Alps
This study describes the application of the coupled SAFRAN (meteorological variables), ISBA (soil–vegetation–atmosphere transfer) and CROCUS (snow cover evolution) models to simulate daily discharges for the upper Durance catchment (French Alps) from 1981 to 1994. The results are validated by comparison with measurements at three gauging stations located in the watershed. Previous...
Tourism is a business. Despite attractive brochures that advertise international understanding and exchange between local people and tourists, tourism is clearly a business proposition for those who supply tourist services and those who market these services world-wide. It is also clear that tourists themselves are more interested in relaxation, a change of scenery, and their own enjoyment...
The mountain forests of Switzerland and New Zealand have been modified by people, plants, and animals, albeit at different times and in distinctive ways. In both countries, what had been extensive wooded tracts at the start of human settlement were progressively converted by settlers to heterogeneous forest patches surrounded by pasture and other managed systems. Some native species thrived,...
A comparative review is provided of the weather and climate processes and phenomena that characterise the New Zealand Southern Alps and European Alps. The general climate conditions and atmospheric circulation features that affect the two mountain regions are assessed. Interaction of the mountains with synoptic weather systems is described, including their dynamic and thermal effects on...
The human histories of the European and Southern Alps are very different, with contrasts in respective length of time settled, population, and the types of records that the populations in each environment have left behind. This article explores these differences for the period 1000–1900 AD, tracing the specific trajectories of Alpine development in both places before analysing the...
The European Alps (Alps) and Southern Alps of New Zealand (Southern Alps) are both high mountain ranges formed by the collision of tectonic plates. The Alps resulted from collision of the African and European Plates, which produced complex lithological and structural patterns associated with the development of a series of overthrusted nappes. In contrast, the plate margin deformation that...
The future of Swiss alpine winter tourism must be reassessed in view of global climate change in order to determine possible strategies for overall development of mountain regions. At present, 85% of all Swiss ski areas still have sufficient snow cover. A 300-m rise of the snow line, however, would reduce this to about 63%. As a consequence, skiers will expect more artificial snow, go on...
The Alps extend across the territory of seven countries in Central Europe. But what do they actually represent? Do they constitute the major barrier between north and south? Are they a reservoir of future European resources? Are they an all-purpose Disneyland for anyone seeking recreation, fun, or simply a quick thrill? Should they be seen as a habitat and a cultural landscape or a global...
Based on inventories of similarities and differences, a comparative approach to high mountains can yield surprising insights that highlight which aspects are unique in both cases and make “old things look new.” Insights are determined by the parameters of comparison. In this issue, the raw geographical elements of both high mountain areas have been the points of...
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