Abstract Erosion with the subsequent loss of soil and soil fertility is one of the urgent environmental problems worldwide. On grassland slopes from the montane to the alpine elevation zones of the European Alps, shallow erosion is a widespread and regionally increasing phenomenon. This group of mechanical denudation processes includes shallow landslides and nival abrasion (i.e. by snow gliding and avalanches), which are displacing patches of vegetation, soil and unconsolidated material. The resulting bare ground areas as well as the dislocated material are susceptible to further transport by water, snow, or wind. Our review summarizes the current knowledge on the main geomorphological processes for Alpine grassland erosion, namely shallow landslides and abrasion by snow movements as well as combinations of both processes. We shortly discuss the basic and variable controlling factors and further present a comprehensive approach for identifying and classifying shallow erosion phenomena and processes. In this context, the possibilities, limitations, and challenges for identification, classification and analysis of these processes by remote sensing are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the article focuses particularly on the role of snow-related processes, the relationship of erosion and vegetation, and the re-stabilization of affected areas by plants. Finally, we outline the discussion on the impact of land-use and climate change on these shallow erosion processes and identify the main research gaps that should be bridged in order to both better understand and deal with these erosion types on Alpine slopes.

中文翻译：

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阿尔卑斯山草原斜坡浅层侵蚀——地貌分类、时空分析以及理解雪和植被影响

摘要 侵蚀造成的土壤和土壤肥力损失是世界范围内亟待解决的环境问题之一。在欧洲阿尔卑斯山从山地到高山高地的草地斜坡上，浅层侵蚀是一种普遍且区域性增加的现象。这组机械剥蚀过程包括浅层滑坡和雪崩磨损（即滑坡和雪崩），它们正在取代植被、土壤和松散材料的斑块。由此产生的裸露地面区域以及错位的材料容易受到水、雪或风的进一步运输。我们的综述总结了目前关于高山草原侵蚀的主要地貌过程的知识，即浅层滑坡和雪运动磨损以及这两种过程的组合。我们简要讨论了基本和可变的控制因素，并进一步提出了一种识别和分类浅层侵蚀现象和过程的综合方法。在此背景下，详细讨论了通过遥感识别、分类和分析这些过程的可能性、局限性和挑战。此外，本文特别关注雪相关过程的作用、侵蚀与植被的关系以及植物对受影响地区的重新稳定。最后，我们概述了土地利用和气候变化对这些浅层侵蚀过程的影响的讨论，并确定了应该弥合的主要研究空白，以便更好地理解和处理高山斜坡上的这些侵蚀类型。