What is CCAMM? ¶
Alpine mass movements such as snow and ice avalanches, debris flows, landslides, as well as rockfall and rock avalanches – or combinations thereof – are part of the natural character of high mountain Alpine regions. In densely populated areas, however, they represent a considerable hazard.
The formation and occurrence of these processes are influenced by several factors, including geological features, availability of material, slope angle, elevation, land use, and meteorological conditions. Temperature and precipitation contribute significantly to triggering these processes. Against this backdrop, the inevitable question is: In the context of climate change, how do climatic shifts affect gravitational natural hazards in the Alpine region?
The interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary WSL research program CCAMM – Climate Change Impacts on Alpine Mass Movements addressed this societally relevant question. Its aim was to improve understanding of the impacts of climate change on alpine mass movements and, building on this, to investigate societal adaptation strategies. The program provided a scientific basis for effectively addressing future challenges and thereby contributed to risk reduction as well as the long-term strengthening of resilience.
CCAMM was conducted in three phases and structured into seven work packages comprising a total of 31 sub-projects. In the first phase, the focus was on the following themes: predisposition, dynamics, as well as risk and adaptation. At the beginning of the second phase, two additional work packages were added: process cascades and early warning. The third phase served as a transition towards follow-up research projects and outreach (knowledge transfer).
In total, more than 60 researchers from different disciplines collaborated in the international CCAMM team – including 18 PhD candidates and 16 postdoctoral researchers. They came from various research groups at WSL and SLF, as well as partner institutions such as ETH Zurich, EPFL and the Technical University of Munich. The team was complemented by students who contributed via bachelor’s and master’s theses or internships. In addition, practitioners were deliberately involved, to incorporate current needs and challenges from an applied perspective.