H2020-MSCA-IF-2015-EF
Proposal Number: 705215
Proposal Acronym: Rockslope_Failures
Total score: 96.40%

1. Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Glacier calving is one of the main processes generating ice loss from marine-terminating glaciers (and thus, contributing to sea level rise), nevertheless, there still exists a great incertitude concerning the processes that control and lead to iceberg formation and a full understanding of the dynamic processes shaping the termini of glacier fronts is still elusive. This epistemic uncertainty may be related not only to the highly non-linear dynamics of the calving phenomena, but also to the 2D nature and the limited spatial and temporal resolution of the techniques typically used for investigating the rapidly evolving glacier front. Regular and accurate high-resolution measurements are required to quantify these processes and feedback, including both the possibility to identify the elusive existence of calving MF laws at specific regions and to capture the key spatial-temporal linkages between rates of ice calving, flow, surface lowering and frontal advance/retreat.  To this end, a new generation of three-dimensional techniques and methods -such as Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)- combined with powerful image processing workflows (e.g. Structure-From-Motion, SFM) will be used in this project.

2. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report

-2018.04 – KEYNOTE SPEAKER > European Geosciences Union, Austria > High Resolution Topography in the Geosciences: Methods and Applications (Session GM2.2)

-2018.04 – CONFERENCE: Attendance to the European Geosciences Union + diverse project meeting with project collaborators

-2018.02 – PUBLICATION: Landslides Journal (Elsevier). A multidisciplinary approach for the investigation of a rock spreading on an urban slope.

-2018.02 – CAREER PROGRESSION: Accepted a lectureship in Engineering Geology + Geohazards at the School of Earth and Environment (University of Leeds) as the logical continuation of the Marie Curie fellowship. My MC independent research project and career development achievements were capital for the securing the lectureship. The continuation of the research avenue proposed in the MC project proposal during the forthcoming years will be guaranteed thanks to my new academic position.

-2017.12 – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: Everything You Need to Program in Python: The Python Bible™ | Udemy online courses (9h)

-2017.12 – PUBLICATION: Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (European Geosciences Union). Using street view imagery for 3-D survey of rock slope failures

-2017.11 – PUBLICATION: Landslides Journal (Elsevier). Rockfall Risk Management using a Pre-failure Deformation Database.

-2017.10 – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: European Space Agency (ESA) > Introduction to Radar Remote Sensing. Online open course

-2017.09 – SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE: Remote sensing and photogrammetry society conference (RSPSoc2017): London, UK

-2017.09 – BOOK CHAPTER: Jaboyedoff M., Abellán, A., Derron, M-H., Carrea, D., Michoud, C. and Mattasci, B (2018). Mapping and Monitoring of Landslides using LiDAR. In: Singh RP and Barlett (ed). Natural Hazards: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Landslides (Chapter 17). CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, 510pp. ISBN: 9781138054431.

-2017.07 – PUBLICATION: Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (European Geosciences Union). Reconstruction of a collapsed rock pillar from Web-retrieved images and terrestrial LiDAR data

-2017.07 – FIELDWORK CAMPAIGN IN GREENLAND (Summer 2017): Equipment installation + datasets successfully acquired. Support for photogrammetric surveys during RESPONDER ERC EU-H2020 project.

-2017.06 – SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE: IX National symposium in unstable slopes: Santander, Spain

-2017.06 – PUBLICATION: Geomorphology (Elsevier). The role of tectonics and slope tectonics on the occurrence of a rock avalanche at the Pampeanas ranges (Argentina).

-2017.06 – KEYNOTE SPEAKER > IX National symposium in unstable slopes: Santander, Spain. [Invitation dismissed due to incompatibility with previously acquired responsibilities]

-2017.06 – KEYNOTE SPEAKER > 6th Interdisciplinary Workshop on Rockfall Protection

-2017.06 – CONFERENCE: Oral communication > Progressive Rock Slope Failure, Ascona, Switzerland, Switzerland

-2017.05– PUBLICATION: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (Wiley). Time-lapse structure-from-motion photogrammetry for continuous geomorphic monitoring.

-2017.05 – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: UK Polar Network Early career workshop – (6h) British Antarctic Survey

-2017.05 – SESSION CHAIRING: 6th Interdisciplinary workshop on rockfall Protection: Barcelona, Spain

-2017.05 – PUBLICATION: Earth Surface Dynamics (European Geosciences Union). Automated Terrestrial Laser Scanning with Near Real-Time Change Detection – Monitoring of the Séchilienne Landslide.

-2017.05 – EDITORIAL BOARD > Computers & Geosciences – International Journal (Elsevier)

-2017.04 – PUBLICATION: Landslides Journal (Elsevier). Calculation of the rockwall recession rate of a limestone cliff, affected by rockfalls, using cosmogenic chlorine-36

-2017.03 – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: Assessor for the examination of MPhil in Polar Studies, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge

-2017.02 – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: Remote Emergency Care (40h) – Advanced first aid and care during expeditions (this was a requirement during fieldwork in Greenland)

-2017 (17h) – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: University of Cambridge > Researcher Development Programme (24.5h): 2017.12 > Postdocs: Leading Others (2h) | 2017.12 > Managing-up (2h) | 2017.11 > lectureship research statements (2h) | 2017.11 > Being Assertive and Making Yourself Heard (2h) | 2017/09 > Careers in Data Science (2h) | 2017.03 > Mock job interview (1h) | —2017.02 > Feedback on CV + cover letter preparation (2h) | 2017.01 > Getting a fellowship: career development fellowships (4.5h)

-2016.12 – PUBLICATION: Remote Sensing of Environment (Elsevier). Beyond 3D: the new spectrum of LiDAR applications for Earth and Ecological sciences.

-2016.12 – PhD CO-SUPERVISION: Nick. P. Toberg (Main supervisor: Poul Christoffersen, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge). 3D investigation of glaciers using UAV’s

-2016.12 – PhD ADVISOR: Thomas Chudley (Main supervisor: Poul Christoffersen, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge). 3D investigation of glaciers using UAV’s

-2016.10 – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: Elmer/Ice course: open-source, parallel, Finite Element code for solving glaciological problems. University of Oslo, Norway (22h)

-2016.10 – TALK: Invited Seminars @ University of Cambridge, Scott Polar Research Institute – Physical Sciences Seminar.

-2016.07 – PhD CO-SUPERVISION: Xabier Blanch (Supervisors: Antonio Abellan and Marta Guinau). 3D and 4D investigation of rockslopes.

-2016.06 – to 2016.12 (7.5h) – TRAINING ON TRANSFERABLE SKILLS: University of Cambridge > Researcher Development Programme: 2016.12 > CVs and applications for academia (3h) | 2016.12 > Getting a lectureship (3.5h) | 2016/11 > Academic job market in the UK (1h).

 

3. PROJECT OUTREACH

Some of the outcomes of the fieldwork campaign funded by this project were displayed in the exhibition “Uummannaq: A century of exploration in Greenland” that was hosted at the Scott Polar Research Institute during the whole exhibition (from Sept. 2017 to March 2018). One my videos was displayed was continuously displayed at the museum hall during the opening times (8 hours per day) and the other one was displayed on an iPad attached to the exhibition walls during the same period of time. The outreach was quantified by the museum curators in 24,260 visitors in the period that the exhibition was open together with 1,490 school children (38 groups) that visited the museum while the exhibition was on. The iceberg calving footage projected in the main hall of the museum is still being projected and will be displayed during several more months. Dr. Poul Christoffersen, contact person for the MC project at the host institution, leaded the exhibition through an ERC grant (RESPONDER: Resolving subglacial properties, hydrological networks and dynamic evolution of ice flow on the Greenland Ice Sheet).

 

4. OUTPUTS: PUBLICATIONS IN PEER-REVIEWED INTERNATIONAL JOURNALS

(★)  Indicates PhD student as first author

– Tomás, R., Abellán, A., Cano, M., Riquelme, A., Tenza, A., Baeza, F., Saval, J.M., Jaboyedoff, M. (2018). A multidisciplinary approach for the investigation of a rock spreading on an urban slope. Landslides 15(2), 199-217. DOI 10.1007/s10346-017-0865-0.

– Voumard, J. (★), Abellán, A., Nicolet, P., Penna, I., Chanut, M.-A., Derron, M.-H., Jaboyedoff, M. (2017): Using street view imagery for 3-D survey of rock slope failures, Natural Hazards and Earth System Science, 17, 2093-2107, DOI:10.5194/nhess-17-2093-2017.

– Kromer, R. (★), Hutchinson, J., Lato, M., Rowe, E., Abellán, A. (2017). Rockfall Risk Management using a Pre-failure Deformation Database. Landslides. DOI: 10.1007/s10346-017-0921-9

– Guerin, A. (★), Abellán, A., Matasci, B., Jaboyedoff, M., Derron, M.H., Ravanel, L (2017). 3-D reconstruction of a collapsed rock pillar from Web-retrieved images and terrestrial LiDAR data – the 2005 event of the west face of the Drus (Mont Blanc massif). Natural Hazards and Earth System Science. 17, 1207-1220, 2017. DOI: 10.5194/nhess-17-1207-2017.

– Eltner, A., Kaiser, A., Schindewolf, M., and Abellán, A. (2017). Time-lapse structure-from-motion photogrammetry for continuous geomorphic monitoring. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.4178.

– Kromer, R. (★), Abellán, A., Hutchinson, J., Lato, M., Jaboyedoff, M. (2017). Automated Terrestrial Laser Scanning with Near Real-Time Change Detection – Monitoring of the Séchilienne Landslide. Earth Surface Dynamics, 5, 293-310, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-293-2017, 2017.

– Domènech G. (★), Corominas, J., Mavrouli, O., Merchel, S., Abellán, A., Pavetich, S., Rugel, G. (2017). Calculation of the rockwall recession rate of a limestone cliff, affected by rockfalls, using cosmogenic chlorine-36. Case study of the Montsec Range (Eastern Pyrenees, Spain). Geomorphology. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.04.005.

– Eitel, J.U.H, Höfle, B, Vierling, L.A, Abellan, A, Asner, G, Deems, J, Glennie, C, LeWinter, A, Magney, T.S, Mandleburger, G, Morton, D, Mueller, J, Vierling, K. (2016). Beyond 3D: the new spectrum of LiDAR applications for Earth and Ecological sciences. Remote Sensing of Environment 186 (2016) 372–392. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.08.018. [Review article].

– Eltner, A. (★), Kaiser, A., Castillo, C., Rock, G., Neugirg, F., and Abellan, A. (2016): Image-based surface reconstruction in geomorphometry – merits, limits and developments. Earth Surface Dynamics, 4, 359-389, 10.5194/esurf-4-359-2016.

Abellan, A., Derron, M-H., Jaboyedoff, M., (2016). “Use of 3D Point Clouds in Geohazards” Special Issue: Current Challenges and Future Trends. Remote Sensing 8, 130. DOI: 10.3390/rs8020130.

+ 3 Other manuscripts (draft version available)