THE MORPHODYNAMICS OF THE MONT BLANC MASSIF IN A CHANGING CRYOSPHERE: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

One of the most glacierized areas in the European Alps, the Mont Blanc massif, illustrates how fast changes affect the cryosphere and the related morphodynamics in high mountain environments, especially since the termination of the Little Ice Age. Contrasts between the north-west side, gentle and heavily glaciated, and the south-east side, steep and rocky, and between local faces with varying slope angle and aspect highlight the suitability of the study site for scientific investigations. Glacier shrinkage is pronounced at low elevation but weaker than in other Alpine massifs, and supraglacial debris covers have developed over most of the glaciers, often starting in the nineteenth century. Lowering of glacier surface also affects areas of the accumulation zone. While modern glaciology has been carried out in the massif for several decades, study of the permafrost has been under development for only a few years, especially in the rock walls. Many hazards are related to glacier dynamics. Outburst flood from englacial pockets, ice avalanche from warm-based and cold-based glaciers, and rock slope failure due to debuttressing are generally increasing with the current decrease or even the vanishing of glaciers. Permafrost degradation is likely involved in rockfall and rock avalanche, contributing to the chains of processes resulting from the high relief of the massif. The resulting hazards could increasingly endanger population and activities of the valleys surrounding the Mont Blanc massif.