Permafrost is a key element of the terrestrial cryosphere that is strongly affected by a warming climate. With widespread permafrost degradation likely to occur in the next future, remote sensing is seeking to reveal the processes and causal connections governing this development, from the monitoring of the permafrost state to the mapping of the impacts and potential natural hazards.

Permafrost landforms and surface features, such as rock glaciers, can be identified by image classification techniques in a variety of remote sensing products. Permafrost-related surface deformations can be detected by radar interferometry. However, field-based techniques, such as terrestrial laser scanner, GPS and ground-based SAR, are essential for integrating and validating the remote sensing products.

In this context, the ALPSMOTION project (ALPine Slow slope MOvement moniTorIng and detectiON with remote and proximal sensing), coordinated by EURAC Research and funded by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, aims at improving the monitoring of permafrost deformation, in particular of rock glaciers, exploiting satellite-based SAR data. Within the project this kind of data have been exploited at regional and local scale. In the latter case, an integration with in-situ measurements acquired with different techniques, i.e. GPS, ground-based SAR and UAV, has been performed. Methodology and expertise developed have been also tested to a landslide deformation case.

The purpose of the Summer School is to offer an overview on modern remote- and field-based approaches currently used to investigate the dynamics of alpine slopes affected by permafrost, with particular attention to the combined use of different types of data.
The school is mainly addressed to PhD students working on the topic, but master degree students, post-docs and early career scientists are also welcomed.