Hydro-meteorological trigger conditions of debris flows in Austria

Abstract

Different factors influence the disposition of a watershed for initiation of debris flows, including meteorological trigger conditions as well as the hydrologic and geomorphic disposition. The latter includes slowly changing factors like relief energy or sediment availability, whereas the hydrologic state of a watershed may vary over short time scales. This contribution summarizes the outcomes of a long term project to quantify meteorological and hydrological trigger conditions leading to debris flows at different temporal and spatial scales in the Austrian Alps. The analysis employs a database of more than 4,500 debris flows over the last 100+ years, which is the period for which systematic rainfall data is available. A Bayesian analysis was carried out for determining occurrence probabilities for all Austria. For selected regions, hydrological trigger conditions were assessed using a semi-distributed, conceptual rainfall-runoff model, which was calibrated to measured runoff data. As expected we find increasing trigger probabilities with increasing rainfall amounts and intensities. However, the additional information of regional hydrological parameters as well as their temporal evolution over days prior to a debris-flow event, enables to capture different trigger conditions, including short duration rainstorms, long lasting rainfall events, and snow melt. We also find that a trigger-type resolved prediction of debris-flow susceptibility based on the hydro-meteorological catchment information is superior to simple rainfall-only approaches. The results of this analysis shall improve our understanding of long-term trigger conditions and trends of extreme mass wasting processes in the Alps and aim to become a valuable tool in engineering hazard assessment.