Glaciers and permafrost are strongly linked to each other in mid-latitude mountain regions particularly with polythermal glaciers. This linkage is not only climatically defined but also in terms of geomorphic and glaciological processes. We studied two adjacent cirques located in the Central Austria. We focussed on the deglaciation since the Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum (c.1850 CE) and its relevance for permafrost and rock glacier evolution since then. One cirque is occupied by a glacier remnant whereas the second one is occupied by an active rock glacier which was partly overridden by a glacier during the LIA. We applied a multidisciplinary approach using field-based techniques including geoelectrics, geodetic measurements, and automatic monitoring as well as historic maps and photographs, remote sensing, and digital terrain analysis. Results indicate almost complete deglaciation by the end of the last millennium. Small-scale tongue-shaped landforms of complex origin formed during the last decades at finer-grained slope deposits below the cirque headwalls. Field evidences and geophysics results proved the existence of widespread sedimentary ice beneath a thin veneer of debris at these slopes. The variable thickness of the debris layer has a major impact on differential ablation and landform evolution in both cirques. The comparison of digital elevation models revealed clear mass losses at both cirques with low rates between 1954 and 2002 and significantly higher rates since then. The central and lower part of the rock glacier moves fast transporting sediments and ice downvalley. In contrast, the upper part of the rock glacier is characterised by low debris and ice input rates. Both effects cause a significant decoupling of the main rock glacier body from its nourishment area leading eventually to rock glacier starvation. This study demonstrates the importance of a decadal-scale and multidisciplinary research approach in determining the development of alpine landforms over both space and time.

冰川和多年冻土在中纬度山区尤其是多热冰川之间有着密切的联系。这种联系不仅在气候上有所定义，而且在地貌和冰川过程方面也是如此。我们研究了位于奥地利中部的两个相邻的马戏团。自小冰河时期（LIA）达到最大值（大约1850年）以来，我们专注于冰消作用 CE）及其与自那时以来的多年冻土和岩石冰川演化的相关性。一个太阳轮被冰川残余物占据，而第二个太阳轮则被一个活跃的岩石冰川占据，在LIA期间，该岩石被冰川部分地覆盖了。我们使用基于现场的技术（包括地电，大地测量和自动监控以及历史地图和照片，遥感以及数字地形分析）采用了多学科方法。结果表明，到上个千年末，几乎完全脱冰。在过去的几十年中，在复杂的小规模的舌状地形上形成了圆形的端壁下方的较细粒度的斜坡沉积物。现场证据和地球物理学结果证明，在这些斜坡上，薄薄的碎屑薄板下方存在着广泛的沉积冰。杂物层厚度的变化对两个圆环的差异消融和地形演变都有重大影响。数字高程模型的比较显示，在1954年至2002年之间，这两种圆规都有明显的质量损失，速率很低，此后速率明显更高。岩石冰川的中部和下部移动迅速，可快速输送沉积物和冰谷。相比之下，岩石冰川的上部的特点是碎屑和冰输入速率低。这两种作用都会使主要的冰川冰川主体从其营养区域显着解耦，最终导致冰川冰川饥饿。这项研究证明了十年规模和多学科研究方法对于确定时空上高山地貌发展的重要性。