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🇦🇹 Austria /Disasters & Emergencies

Alpine floods: Austria faces new risks as glaciers melt, experts warn

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A glaciologist stated that while a disaster on the scale of Nepal's recent flood is unlikely in Austria due to differing geographical conditions, the country faces increasing risks from melting glaciers and thawing permafrost.
  • Experts warn that rockfalls and landslides could dam rivers and trigger flood waves impacting settlements, a phenomenon observed in other regions like Switzerland.
  • The thawing of permafrost is particularly noted as a significant factor destabilizing mountain slopes, increasing the frequency and intensity of such events.

While a catastrophic flood like the one recently seen in Nepal, triggered by a glacier collapse, is unlikely to occur in Austria, experts are warning of a growing risk of similar, albeit smaller-scale, events.

Margreth Keiler, a professor at the University of Innsbruck and director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, explained that the specific conditions in Nepal, higher altitudes, larger glaciated areas, and settlements closer to glaciers, make a direct repeat improbable in Austria. Regions like the Ötztal or Zillertal have settlements situated much farther from glaciers, reducing the immediate threat of direct glacier-rock collapses.

We can also have rockfalls and landslides here that dam rivers and streams, subsequently developing flood waves that could affect our populated areas.

— Margreth KeilerUniversity professor and glaciologist explaining potential risks in Austria.

However, Keiler emphasized that lessons can be learned from the Nepal disaster. "We can also have rockfalls and landslides here that dam rivers and streams, subsequently developing flood waves that could affect our populated areas," she stated. The thawing of permafrost is identified as a key driver of instability, particularly in areas where it was previously holding rock masses in place. This thawing is leading to more frequent and intense rockfalls and landslides, even without the presence of glaciers.

While the probability of large ice collapses is low in Austria due to smaller glacier masses, the movement of glaciers, such as the "Äußeres Hochebenkar" block glacier in the Ötztal, already poses challenges, including rendering access roads impassable. Keiler pointed out that rockfalls and mountain collapses are not exclusive to glaciated areas and have always occurred. The critical difference now is the increasing frequency and intensity of these events due to climate change impacting the stability of the Alpine landscape.

Rockfalls and mountain collapses happen everywhere; you don't need a glacier for that.

— Margreth KeilerGlaciologist highlighting that geological instability is a broader issue exacerbated by climate change.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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