• Energy Research

The air temperature in the Alps has increased at a rate more than twice the global average in the last century, and a significant increase in the number of slope failures has also been documented, in particular in glacial and periglacial areas. Thus, the relationship between climatological forcing and processes of instability at high elevation is worth analyzing. We provide a simple, statistically based method aimed at identifying a relationship between climate factors and the triggering of geohazards. Our main idea is to compare the meteorological conditions at the time when the instability occurred with the typical conditions in the same place. Carrying out a straightforward analysis based on the use of the empirical distribution function, we are able to determine whether any of the meteorological variables had nonstandard values in the lead-up to the slope failure event, and thus to identify the variables that are likely to have acted as triggering factors for the slope failure. The method has been tested on five events in the glacial and periglacial areas of the Piedmont Alps (Northwestern Italy) occurring between 1989 and 2008. Out of these five case studies, our research shows that four can be attributed to climatic anomalies (rise of temperature and/or heavy precipitation). The results of this study may contribute to developing knowledge about the relationships between climatic variables and slope failures at high elevations, providing interesting insights into the expected impact of ongoing global warming on geohazards.

Extraordinary development s are taking place at Ghiacciaio del Belvedere near Macugnaga, Valle Anzasca, in the Italian Alps. A surge-type  ow acceleration started in the lower parts of the Monte-Rosa east face, leading to strong crevassing and deformation of Ghiacciaio del Belvedere, with extreme bulging of its orographic right margin. High water pressure and accelerated movement lasted into winter 2001/2002: in places, the ice is now starting to override moraines from the Little Ice Age. In addition, but fairly independently , a most active detachment zone for rock falls and debris  ows has been developing for several years now in the east face of Monte Rosa. Besides the scienti Ž c interest in these separate phenomena, both events affect the growing hazard potentia l to the local infrastructure and must be considered seriously.

Debris flows from glacier forefields, triggered by heavy rain or glacial outbursts, or clamming of streams by ice avalanches, pose hazards in Alpine valleys (e.g. the south side of Mount Blanc). Glacier-related debris flows are, in part, a consequence of general glacier retreat and the corresponding exposure of large quantities of unconsolidated, unvegetated, and sometimes ice-cored glacial sediments. This paper documents glacier-related debris flows at 17 sites in the Italian, French, and Swiss Alps, with a focus on the Italian northwest sector. For each case data are provided which describe the glacier and the instability. Three types of events have been recognized, based on antecedent meteorological conditions. Type 1 (9 documented debris flows) is triggered by intense and prolonged rainfall, causing water saturation of sediments and consequent failure of large sediment volumes (up to 800000 m 3). Type 2 (2 debris flows) is triggered by short rainstorms which may destabilize the glacier drainage system, with debris flow volumes up to 100000 m(3). Type 3 (6 debris flows) occurs during dry weather by glacial lake outbursts or ground/buried ice melting, with debris flow volumes up to 150000 m(3). A data base of historic cases is needed in order to advance process understanding and modelling, and thus improve hazard assessment. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Air temperature in the European Alps shows warming over recent decades at an average rate of 0.3 °C/10 years, thereby outpacing the global warming rate of 0.2 °C/10 years. The periglacial environment of the Alps is particularly important for several aspects (i.e. hydropower production, tourism, natural hazards, indicator of global warming). However, there is a lack of specific and updated studies relating to temperature change in this environment. In order to fill this gap, the recent temperature trends in the periglacial environment of the Alps were analyzed. Mean/maximum/minimum daily air temperatures recorded by 14 land-based meteorological stations were used, and the temperature indices for the period 1990-2019 were calculated. The periglacial environment of the Alps showed a warming rate of 0.4 °C/10 years, 0.6 °C/10 years and 0.8 °C/10 years for the mean/maximum/minimum temperatures, respectively. These warming rates are higher than that observed for the entire Alpine area. In 2050 many glaciers of the Alps below 3000 m altitude are expected to be extinct, and all the areas previously occupied by glaciers will become periglacial. In order to manage and adapt to these changes, more in-depth climate analyses are needed. This is necessary for all the mountainous areas of the world, which are undergoing similar changes.

Anthropogenic climate change is rapidly altering high mountain environments, including changing the frequency, dynamic behavior, location, and magnitude of alpine mass movements. In this project, we gathered literture (∼1995 to 2024, 335 studies) that have leveraged observational records from the European Alps and review (a) to what degree changes in the frequency, magnitude, dynamic behavior, or location of alpine mass movements can be detected in observational records, and (b) whether detected changes be attributed to climate change and are clear enough to improve hazard management at regional scales. We focused our analysis on the mass movements that are most common in the European Alps, namely rockfall, rock avalanches, debris flows, ice and snow avalanches. We found that the clearest climate-controlled trends are (i) an increased rockfall frequency in high-alpine areas (due to higher temperatures), (ii) fewer and smaller snow avalanches due to scarcer snow conditions in low- and subalpine areas, and (iii) a shift towards avalanches with more wet snow. There is (iv) a clear increase in debris-flow triggering precipitation, but this increase is only partly reflected in debris-flow activity. The trends for (v) ice avalanches are spatially very variable without a clear direction. Quantifying the impact of climate change on these mass movements remains difficult in part due to the complexities of the natural system, but also because of limitations in the available datasets, confounding effects and the limits of existing statistical processing techniques. 

Total Incident Solar Radiation (TISR) and Total Reflected Solar Radiation (TRSR) data, acquired from May 2018 to December 2020 in the Bessanese high-elevation experimental site (Western Italian Alps, 2659 m a.s.l.), are presented. TISR and TRSR data have been acquired by using a Kipp & Zonen, CMA 6 model, albedometer. For data validation, we adopted QC recommended by WMO, which is described in detail in the Guide to Climatological Practices (WMO 2018). Activity carried out as part of the collaboration between CNR-IRPI and ARPA Piemonte. This work was carried out in the framework of RIST2 project, co-financed by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino. For more information about the site, please visit https://deims.org/f8718e56-fb4d-49a3-92a9-3670e7f10ee9