A new approach to measuring temperature at high-elevation sites: the RiST project

State of the art The Alpine environments, and in particular the high-elevation sites (H-ES), are responding quickly and with great intensity to climate warming (CW). Cryosphere (including permafrost) degradation is one of the main effects and heavily conditions morphodynamic processes (MP). In this context, the relationships between CW and MP at H-ES are complex to be studied. The knowledge of the thermal conditions of the different materials (air, rock, debris, soil, ice, water) at H-ES are few. Furthermore, available data are often acquired with sensors and acquisition chains with unknown uncertainty of measurement. Main objectives i) Increase knowledge about the thermal conditions of the different geological materials at H-ES; ii) Measure temperature at H-ES by means of sensors and acquisition chains with known uncertainty of measurement; iii) Use the Bessanese glacial basin (Graian Alps, Italy, municipality of Balme*) as an open air experimental laboratory to study the variability of the thermal conditions of different materials (air, rock, debris, soil, ice, water) that are involved in the MP. Partnership - CNR-IRPI, GeoClimAlp research group - Meteomet Consortium (see box at the bottom) - Comune di Balme - Rifugio Bartolomeo Gastaldi Project co financed by Fondazione CRT