Institute for Earth Observation Eurac Research

In recent decades, the vulnerability of mountainous regions to extreme events has become evident, due to the impacts of phenomena like glacier melt, storms, and droughts, whose frequency and intensity have risen. At the Institute for Earth Observation, we monitor the environmental dynamics of the Earths surface in the mountains aiming to understand changes, investigate their causes, and support the involved communities. To reach this goal we combine satellite and ground observations together with physical based and data driven models, allowing us to develop new approaches to monitor and analyse the dynamics of processes in our environment with a strong focus on mountainous areas. The implementation of these new methods enhances our comprehension of cryosphere dynamics and facilitates the management of water resources, including accurate estimation of snow water equivalent and addressing associated risks such as permafrost deformation (Mountain Cryosphere group). In parallel, we moni...