Climate change impacts on critical rainfall conditions triggering debris flows in Austria
The project team is happy to announce that the second EMERGENCE paper has been published in Communications Earth & Environment. Our recent study titled “Climate induced increase in frequency and area affected by critical rainfall conditions triggering debris flows in Austria” (Kaitna et al. 2025) explores how climate change is influencing the frequency and spatial extent of rainfall events that trigger debris flows in Austria. In support of open science, the corresponding dataset is also freely available via zenodo (Becsi et al. 2025).
The study reveals that as the climate warms, both the likelihood and the area affected by such events are expected to increase across Austria, regardless of the emission scenario. However, these changes are not uniform, with significant regional variations observed. The findings emphasize the importance of regional-scale predictions for improving mountain risk management and highlight the need for a deeper, process-based understanding to address risks at the local level.
This research offers valuable insights for policymakers and risk managers, helping to better prepare for the challenges posed by a changing climate.
Image Credit: Giammarco Boscaro via Unsplash