scholarly journals Influence of microclimate and geomorphological factors on alpine vegetation in the Western Swiss Alps

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (15) ◽  
pp. 3093-3107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Giaccone ◽  
Miska Luoto ◽  
Pascal Vittoz ◽  
Antoine Guisan ◽  
Grégoire Mariéthoz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Alpine Vegetation ◽  
Western Swiss Alps

scholarly journals Multiscale Very-High Resolution Topographic Models in Alpine Ecology: Pros and Cons of Airborne LiDAR and Drone-Based Stereo-Photogrammetry Technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie S. Guillaume ◽  
Kevin Leempoel ◽  
Estelle Rochat ◽  
Aude Rogivue ◽  
Michel Kasser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution Modelling ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Site Characteristics ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Stereo Photogrammetry ◽  
Arabis Alpina ◽  
Western Swiss Alps ◽  
Very High

The vulnerability of alpine environments to climate change presses an urgent need to accurately model and understand these ecosystems. Popularity in use of digital elevation models (DEMs) to derive proxy environmental variables has increased over the past decade, particularly as DEMs are relatively cheaply acquired at very high resolutions (VHR; <1m spatial resolution). Here, we implement a multiscale framework and compare DEM-derived variables produced by Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and stereo-photogrammetry (PHOTO) methods, with the aims of assessing their relevance and utility in species distribution modelling (SDM). Using a case study on the arctic-alpine plant Arabis alpina in two valleys in the western Swiss Alps, we show that both LiDAR and PHOTO technologies can be relevant for producing DEM-derived variables for use in SDMs. We demonstrate that PHOTO DEMs rivalled the accuracy of LiDAR, putting the current paradigm of LiDAR being the more accurate of the two methods into question. We obtained DEMs at spatial resolutions of 6.25cm-8m for PHOTO and 50cm-32m for LiDAR, where we determined that the optimal spatial resolutions of DEM-derived variables in SDM were between 1 and 32m, depending on the variable and site characteristics. We found that the reduced extent of PHOTO DEMs altered the calculations of all derived variables, which had particular consequences on their relevance at the site with heterogenous terrain. However, for the homogenous site, we found that SDMs based on PHOTO-derived variables generally had higher predictive powers than those derived from LiDAR at matching resolutions. From our results, we recommend carefully considering the required DEM extent to produce relevant derived variables. We also advocate implementing a multiscale framework to appropriately assess the ecological relevance of derived variables, where we caution against the use of VHR-DEMs finer than 50cm in such studies.

scholarly journals Spatial relationship between the atmospheric circulation and the precipitation measured in the western Swiss Alps by means of the analogue method

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 777-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Horton ◽  
M. Jaboyedoff ◽  
R. Metzger ◽  
C. Obled ◽  
R. Marty
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Precipitation Event ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
Analogue Method ◽  
Western Swiss Alps ◽  
Time Extrapolation ◽  
Precipitation Events

Abstract. An adaptation technique based on the synoptic atmospheric circulation to forecast local precipitation, namely the analogue method, has been implemented for the western Swiss Alps. During the calibration procedure, relevance maps were established for the geopotential height data. These maps highlight the locations were the synoptic circulation was found of interest for the precipitation forecasting at two rain gauge stations (Binn and Les Marécottes) that are located both in the alpine Rhône catchment, at a distance of about 100 km from each other. These two stations are sensitive to different atmospheric circulations. We have observed that the most relevant data for the analogue method can be found where specific atmospheric circulation patterns appear concomitantly with heavy precipitation events. Those skilled regions are coherent with the atmospheric flows illustrated, for example, by means of the back trajectories of air masses. Indeed, the circulation recurrently diverges from the climatology during days with strong precipitation on the southern part of the alpine Rhône catchment. We have found that for over 152 days with precipitation amount above 50 mm at the Binn station, only 3 did not show a trajectory of a southerly flow, meaning that such a circulation was present for 98% of the events. Time evolution of the relevance maps confirms that the atmospheric circulation variables have significantly better forecasting skills close to the precipitation period, and that it seems pointless for the analogue method to consider circulation information days before a precipitation event as a primary predictor. Even though the occurrence of some critical circulation patterns leading to heavy precipitation events can be detected by precursors at remote locations and 1 week ahead (Grazzini, 2007; Martius et al., 2008), time extrapolation by the analogue method seems to be rather poor. This would suggest, in accordance with previous studies (Obled et al., 2002; Bontron and Obled, 2005), that time extrapolation should be done by the Global Circulation Model, which can process atmospheric variables that can be used by the adaptation method.

Surface exposure dating of the Great Aletsch Glacier Egesen moraine system, western Swiss Alps, using the cosmogenic nuclide10Be

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 431-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith A. Kelly ◽  
Peter W. Kubik ◽  
Friedhelm Von Blanckenburg ◽  
Christian SchlÜchter
Keyword(s):  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Surface Exposure Dating ◽  
Exposure Dating ◽  
Western Swiss Alps

Processing and preliminary results of NFP/PNR20 seismic reflection profiles from the Western Swiss Alps

1993 ◽  
Vol 219 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Levato ◽  
B. Pruniaux ◽  
M. Burri ◽  
A. Escher ◽  
R. Olivier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Reflection ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Seismic Reflection Profiles ◽  
Western Swiss Alps

Precambrian to Paleozoic zircon record in the Siviez-Mischabel basement (western Swiss Alps)

2014 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Scheiber ◽  
J. Berndt ◽  
K. Mezger ◽  
O. A. Pfiffner
Keyword(s):  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Western Swiss Alps

Reduced genetic diversity, increased isolation and multiple introductions of invasive giant hogweed in the western Swiss Alps

2009 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 2819-2831 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. HENRY ◽  
G. LE LAY ◽  
J. GOUDET ◽  
A. GUISAN ◽  
Š. JAHODOVÁ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Multiple Introductions ◽  
Western Swiss Alps
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