Simon Loew
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View article: Spatial and temporal variability of surface deformation in a paraglacial alpine environment measured from satellite radars
Spatial and temporal variability of surface deformation in a paraglacial alpine environment measured from satellite radars Open
Using satellite radar interferometry, we investigate surface deformation in the Great Aletsch Glacier region from 2015 to 2021. By applying a statistical blind source separation method on displacement timeseries, our study reveals irrevers…
View article: Positive feedback between rates of rock mass weathering and landscape lowering through fluvial and hillslope erosion in the High Himalaya of Bhutan
Positive feedback between rates of rock mass weathering and landscape lowering through fluvial and hillslope erosion in the High Himalaya of Bhutan Open
Bhutan is a landlocked country straddling the Himalayan Arc, with elevations ranging from approximately 170 to 7,600 m a.s.l. Despite these high elevations, large portions of the do not show glacial overprint and are thought to have remain…
View article: Structural and Dynamic Evolution of Compound Rockslides – Insights from the Brienz Rockslide Collapse of June 2023
Structural and Dynamic Evolution of Compound Rockslides – Insights from the Brienz Rockslide Collapse of June 2023 Open
In May 2023 the village of Brienz/ Brinzauls, Switzerland was evacuated due to high landslide risk, drawing national and international attention.  On June 15, 2023, a significant collapse occurred at the site, with a volume of 2 Mm…
View article: Early warning and dynamics of compound rockslides: lessons learnt from the Brienz/Brinzauls 2023 rockslope failure
Early warning and dynamics of compound rockslides: lessons learnt from the Brienz/Brinzauls 2023 rockslope failure Open
Prediction of rockslope dynamic evolution and catastrophic failure remains a fundamental challenge for scientists and practitioners, even though this topic has been studied for decades. Here we report about a case in the Swiss Alps, which …
View article: Structurally-controlled failure and damage around an opening in faulted Opalinus Clay shale at the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory: In-situ experimental observation and 3D numerical simulation
Structurally-controlled failure and damage around an opening in faulted Opalinus Clay shale at the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory: In-situ experimental observation and 3D numerical simulation Open
We present a combined experimental and numerical study of failure and damage in faulted Opalinus Clay shale around an opening at the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory, Switzerland. An experiment borehole with a diameter of 0.6 m and a length of 1…
View article: Monitoring surface deformation with spaceborne radar interferometry in landslide complexes: insights from the Brienz/Brinzauls slope instability, Swiss Alps
Monitoring surface deformation with spaceborne radar interferometry in landslide complexes: insights from the Brienz/Brinzauls slope instability, Swiss Alps Open
We performed an extensive analysis of C-band SAR datasets provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) satellites ERS-1/2, Envisat ASAR, and Sentinel-1 in the period 1992–2020 aiming at reconstructing the multi-decadal spatial and temporal …
View article: Time-lapse Acousto-Mechanical Response to Moisture-Induced Reduction of Fracture Stiffness in Granite
Time-lapse Acousto-Mechanical Response to Moisture-Induced Reduction of Fracture Stiffness in Granite Open
Water infiltration into crustal rocks, particularly through fractures, significantly impacts seismic wave propagation and the characterization of fracture systems. Our study (Wu et al, 2023a) investigates the acousto-mechanical behavior of…
View article: Investigating surface deformation with C-Band satellite interferometry in landslide complexes: insights from the Brienz/Brinzauls slope instability, Swiss Alps 
Investigating surface deformation with C-Band satellite interferometry in landslide complexes: insights from the Brienz/Brinzauls slope instability, Swiss Alps  Open
The analysis of multi-temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) datasets using specific algorithms, such as Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) or Small-Baseline Interferometry (SBAS), enables the generation of ground velocity maps and…
View article: Emergence of diverse failure patterns in weathering-induced landslides: Insights from high-fidelity particle finite element simulations
Emergence of diverse failure patterns in weathering-induced landslides: Insights from high-fidelity particle finite element simulations Open
Landslides, as a ubiquitous type of mass wasting phenomena, occur under various geological and environmental conditions and exhibit diverse failure patterns. Among various factors, weathering has been widely recognised as one of the primar…
View article: Laboratory Acousto‐Mechanical Study Into Moisture‐Induced Reduction of Fracture Stiffness in Granite
Laboratory Acousto‐Mechanical Study Into Moisture‐Induced Reduction of Fracture Stiffness in Granite Open
Water infiltration into fractures is ubiquitous in crustal rocks. However, little is known about how such a progressive wetting process affects fracture stiffness and seismic wave propagation, which are highly relevant for characterizing f…
View article: Rockfall monitoring with a Doppler radar on an active rockslide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls (Switzerland)
Rockfall monitoring with a Doppler radar on an active rockslide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls (Switzerland) Open
We present and analyze a rockfall catalog from an active landslide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls of the Swiss Alps, collected with a new Doppler radar system. This radar system provides a complete and continuous time series of rockfall event…
View article: Bedrock Fractures Control Groundwater‐Driven Mountain Slope Deformations
Bedrock Fractures Control Groundwater‐Driven Mountain Slope Deformations Open
Seasonal deformation of mountain rock slopes can be driven by groundwater infiltration and depletion. Such processes could explain our field observation in the Aletsch Valley, Switzerland, where GNSS‐derived 3D annual displacement amplitud…
View article: Comment on egusphere-2023-555
Comment on egusphere-2023-555 Open
Abstract. We present and analyze a rockfall catalog from an active landslide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls of the Swiss Alps, collected with a new Doppler radar system. This radar system provides a complete and continuous time-series of rock…
View article: Causal mechanism of Gotthard Base Tunnel-induced ground deformation: Insights from 3D fully-coupled hydro-mechanical simulation and comparison to field measurements
Causal mechanism of Gotthard Base Tunnel-induced ground deformation: Insights from 3D fully-coupled hydro-mechanical simulation and comparison to field measurements Open
The Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT), constructed between 2000 and 2011, is a 57 km long and up to 2.5 km deep high-speed railway tunnel located in the Swiss Alps. Significant ground surface displacements reaching about 10 cm were observed durin…
View article: Reply on RC2
Reply on RC2 Open
Abstract. We present and analyze a rockfall catalog from an active landslide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls of the Swiss Alps, collected with a new Doppler radar system. This radar system provides a complete and continuous time-series of rock…
View article: Reply on RC1
Reply on RC1 Open
Abstract. We present and analyze a rockfall catalog from an active landslide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls of the Swiss Alps, collected with a new Doppler radar system. This radar system provides a complete and continuous time-series of rock…
View article: Rockfall monitoring with a Doppler radar on an active rock slide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls (Switzerland)
Rockfall monitoring with a Doppler radar on an active rock slide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls (Switzerland) Open
We present and analyze a rockfall catalog from an active landslide complex in Brienz/Brinzauls of the Swiss Alps, collected with a new Doppler radar system. This radar system provides a complete and continuous time-series of rockfall event…
View article: Real‐Time Forecast of Catastrophic Landslides via Dragon‐King Detection
Real‐Time Forecast of Catastrophic Landslides via Dragon‐King Detection Open
Catastrophic landslides characterized by runaway slope failures remain difficult to predict. Here, we develop a physics‐based framework to prospectively assess slope failure potential. Our method builds upon the physics of extreme events i…
View article: Positive feedback between rates of rock mass weathering and landscape lowering through fluvial and hillslope erosion in the High Himalaya of Bhutan
Positive feedback between rates of rock mass weathering and landscape lowering through fluvial and hillslope erosion in the High Himalaya of Bhutan Open
River systems provide a primary means of sediment production and transport in mountain environments. While sediment transport is mainly governed by stream power, the rate of rock mass weathering is a function of rock mechanical properties …
View article: Dragon-king detection for real-time forecast of catastrophic rock slope failures
Dragon-king detection for real-time forecast of catastrophic rock slope failures Open
Catastrophic rock slope failures pose great threats to life and property, but remain difficult to predict. Over the past decades, great efforts have been devoted to develop and deploy high-precision monitoring technologies to observe unsta…
View article: Modelling weathering-induced progressive rock slope failures
Modelling weathering-induced progressive rock slope failures Open
Rock slopes usually exhibit progressive failure phenomena over a long period of time under the active Earth surface environment involving complex geological, mechanical, hydrological, and chemical interactions. Among these processes, weath…
View article: Architecture, Microfabric and Formation Conditions of the Basal Contact Zone of the Flims Rock Avalanche (Switzerland)
Architecture, Microfabric and Formation Conditions of the Basal Contact Zone of the Flims Rock Avalanche (Switzerland) Open
Many theories about processes and conditions of rock avalanches lack field evidence, due to difficulties in monitoring such events and the rarity of accessible locations to study corresponding structures in bedrock outcrops. This study pro…
View article: Effect of Ambient Humidity on the Elasticity and Deformation of Unweathered Granite
Effect of Ambient Humidity on the Elasticity and Deformation of Unweathered Granite Open
Moisture variation has been noted as a driver of strains in both natural and anthropogenic bedrock environments. Similarly, increasing water content has been shown to reduce elastic stiffness in a variety of rock materials, though evidence…
View article: On the role of fracture systems in groundwater-driven alpine slope deformation
On the role of fracture systems in groundwater-driven alpine slope deformation Open
We study the physical mechanisms that drive alpine slope deformation during water infiltration and depletion into fractured bedrocks. We develop a fully coupled hydromechanical model at the valley scale with multiscale fracture systems ran…
View article: Laboratory acousto-mechanical study into moisture-induced changes of elastic properties in intact granite
Laboratory acousto-mechanical study into moisture-induced changes of elastic properties in intact granite Open
The water adsorption into pore spaces in brittle rocks affects wave velocity and transmitted amplitude of elastic waves. Experimental and theoretical studies have been performed to characterize moisture-induced elastodynamic variations due…