McArdell BW, Peleg N, Lane SN, Schlunegger
    F, Molnar P. 2021. Climate change impacts on sediment yield and debris‐flow activity
    in an alpine catchment. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 126(1),
    e2020JF005739.'
  mla: 'Hirschberg, Jacob, et al. “Climate Change Impacts on Sediment Yield and Debris‐flow
    Activity in an Alpine Catchment.” <i>Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface</i>,
    vol. 126, no. 1, e2020JF005739, American Geophysical Union, 2021, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jf005739">10.1029/2020jf005739</a>.'
  short: 'J. Hirschberg, S. Fatichi, G.L. Bennett, B.W. McArdell, N. Peleg, S.N. Lane,
    F. Schlunegger, P. Molnar, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 126
    (2021).'
das_tickbox: '1'
date_created: 2026-07-27T12:30:24Z
date_published: 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-08-07T09:02:32Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1029/2020jf005739
extern: '1'
intvolume: '       126'
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: ' https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005739'
month: '01'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
publication: 'Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface'
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 2169-9011
  issn:
  - 2169-9003
publication_status: published
publisher: American Geophysical Union
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Climate change impacts on sediment yield and debris‐flow activity in an alpine
  catchment
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 126
year: '2021'
...