Catchment-Scale Stability and Disturbance in Biogeomorphic Succession in an Alpine Glacier Foreland (kaunertal Valley, Austria)

Download This Paper Open PDF in Browser Add Paper to My Library Share: Permalink Using these links will ensure access to this page indefinitely Copy URL Catchment-Scale Stability and Disturbance in Biogeomorphic Succession in an Alpine Glacier Foreland (Kaunertal Valley, Austria) 36 Pages Posted: 27 Aug 2022 See all articles by Stefan HaselbergerStefan Haselbergeraffiliation not provided to SSRNUlrich Zangerlaffiliation not provided to SSRNSimon Scheperaffiliation not provided to SSRNJan-Christoph Ottoaffiliation not provided to SSRNLisa-Maria Ohleraffiliation not provided to SSRNRobert R. Junkeraffiliation not provided to SSRNSabine Kraushaaraffiliation not provided to SSRN Abstract The frequency and magnitude of geomorphic processes and the presence of vegetation shapes the interaction between abiotic and biotic factors driving successions in glacier forelands as shown in plot-scale studies. Geomorphic processes may disturb vegetation succession and plants have the potential to stabilize terrain, as described in the biogeomorphic succession model.Capturing this interplay between disturbance and stability remains challenging as abiotic and biotic processes happen on different spatial scales. As proxy for potential disturbance, we combined the revised universal soil loss equation model (RUSLE), adapted to high mountain areas to calculate potential soil loss and mapping of geomorphic processes domains. Vegetation cover is considered as proxy for stability and has been automatically assessed using high-resolution imagery collected via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Field-based plot sampling along a chronosequence provides insight into the distribution of species along the biogeomorphic succession.Potential disturbance is closely related to steep slopes for gravitational and denudational processes as shown by RUSLE results and process domain mapping. The disturbing potential of fluvial processes is covered by process domain mapping. First bigger patches (~100 m²) of very high stability (vegetation cover > 75%) occur about 50-80 years after glacier retreat, increasing in size (~5000 m²) in areas older than 100 years. Outside the LIA moraine 30% of the area shows very high stability. The combination of methods allowed us to differentiate three stages of biogeomorphic succession and to locate initial, current and past stages of potential ecosystem engineering of plants. The catchment-wide analyses of stability showed how important it is to consider geomorphic disturbance, as geomorphic processes locally distort the general trend of primary succession. Keywords: biogeomorphology, proglacial, RUSLE, ecosystem engineering Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation Haselberger, Stefan and Zangerl, Ulrich and Scheper, Simon and Otto, Jan-Christoph and Ohler, Lisa-Maria and Junker, Robert R. and Kraushaar, Sabine, Catchment-Scale Stability and Disturbance in Biogeomorphic Succession in an Alpine Glacier Foreland (Kaunertal Valley, Austria). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4202209 Stefan Haselberger (Contact Author) affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email ) No Address Available Ulrich Zangerl affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email ) No Address Available Simon Scheper affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email ) No Address Available Jan-Christoph Otto affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email ) No Address Available Lisa-Maria Ohler affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email ) No Address Available Robert R. Junker affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email ) No Address Available Sabine Kraushaar affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email ) No Address Available Download This Paper Open PDF in Browser Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN? Place Job Opening Paper statistics Downloads 0 Abstract Views 1 PlumX Metrics Feedback Feedback to SSRN Feedback (required) Email (required) Submit If you need immediate assistance, call 877-SSRNHelp (877 777 6435) in the United States, or +1 212 448 2500 outside of the United States, 8:30AM to 6:00PM U.S. Eastern, Monday - Friday. Submit a Paper Section 508 Text Only Pages SSRN Quick Links SSRN Solutions Research Paper Series Conference Papers Partners in Publishing Jobs & Announcements Newsletter Sign Up SSRN Rankings Top Papers Top Authors Top Organizations About SSRN SSRN Objectives Network Directors Presidential Letter Announcements Contact us FAQs Copyright Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. To learn more, visit Cookie Settings. This page was processed by aws-apollo5 in 0.282 seconds