How Climate, Uplift and Erosion Shaped the Alpine Topography

Decades of scientific research on the European Alps have helped quantify vast array processes that shape Earth’s surface. Patterns in rock exhumation, surface erosion and topographic changes can be compared to sediment yields preserved sedimentary basins or collected from modern rivers. Erosion-driven isostatic uplift explains up ~50% geodetic rates; remaining reveals importance internal (tectonics, deep-seated geodynamics) external (glacial rebound, changes). We highlight recent methodological conceptual developments contributed our present view Alps, we provide suggestions how fill gaps understanding.