Ph.D. Research Profile: Simon Allen
Remote Sensing and GIS Based Assessment of Geomorphic Hazards Associated with Glacial Change, Mount Cook Region, New Zealand
Research Overview
Glacial environments are characterised by a large mass turnover, and thus represent highly dynamic geomorphic systems. The underlying processes which drive this mass turnover provoke serious hazards when interacting with human use systems. On a global scale, natural hazards occurring in glacial environments are particularly devastating, and related damages due to glacial hazards are in the order of €100 million as an annual average. Some of the most devastating and far reaching hazards have involved complex process interactions or chain reactions. Recent and continued climate change is having a profound influence on geomorphic processes within glacial environments due to melting and recession of glacial ice, permafrost degradation, glacial lake development, and related changes in the surrounding peri-glacial landscape. Climate change can therefore alter the hazard potential, shifting zones of hazard initiation and subsequent adversely affected zones of human use. The implications of altered glacial geomorphology are not only relevant to increased hazard potential, but also affect the quality and volume of glacial runoff significant for hydropower generation, posing future resource management concerns. Because of the inaccessible terrain often characterising glacial environments, the large spatial scale that may be a feature of complex process interactions, and rapidly changing conditions due to global warming, the application of modern earth-observation techniques in any assessment of glacier related hazards is considered mandatory. In view of the limited knowledge or existing hazard research within the Mount Cook region, a first order assessment of mass movement problems will be achieved, through the GIS based integration of remote sensing derived terrain information, permafrost distribution modelling, geological and topographic analyses. This work will provide a fundamental basis for modelling and reassessing future process interactions in response to changing glacial conditions.
Related Publications
- Allen, S.K. & Cox, S.C., In revision, 2009. Landsliding in glacial and permafrost terrain: A regional-scale study of landslide distribution and potential climate change impacts in the central Southern Alps, New Zealand. Landslides.
- Allen, S.K., Gruber, S, & Owens, I.F., In review, 2009. Exploring steep bedrock permafrost and its relationship with recent slope failures in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes.
- Allen, S.K., Schneider, D. & Owens, I.F., 2009. First approaches towards modelling glacial hazards in the Mount Cook region of New Zealand's Southern Alps. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 9, 481-499.
- Cox, S.C. & Allen, S.K., 2009. Vampire rock avalanches of January 2008 and 2003, Southern Alps, New Zealand. Landslides, DOI 10.1007/s10346-009-0149-4.
- Allen, S., Owens, I. & Huggel, C., 2008. A first estimate of mountain permafrost distribution in the Mount Cook region of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. In: D.L. Kane and K.M. Hinkel (Editors), Ninth International Conference on Permafrost. Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, pp. 37-42.
- Allen, S., Owens, I. & Sirguey, P., 2008. Satellite remote sensing procedures for glacial terrain analyses and hazard assessment in the Aoraki Mount Cook region, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 51: 73-87.
- Cox, S.C., Allen, S.K. & Ferris, B.G., 2008. Vampire rock avalanches, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. GNS Science report 2008/10, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
- Schneider, D., Allen, S., Christen, M., Huggel, C., McArdell, B. & Bartelt, P., 2008. Application of the RAMMS model to recent and potential rock-ice avalanches in the Mount Cook region (New Zealand). Geophysical Research Abstracts, 10(03202): 03202.
- Allen, S. & Kerr, T., 2007. Times they are a changing - Glacial changes and implications for safety and access in the Mt Cook National Park. The Canterbury Mountaineer, 2005-2007(64): 60-62.
Supervisors
Assoc. Prof. Ian Owens
University of Canterbury
Dr. Christian Huggel
University of Zürich