Permafrost is a key element of the terrestrial cryosphere that is stro ngly affected by a warming climate. With widespread permafrost degradation likely to occur in the next future, remote sensing is seeking to reveal the processes and causal connections governing this development, from the moni toring of the permafrost state to the mapping of the impacts and potential natural hazards.

Permafrost landforms and surface features, such as r ock glaciers, can be identified by image classification techniques in a var iety of remote sensing products. Permafrost-related surface deformations ca n be detected by radar interferometry. However, field-based techniques, suc h as terrestrial laser scanner, GPS and ground-based SAR, are essential for integrating and validating the remote sensing products.

In this cont ext, the ALPSMOTION project (ALPine Slow slope MOvement moniTorIng and dete ctiON with remote and proximal sensing), coordinated by EURAC Research and funded by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, aims at improving the monitor ing of permafrost deformation, in particular of rock glaciers, exploiting s atellite-based SAR data. Within the project this kind of data have been exp loited at regional and local scale. In the latter case, an integration with in-situ measurements acquired with different techniques, i.e. GPS, ground- based SAR and UAV, has been performed. Methodology and expertise developed have been also tested to a landslide deformation case.

The purpose of the Summer School is to offer an overview on modern remote- and field-base d approaches currently used to investigate the dynamics of alpine slopes af fected by permafrost, with particular attention to the combined use of diff erent types of data.
The school is mainly addressed to PhD students wo rking on the topic, but master degree students, post-docs and early career scientists are also welcomed.