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FluVAlps - Research Group
Fluvial Variability, Climate and Land Use Interactions in Alpine Environments

University of Barcelona, University of Berne, Meteorological Survey of Catalonia
Research Project CGL2006-0111

Presentation

Due to the inherent sensitivity of mountain ecosystems to climatic variability and land uses, paleoecological studies are extremely important to obtain a detailed knowledge of past and recent changes in high mountain environments, to anticipate future changes and to evaluate climatic-geomorphic risks.

Figure 1: Fluvial landforms are a very common feature in mountain regions and are often suitable for paleoenvironmental studies. Left lateral Holocene alluvial fan joining the outwash plain of the Tasman Glacier (Southern Alps, New Zealand, 08.08.2007, © by L. Schulte)

The FluVAlps Research Group (Fluvial, Climate and Land Use Interactions Variability in Alpine Environments), constituted of researchers of the University of Barcelona (Spain), University of Berne (Switzerland), the Catalan Meteorology Survey (Spain), Institute of

Lothar Schulte, professor of geomorphology and paleoecology, is the principal investigator of the Fluvalps Project. He coordinates the activities of the FluVAlps Research Group. The University of Barcelona hosts the project coordination.

E-mail: schulte@ub.edu
Phone: +34 93 403 78 87

Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (CSIC, Spain), the Rovira i Virgili University (Tarragona), focuses on the better understanding of the impact of external forcing as climate and land uses on long-term aggradation and flooding processes in hydrographic systems. Research activities focus particularly on alpine regions but also include a broader range of different environments.

The FluVAlps 3000 Project (Fluvial Variability in the Alps during the last 3000 years: Climate change, land use and associated flood risks) uses a multi-proxy approach, that integrates paleoecological, geomorphological, paleoclimatological, paleohydrological and documentary data from alluvial fans and fan deltas and provides accurate data about terrestrial environmental changes in the Western Alps. For the assessment of the impact of climate variability and land uses on mountain environments we focus on the Holocene, particularly on the last 3000 years, using annual, decadal and centennial resolution proxies.