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Environmental context We present a chemical characterisation of the seasonal snowpack sampled for four consecutive years at the Calderone, the southernmost glacier still surviving in peninsular Italy. This debris covered glacier recently split into two little ice bodies, whose evolution could be influenced by the snowpack properties. In particular the impact of long-range aerosol advections on concentrations of impurities in the snowpack over the local background is discussed. Rationale The Calderone Glacier (Central Apennine, Gran Sasso d’Italia mountain group) is the southernmost glacial apparatus in Europe, split into two glacierets (Upper and Lower Calderone) since the end of the last millennium. Because of its location and altitude, this site is mainly characterised by the long-range transport of air masses which arise from different Mediterranean source regions. Therefore, the seasonal snowpack’s chemistry is strongly affected by the dry and wet deposition of contaminants associated with anthropogenic and natural sources. Methodology In the present study, the seasonal snowpack stratified on the Calderone glacier has been characterised for four consecutive years (2017–2020) in the same monitoring site (2700 m asl), where a snow pit has been dug yearly, to observe the modification of chemical and physical properties depending on local and long-range atmospheric contributions. We determined the concentrations and fluxes of major inorganic ions (MIs) by ion chromatography and of 31 trace elements (TEs) by triple quadrupole ICP-MS. Results Major and trace element concentration profiles along the snowpack allowed to discriminate the snow layers contaminated by long range advections from the uncontaminated ones. The uncontaminated snow layers’ concentrations were used to calculate regional background values. The results have been compared to other remote sites to assess their robustness. Discussion Different source contributions have been recognised using enrichment factors for the trace elements, particularly crustal, marine and anthropogenic. Deposited atmospheric aerosols, found in the snowpack as distinct layers generated during intense air mass advections, have been correlated to these contributions.

In recent decades, snowfalls, snow cover and duration over Central Italy have decreased and there have been some extreme snowfall events followed by extreme avalanche activities. In this regard, the Calderone Glacier (hereinafter Calderone) represents a geographical and geomorphological element of great interest and is defined as a sentinel of climate change in central Italy, as it is going through a strong phase of reduction: fragmented into 2 glacierets since the end of the last century, it is the only glacial area in the Apennines, and the southernmost in Europe, and for its position on the summit of the Italian Gran Sasso (2912 m asl), a mountain group located in the center of the Apennine belt in the Mediterranean area.The Italian Glaciological Committee (Comitato Glaciologico Italiano (CGI) every year with ad hoc in-situ inspections in early autumn monitor the Calderone mass balance. The mass balance of a glacier depends on the interplay between the mass gains and losses promoted by climate and those associated by the inherent flux; its monitoring is essential because it can contribute to the knowledge of the current ongoing evolution of glaciers.Continuation of the traditional type of monitoring, like the one performed by CGI, based on direct measurements of accumulation and ablation by means of a network of stakes, appears to be an unlikely prospect, because in-situ data gathering usually implies expensive field campaigns and with difficult access to the sites, resulting in limited spatial and temporal resolution. In contrast, techniques based on remotely sensed data, among several techniques, those relying on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) demonstrated to be very effective due to the instrument’s capability of operating day and night independently of the weather conditions.Differential interferometry or DInSAR can be used to estimate displacements, but due the slow-changing nature of glacier masses and the consequent temporal distance necessary to appreciate changes between two dates, DInSAR technique, in such evaluation conditions, suffers from generally low coherence values, which generally prevent accurate estimates. For such a reason, in this work we propose to estimate the mass balance for the Calderone through the displacement maps obtained from the difference between two Digital Elevation Models (DEM) obtained from the processing of COSMO-Skymed X band data. Each DEM is obtained from adjacent dates (w.r.t. products availability), and their generation is less subject to the low-coherence problem. In this way two DEMs, whose temporal distance is about 12 months, can be subtracted to obtain displacement maps that are subsequently compared with CGI in-situ measurements for the winter periods from 2010 to 2022. The data used in this study consist of COSMO-SkyMed satellite X-band single-look complex images in slant geometry (level 1A), Stripmap Himage mode (HH polarization) at 3m of spatial resolution. Processing includes, in addition to a canonical DEM generation process, a specific part focused on obtaining the average values, active area and total area for the calculation of the mass balance.Preliminary results will be illustrated and discussed, pointing out potential developments and critical issues.

The plastic footprint is defined as a science-based tool for quantifying the amount of plastic (in kg) one contributes to the world’s plastic waste (from plastic wraps to anything containing plastics, such as clothes). Making consumers aware of their total plastic footprint and of how it is divided among their various daily life activities can promote concrete eco-sustainable actions aimed at reducing it and consequently plastic consumption. To this aim, we developed a free online plastic footprint calculator for making users aware of how much plastic they introduce into the environment through individual consumption, from food to clothing or leisure. In this tool, we also considered the consumption of plastics during mountain activities as it leads to the production of specific plastic waste. We tested the beta version of this tool on a small sample of users, including students, living in the mountains. Our results show that the sector with the greatest impact is food consumption (72.8%, mainly due to plastic drink bottles), followed by mountain activities (17.4%), a sector that was investigated in more detail (i.e., with more questions) than food consumption. Considering only mountain activities, synthetic fleeces are the most widely used and incorrectly managed items (34.7%), followed by shoes for mountain running or hiking (20.8%). We hope this tool will contribute to more aware use and management of plastic items during mountain activities and daily life and help reduce the distribution of plastics into the environment.

The Apennine mountain range is the backbone of the Italian peninsula, crossing it from North-West to South-East for approximately 1200 km. The main peaks are found in Central Apennines, especially in the Gran Sasso d’Italia massif, which hosts the highest Apennines peak, named Corno Grande, with its 2912 m a.s.l. During the winter season, Central Apennines are typically covered with snow, with thickness that can vary between a few centimeters to several meters. Despite the historical presence of snow in these territories, the Apennine snowpack is poorly studied and weather data coming from automatic measurement stations and manual snow measurements hardly coexist. Thus, within the SMIVIA (Snow-mantle Modeling, Inversion and Validation using multi-frequency multi-mission InSAR in Central Apennines) project, we identified the measurement sites of Pietrattina, at 1459 m a.s.l, and Campo Felice, at 1545 m a.s.l., both located in Central Apennines. There we collected automatic measurements using ad hoc installed automatic weather-snow stations (AWSS) and where we performed systematic manual measurements of the snowpack properties, from November 2020 till April 2021. The AWSS measures every 5 minutes air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, incoming short-wave radiation, reflected short-wave radiation, soil surface temperature, snow surface temperature and snow height. The manual part of the campaign included the digging of 10 and 8 snow pits at Pietrattina and Campo Felice sites, respectively, to measure vertical profiles of snow density, temperature, grain shape, grain size and fractional content of light absorbing impurities. Manual snow measurements provide important information on the state of the snowpack, and give the opportunity to reconstruct the history of the snowpack. Their proximity to automatic weather stations let us evaluate the impact of the very local atmospheric conditions on the snowpack evolution. These measurements were performed within the SMIVIA project to: i) evaluate the ability of the snow cover model SNOWPACK to reproduce the observed snow cover properties; ii) verify the possibility to infer snow height and snow water equivalent from the data retrieved with Earth observation satellites; iii) investigate whether the use of a combination of snow numerical models and remote sensing data may provide better results compared to using each of the aforementioned approach, separately. Nevertheless, the data collected during the SMIVIA campaign at the measurement sites of Pietrattina and Campo Felice during season 2020-2021 can also provide precious information for other fields of study, like hydrology, biology and chemistry.

Snow-mantle extent (or area), its local thickness (or height) and mass (often expressed by the snow water equivalent, SWE) are the main parameters characterizing snow deposits. Such parameters result of particular importance in meteorology, hydrology, and climate monitoring applications. The considerable geographical extension of snow layers and their typical spatial heterogeneity makes it impractical to monitor snow by means of direct or indirect in situ measurements, suggesting the exploitation of satellite technologies. Space-borne C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors (such as those operating in Sentinel-1 A and B missions) are particularly suitable for the analysis of snow deposits, providing data with resolutions up to some meters with global coverage and 6-day revisit time. Most of the satellite remote sensing applications have been focused on major mountain systems, such as the Andes, the Alps, or the Himalayan region. Other important mountain systems, like the Italian Apennines, have not been extensively considered, probably due to their complex orography and the high variability of their snow cover. Nevertheless, the central Apennine has a central role for the meteorological dynamics in the Mediterranean area, and it hosts the southernmost European glacier – namely, the Calderone glacier whose evolution represents a relevant indicator, at least for the medium latitudes, of climatic changes.The implementation of the objectives of the SMIVIA (Snow-mantle Modeling, Inversion and Validation using multi-frequency multi-mission InSAR in central Apennines) project is based on the development of innovative simulation techniques and snow parameter estimators from SAR and differential interferometric SAR (DInSAR) measurements, based on the synergy with spatial measurements from optical remote sensing sensors, data from ground weather radar and simulations from dynamic snow cover models and on an inverse problem approach with a robust physical-statistical rationale. Furthermore, the scientific validity of the achievable results is supported by an enormous systematic validation effort in the Apennine area with in-situ measurements, identifying 3 pilot sites manned with meteorological and snow measurements, dielectric and georadar measurements, trenches and micro-macrophysical sampling, 6 sites of semi-automatic verification, 31 remote auxiliary sites and 1 site of glaciological interest (Calderone) with ad hoc campaigns. SAR data processing can be performed in different ways to retrieve snow parameters.In this work we exploit SAR backscattering coefficient to study the effects of backscattering at the air-snow interface, at the snow-ground interface, together with the volumetric effects of the snow layer. The distinction between wet and dry snow is obtained exploiting the copolar and cross-polar SAR returns. DInSAR is exploited to analyze the effects of air-snow refraction and the snow-ground reflection, together with the coherence and phase-shifts between two sequential images. In this work we will present the Sentinel-1 DInSAR processing chain to estimate snowpack height (SPH) combined with SAR-backscattered data for wet snow discrimination. The potential of using physically based analytical and statistical inversion algorithms, trained by forward electromagnetic and snowpack models, is introduced, and discussed. The processing chain is tested in central Apennines, using validation sites with snow-pit in-situ measurements, discussing potential developments and critical issues.

In recent decades, snowfalls, snow cover and duration over Central Italy have decreased and there have been some extreme snowfall events followed by extreme avalanche activities. In this regard, the Calderone Glacier (hereinafter Calderone) represents a geographical and geomorphological element of great interest and is defined as a sentinel of climate change in central Italy, as it is going through a strong phase of reduction, it is the only glacier in the Apennines, and the southernmost in Europe, and for its position on the summit of the Italian Gran Sasso (2912 m asl), a mountain group located in the center of the Apennine belt in the Mediterranean area.The Italian Glaciological Committee (Comitato Glaciologico Italiano (CGI) ) every year with ad hoc in-situ inspections in late spring and early autumn monitor the Calderone mass balance. The mass balance of a glacier depends on the interplay between the mass gains and losses associated with climate and those associated with the inherent flux, its monitoring is essential because it can contribute to the knowledge of the current ongoing evolution of glaciers. Continuation of the traditional type of monitoring, like the one performed by CGI, based on direct measurements of accumulation and ablation by means of a network of stakes, appears to be an unlikely prospect, because in-situ data gathering usually implies expensive field campaigns and with difficult access to the sites, resulting in limited spatial and temporal resolution. In contrast, techniques based on remotely sensed data, among several techniques, those relying on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) demonstrated to be very effective due to the instrument's capability of operating day and night independently of the weather conditions.Differential interferometry or DInSAR is a tool for accurate displacement measurements, and it is useful in identifying footprints of progressing movement. DInSAR is interferometry itself, the only difference is that topographical effects are compensated by using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the area of interest, creating what is referred to as a differential interferogram.In this work we propose the mass balance for the Calderone through the DInSAR results and its comparison with CGI in-situ measurements for the winter period 2018-2020. The data used in this study consist of COSMO-SkyMed satellite X-band single-look complex images in slant geometry (SCS, level 1A product), Stripmap Himage mode (HH polarization) at 3 m per pixel of spatial resolution, and acquisition geometry Right Descending. The processing of this satellite data was applied over the entire area covered by the images and then refined to Calderone area, it includes a pre-processing first step that include: coregistration, interferogram formation, filtering and speckle; and a second part focused on obtaining the average values, active area and total area for the calculation of the mass balance.

Soil erosion caused by intense rainfall events is one of the major problems affecting agricultural and forest ecosystems. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is probably the most adopted approach for rainfall erosivity estimation, but in order to be properly employed it needs high resolution rainfall data which are often unavailable. In this case, empirical formulas, employing aggregated rainfall data, are commonly used. In this work, we select 12 empirical formulas for the estimation of the USLE rainfall erosivity in order to assess their reliability. Moreover, we used a Stochastic Rainfall Generator (SRG) to simulate a long and high-resolution rainfall time series with the aim of assessing its application to rainfall erosivity estimations. From the analysis, performed in the Rieti province of Central Italy, we identified three equations which seem to provide better results. Moreover, the use of the selected SRG seems promising and it could help in solving the problem of hydrological data scarcity and consequently guarantee major accuracy in soil erosion estimation.

The Calderone glacier is at present the most southern glacier in Europe (42° 28' 15’’ N). The little apparatus (about 20.000 m2 in surface area) has been giving an interesting response both to short- and long-term climatic variations which resulted in a considerable reduction in surface area and volume. The glacial apparatus is split into two ice bodies (glacierets) since 2000. The two glacierets are located in a deep northward valley below the top of the Corno Grande (2912 m asl) in the centre of the Gran Sasso d’Italia mountain range (Central Italy). Such glacial apparatus has been subjected to a strong reduction, with a loss of total surface area of about 50% and thickness of about 65%with respect to the hypothetical size (about 105.00 m2 and 55 m at the Little Ice Age).Since early 90s the Calderone glacier has been subjected to several multidisciplinary field campaigns to monitor and evaluate its role as an environmental indicator in the framework of global warming. Starting from historical series related to more than a century of records, the variability of the different glacier properties has been estimated by using classical geomorphologic methods as well as in situ and remote sensing techniques. In particular, the last field campaigns, in 2015, 2016 and 2019, have been carried out using Ground Penetrating Radar equipped with different antenna frequencies, drone-based survey, snow pit measurements and chemical-physical sampling. The measurement campaigns have been complemented by a regional climate analysis, spanning the last fifty years, and snowpack modelling initialized with microphysical snow data (e.g., snow density, crystal shape and size, hardness). The snowpack chemical analyses include the main and trace elements, soluble inorganic and organic ions, EC/OC and PAH, with different spatial resolution depending on the analytes. We present here the methodological approach used and some preliminary results.

A key factor to reduce soil erosion and soil instability is the conservation of forest areas. In the last years, in all Europe, forest logging has increased. The Italian situation is paradigmatic because more than 70% of the broadleaved forests are managed as coppices and new exploitations concerning biomass for energy production have tripled since 2001. The common coppicing method leaves standards uniformly distributed on the ground, but this geometry has proven to not play an effective role in soil erosion control. In this paper, we propose a different method for coppicing geometry, aimed to decrease the soil erosion risk. In particular, the theoretical framework of the model is presented here, employing the USLE framework and discussing a real case study, while the results of the experimental tests, which are in progress, will be discussed in future papers. The theoretical results seem to demonstrate the method’s validity, which is expected to reduce soil erosion amount in the range 29-42%.

Remote sensing investigations permit to map and describe at a regional scale and with a multi-temporal approach mountain glaciers. In this work, we present some results from the New Italian Glacier Inventory which we developed by analyzing high-resolution color orthophotos acquired in the timeframe 2005-2011. In particular, in this paper we focused on each Italian Alpine Region, describing in detail glacier extent and features of each mountain group. Although Italian glaciologists were the first to produce glacier inventories (developing a glacier database as early as the beginning of the 20th century), during the last three decades only regional and local glacier lists have been developed. Therefore, a comprehensive study describing the actual whole Italian glaciation has been lacking. The New Italian Glacier Inventory describes 903 glaciers covering altogether an area of 368.10 km(2) +/- 2%. We found that about 84% of the total number of ice bodies is composed of glaciers smaller than 0.5 km(2) covering only 21% of the total area, indicating that the Italian glacier resource is spread into several small ice bodies with only few larger glaciers. A comparison between the total glacier area of the new inventory and the glacier coverage value from the CGI Inventory (1959-1962) suggests a reduction of the glacier extent of about 30%.

The present study reports the characterization of psychrophilic yeast and yeast-like diversity in cold habitats (superficial and deep sediments, ice cores and meltwaters) of the Calderone Glacier (Italy), which is the southernmost glacier in Europe. After incubation at 4 and 20 degrees C, sediments contained about 10(2)-10(3) CFU of yeasts g(-1). The number of viable yeast cells in ice and meltwaters was several orders of magnitude lower. The concomitant presence of viable bacteria and filamentous fungi has also been observed. In all, 257 yeast strains were isolated and identified by 26S rRNA gene D1/D2 and internal transcribed spacers (1 and 2) sequencing as belonging to 28 ascomycetous and basidiomycetous species of 11 genera (Candida, Cystofilobasidium, Cryptococcus, Dioszegia, Erythrobasidium, Guehomyces, Mastigobasidium, Mrakia, Mrakiella, Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces). Among them, the species Cryptococcus gastricus accounted for almost 40% of the total isolates. In addition, 12 strains were identified as belonging to the yeast-like species Aureobasidium pullulans and Exophiala dermatitidis, whereas 15 strains, presumably belonging to new species, yet to be described, were also isolated. Results herein reported indicate that the Calderone Glacier, although currently considered a vanishing ice body due to the ongoing global-warming phenomenon, still harbors viable psychrophilic yeast populations. Differences of yeast and yeast-like diversity between the glacier under study and other worldwide cold habitats are also discussed.

The primary goals of this chapter are to address several overarching questions using summaries, highlights, and brief reviews to provide a broader context for the book’s contents.

Ghiacciaio del Calderone is the only glacier in the Italian Apennines and the southernmost glacier in Europe. In this paper, the authors present a tentative synthesis of the evolution of the glacier, with a particular focus on evaluating the variations in area and thickness ranging from the end of the Little Ice Age to the present. The analysis was performed in a GIS environment, using available data for georeferation (mainly from recent topographic maps) and for the reconstruction (from historical documents and old topographic maps) of the variations of the glacier in the last two centuries. The resulting values, reconstructed and/or calculated, covering the period since the end of the Little Ice Age, of about 36 m of ice thickness and of about 59,000 m2 of ice surface area represent the glacier loss by 1990.

The paper focuses on the description of a landslide event occurred along the Gran Sasso d’Italia Massif (Central Apennines, Italy) and on the interpretation of the possible causes that determined some unusual secondary effects occurred at the base of the slope. The study was carried out by coupling the results of field surveys with the processing of an available seismic record generated by the rockfall. The recorded velocimetric data were processed in order to assess the evolution of the rockfall in terms of number of main impacts and energy dissipation.

The interpretation of firn and ice cores in high-altitude sites in central Asia requires a detailed knowledge of fresh-snow chemistry, especially in the extra-monsoon season. Since 1992 the Water Research Institute of CNR has been involved in sampling and analysis of wet and snow deposition in the Himalayan area. The first campaigns, which were based at the EV-K 2 -CNR Pyramid site in Khumbu Valley, were focused on the southern side of the Everest group in monsoon season with the aim of evaluating the long-range transport of inorganic pollutants from the Indian subcontinent to the Himalayan range. In the following years, involving climbing expeditions, we extended our research to other regions outside the monsoon season. This approach allowed us to get a better knowledge of spatial and temporal distribution of major ions in snow deposition of the Himalayan region. Furthermore, our results show that nitrate and ammonium concentrations can be biased by post-depositional gas absorption. In fact the interpretation of nitrate values in glaciochemistry is rather difficult because nitrate concentrations in snow are affected by post-exchange with the atmosphere over a broad range of environmental conditions.

The present study reports the results of the characterization of psychrophilic yeasts isolated from melt waters and sediments of the Calderone Glacier (Italy). Culturable yeasts, filamentous fungi and bacteria occurring in deeppiping and supraglacial sediments, and in melt waters were monitored. A first set of 30 yeast isolates were identified by using molecular (MSP-PCR fingerprinting and 26S rRNA gene sequencing of the D1/D2 region) methods, as belonging to seven species: Aureobasidium pullulans, Cryptococcus adeliensis, Cryptococcus gastricus (over 50 % of the total strains), Cryptococcus victoriae, Cryptococcus watticus, Rhodotorula psychrophenolica and Guehomyces pullulans. One strain, presumably belonging to a new species, yet to be described, was also isolated. The results obtained in the present study suggest the possibility that glacial environments of this European southern glacier could harbor viable psychrophilic yeast populations.

In September and October 2000, during a scientific and mountaineering expedition (Rome 8000), a continuous series of daily snowfalls have been sampled during the final monsoon and post-monsoon season. The sampling sites were the Gyabrag glacier and the Mt. Cho Oyu west buttress, in the northern slope of the Himalayas range. Samples of freshsnow were collected at different altitudes, ranging from 5700 to 6400 m a.s.l. in the same day and for the same precipitation. Contemporarily, some snow trenches were dug and snow layers were studied and sampled. Conductivity, pH and the major inorganic ions have been analysed with their relative field blanks. The results obtained in the Cho Oyu area have been compared to the ones reported in literature for the southern slopes of the Himalayas range. The comparison shows a substantial homogeneity of main ions concentrations in freshsnow, not depending on the geographical location but only on the monsoon alternation. Freshsnow data showed differences between the monsoon season, with values not substantially influenced by anthropogenic inputs, and the extra-monsoon (post-monsoon, winter and pre-monsoon) season characterised by the influence of dust from central Asia. Some experimental results of in situ radioactivity measurements, obtained with a portable γ-ray detector, are also presented.

The paper presents the state of the art of the works in progress; in particular Prof. L. D’Alessandra co-ordinates geomorphologic topics, Dr. Massimo Pecci field activities and data elaboration in GIS environment and Prof. C. Smiraglia glaciological themes. The Calderone glacier is now confined into a deep central mountain valley of the Gran Sasso d’Italia, with steep walls, and does not show movements along the borders and along the front. The little apparatus is characterised by a reduction phase since the end of the “Little Ice Age” Auct., particularly strong since the end of the last decade. During the nineties a set of multidisciplinary researches started to evaluate the role of the Glacier like an indicator of the effects of human activities and finally of regional and global climatic change. In this paper the authors present the analysis performed to evaluate the variations, particularly in surface area and volume, since the end of the Little Ice Age up to now. The use of a Geographic Information System (GIS), modelling available data, regarding both the morphology of the ice surface (georeferenced from recent topographic maps and reconstructed from historic documents and old topographic maps) and the morphology of the bed rock (from Ground Penetrating Radar surveys), allows the 3D-reconstruction of the volumetric variation during time. The “time sample points” in the modelling processes include the end of the LIA, the end of the past century and the present century for a total of six 3D-reconstruction. The resulting values, reconstructed and/or calculated since the end of the LIA, of about 50.000 squared metres of ice surface area and of about 4.000.000 cubic metres in volume represent the loss up to now (1990). The obtained results are finally discussed also in order to apply and to generalise the presented methodology in calculating the mass balance of particular type of glaciers and in order to evaluate the probable living (surviving) times of the glacier.

The Calderone glacier, located in the Gran Sasso d’italia mountain group (Abruzzo, Italy), is the most southern glacier in Europe. The reduced dimension and the general conditions of the glacier make it a powerful environmental indicator in evaluating global change processes including the radio-chemical pollution induced by human activity. Two high altitude samples of snow, collected during spring 1999, and summer 1995, have been analysed using a high purity Germanium solid state gamma ray detector. The analysis of these samples revealed the presence of the radioactive isotope Cs-137. The possible origin of this contamination and differences between different samples are analysed. The physical features of the snow, where the spring 1999 samples were gathered, are also presented.

The Calderone glacier is characterised by a reduction phase since the end of the “Little Ice Age” (LIA) Auct., particularly strong during the last decade. In fact during the nineties a set of multidisciplinary researches started to evaluate the role of the Glacier like an indicator of the effects of human activities and finally of regional and global climatic change. The apparatus is now confined into a deep mountain valley of the Gran Sasso d’Italia Range, with steep walls, and does not show movements along the borders and along the front. The aim of the historical research is not only the collection of the available images and literature, but mainly the evaluation and the evidence of the past dimension of the studied glacier in length, surface area, thickness and volume. In this paper the state of the art is presented, giving information about sources, consistence and importance of collected data. The documentation collected is proposed in the perspective of giving a contribution to the confirmation or to the discussion of the performed reconstructions.

The top area of the Gran Sasso d’Italia and of the whole Apennines Chain, including the Corno Grande peak, the Corno Piccolo peak and the Calderone glacier, is particularly important from the geomorphologie point of view, due to the activity of many processes and to the related presence of interesting landforms. Furthermore the whole top area is included in the integrally protected zone of the National Park of the Gran Sasso and Laga Mountains. In the last five years many studies have been carried out on the geomorphologie features of the top area, particularly regarding the Calderone glacier (monitoring and evolution). The preliminary synthesis of the study and of the results obtained after the management of territorial data on a dedicated GIS (Geographic Information System) is represented by the elaboration and the availability of the following thematic maps: Shaded Relief of the surface from the DEM (Digital Elevation Model), based on topographic data ranging from 1:750 to 1:10.000 scale; Slope Aspect Map (automatic output in GIS environment), Slope Angle Map (automatic output in GIS environment), Geomorphologie Map (including hydrography and basic lithology) surveyed at a scale 1:5.000. The landforms surveyed and mapped are related to the main following processes: morphotectonics, gravitational, hydrology — fluvialglacial and watershed, karst, glacial, periglacial and anthropic. Mainly the problems related to the applied methodology in GIS environment are presented, furthermore the results of such a kind of activity have been drawn in preliminary scheme, waiting for the publication of the final cartography on the Italian Geological Survey Bullettin, as an example of geomorphologic cartography in high mountain environment.

The aim of this paper is to outline the potential of remote sensing and GIS techniques as tools for the management of data rich environments, as complex coastal areas, exposed to industrial pollution phenomena. The area of study, Pianura Pontina is located in central Italy, 70 km south of Rome. In particular the possible patterns of surface and ground waters pollution have been considered. Furthermore the interactions between industrial installations, water resources, protected areas and urban settlements have been analyzed. Landsat TM satellite images have been processed in order to obtain a land-use map that has been inserted in a GIS database and integrated with further information like lithology, geological structure and stratigraphy, hydrogeological features, DEM, industrial plants location and characters. This allowed the creation and processing of different thematic maps: vulnerability, risk, impact. The methodology can be a reliable, sensible and easy to update support to competent Authorities in environmental management.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

This paper is proposed by the laboratory of ISPESL involved, in particular, in the study of interactions between industrial plants and natural hazards. For the determining of eventual short term effects of a catastrophic and/or extreme natural event, a study site in the industrial area of Ascoli Piceno (Marche Region, Central Italy) has been individuated. This area is particularly interesting and sensitive due to the coexistence of industrial plants and urban settlements in a fluvial environment. The study of updated stereoscopic aerial photos, integrated by field survey and information for different sources, has allowed the definition of land vulnerability and the individuation of different natural hazards. As outlined by this analysis, the major geomorphologic risk, in the study area, is represented by the eventual flooding of River Tronto. Indeed many of the industrial plants are located in the flood area of the river, just a few meters above the mean river water level. For that concerns this kind of event a zoning of hazard has been derived from stereoscopic aerial photos analysis, integrated by hydrological, geological and geomorphological data.

Liligo Glacier is a small glacier located in a transverse valley, which flows on the south side of Baltoro Glacier, Karakoram, Pakistan. Terminus variations of Liligo Glacier since 1892 were reconstructed using various methods and sources (historical documents, cartography, photographs, satellite images and field surveys). The glacier is characterized by two phases of strong advance (beginning and end of the 20th century), separated by at least half a century of retreat. The advance rates, together with some ice-surface features such as the heavily crevassed surface and terminus morphology, are considered to be indicative of a surge-type glacier.