Description
Permafrost, or permanently frozen ground, is a feature of many high-altitude slopes and rocky ridges in Trentino. The presence of permafrost on mountain slopes is evident in landforms such as rock glaciers – extensive debris fields stretching for hundreds of metres that contain ice and arise from the deformation of the material of which they are composed. In Trentino, permafrost covers an area of approximately 150 km² , and more than 700 rock glaciers have been catalogued.
Soil in permafrost conditions generally contains ice in various forms and aggregations and is subject to rapid changes induced by climate change. Atmospheric warming raises the temperature of the permafrost, causing it to degrade and, often, to disappear. The ice contained within the permafrost is an important but little-known water resource, and its disappearance may compromise the quality and availability of this resource. Furthermore, the presence of permafrost helps to stabilise rock masses at high altitudes, and its degradation increases the risk of landslides and debris flows.
The study and monitoring of this important component of the mountain environment is therefore of fundamental importance and requires the collection of long-term information and data. Permafrost monitoring activities in Trentino have been ongoing for more than 20 years, thanks to a collaboration between the Geological Service of the Autonomous Province of Trento (the body coordinating the activities), the University of Pavia (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences), the University of Padua (Department of Land and Agroforestry Systems) and the Edmund Mach Foundation (Research and Innovation Centre, Hydrobiology Group).
The investigations focus on a number of particularly significant sites, spread across the province’s main mountain ranges (Adamello-Presanella, Ortles-Cevedale, the Dolomites and Lagorai). These include measurements of soil temperature (both at the surface and at depth), climatic variables, the movement of certain rock glaciers, geophysical measurements and water quality sampling.
Field measurements are supplemented by remote surveys, carried out using drones and remote sensing.
The permafrost monitoring data for our province are now presented inthereport‘Permafrost in Trentino’, which details the activities carried out over more than 20 years. The document provides a detailed account of permafrost and rock glacier observation activities; it is freely available and can be downloaded from the Autonomous Province of Trento’s website at this LINK.