Abstract ID: 3.10056 | Not reviewed | Requested as: Talk | TBA | TBA

Following the catastrophic failure of the Marmolada Glacier on 3 July 2022, the Italian Department of Civil Protection (DPC) and the Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection of the Italian National Research Council CNR-IRPI) have signed an agreement aimed at developing reference documents on the nature of glacial and permafrost hazards in the Italian Alps and on the expected scenarios based on climate trends, on the methods of hazard assessment and on the strategies for monitoring critical situations.
The main products of this collaboration were: a review of the main hazards for the glacial and periglacial areas of the Italian Alps; the translation into Italian of the “Guidelines for the risk assessment of glaciers and permafrost” (drafted in 2017 by the international working group GAPHAZ), accompanied by a glossary, a literature update and an adaptation to Italy. Moreover, the growing need for innovative solutions for the study of the evolution of instabilities affecting the Alpine glacial and permafrost environment, created the opportunity for the drafting of the “Guidelines of low-cost monitoring solutions for glacial and periglacial instabilities”.
The outcomes of this collaboration will also be used in the framework of the working group on “Risk associated with instability processes in glacial and periglacial environments”, established on 20 May 2024 by Decree of the Head of DPC and which includes representatives of all the institutions involved in the management of glacial and permafrost risks. The aim of this working group is to share guidelines for the implementation of knowledge, training, information and awareness-raising activities on risks in the Alpine area, in the context of climate change.
This collaboration is one of the few examples worldwide of an attempt to apply in a structured way and on a national scale the most up-to-date scientific and technological knowledge to the definition of an approach to glacier and permafrost risks shared with the public bodies responsible for various aspects of risk assessment and management.
This contribution aims to illustrate the methodological approach used and the main results, in the hope of offering useful insights to those in charge of mountain risk management in other countries.