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 Earth’s 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 monitor the spatio-temporal dynamics of mountain vegetation, mainly focusing on forests and grasslands, to understand its response to biotic and abiotic factors, and to develop solutions in collaboration with stakeholders from the agriculture and water management sectors (Biosphere and Hydrosphere group). Our work is based on state-of-the-art data science and infrastructure and our Advanced Computing group is currently developing new methods for scalable data processing, interoperability, and data-driven analysis to make the best use of new and historical observations.